Validates_uniqueness_of on massaged contents of column

Rails
1

I am trying to check the uniqueness of a column updated from a form. In
my model I have this:

class Entity < ActiveRecord::Base

has_one :client, :dependent => :destroy
has_many :sites, :through => :locations

before_validation :indexed_name

validates_presence_of :entity_name
validates_presence_of :entity_legal_name
validates_presence_of :entity_legal_form

validates_uniqueness_of :entity_name

def entity_name
read_attribute(:entity_name).titlecase
end

def entity_name=(name)
write_attribute(:entity_name, name.keycase)
end

def indexed_name
self.entity_name = self.entity_name.keycase
end

(keycase is a local extension to the string class)

This code coerces the values entered into entity_name to lowercase and
saves them to the database and displays data in that column as
titlecase. All that works as expected. What does not work is the
validates_uniqueness_of.

What I desire is that form data entered into entity_name as “A TEST
CLIENT” be massaged to “a test client” BEFORE the
validates_uniqueness_of is performed. This is not what is happening
even though the update SQL is generated with the contents of entity_name
properly prepared.

How do I accomplish this?

2

Try setting up a call back on the model that runs before validation:

before_validation()

On Mar 18, 12:47 pm, James B. [email protected]

3

[email protected] wrote:

Try setting up a call back on the model that runs before validation:

before_validation()

ActiveRecord::Callbacks

I have done that:

before_validation :indexed_name

validates_uniqueness_of :entity_name

def indexed_name
self.entity_name = self.entity_name.keycase
end

And this does not work. What variable contains the value that is used
by validates_uniqueness_of?

Oh, by the way, I found this tonight. Apparently I am not the only one
twisting in the wind on this problem.

http://blog.craz8.com/articles/2007/12/10/rails-validates_uniqueness_of-is-completely-broken/

4

This is the development log:

Processing EntitiesController#new (for 127.0.0.1 at 2008-03-18 21:23:11)
[GET]
Session ID:
BAh7BzoMY3NyZl9pZCIlMjFkMjZlMWE3ODgyM2MwMzBmZmE0NzJiMzI2OGJl%0ANjYiCmZsYXNoSUM6J0FjdGlvbkNvbnRyb2xsZXI6OkZsYXNoOjpGbGFzaEhh%0Ac2h7AAY6CkB1c2VkewA%3D–2c65e7445b0b3a4500a926ab4ca20ba2d50b06d1
Parameters: {“action”=>“new”, “controller”=>“entities”}
Entity Indexes (0.000000) PRAGMA index_list(entities)
SQL (0.000000) PRAGMA index_info(‘idxU_entities_entity_name’)
Rendering template within layouts/entities
Rendering entities/new
Completed in 0.04700 (21 reqs/sec) | Rendering: 0.01600 (34%) | DB:
0.00000 (0%) | 200 OK [http://localhost/entities/new]

Processing ApplicationController#index (for 127.0.0.1 at 2008-03-18
21:23:11) [GET]
Session ID:
BAh7BzoMY3NyZl9pZCIlMjFkMjZlMWE3ODgyM2MwMzBmZmE0NzJiMzI2OGJl%0ANjYiCmZsYXNoSUM6J0FjdGlvbkNvbnRyb2xsZXI6OkZsYXNoOjpGbGFzaEhh%0Ac2h7AAY6CkB1c2VkewA%3D–2c65e7445b0b3a4500a926ab4ca20ba2d50b06d1
Parameters: {}

…

Submit new data.

Processing EntitiesController#create (for 127.0.0.1 at 2008-03-18
21:23:51) [POST]
Session ID:
BAh7BzoMY3NyZl9pZCIlMjFkMjZlMWE3ODgyM2MwMzBmZmE0NzJiMzI2OGJl%0ANjYiCmZsYXNoSUM6J0FjdGlvbkNvbnRyb2xsZXI6OkZsYXNoOjpGbGFzaEhh%0Ac2h7AAY6CkB1c2VkewA%3D–2c65e7445b0b3a4500a926ab4ca20ba2d50b06d1
Parameters: {“commit”=>“Create”, “entity”=>{“entity_legal_name”=>“The
Second should fail Test Client Ltd.”, “entity_name”=>“second test
client”, “entity_legal_form”=>“CORP”},
“authenticity_token”=>“1de43991e546d4823d88635f1971041ba746b432”,
“action”=>“create”, “controller”=>“entities”}
Entity Indexes (0.000000) PRAGMA index_list(entities)
SQL (0.000000) PRAGMA index_info(‘idxU_entities_entity_name’)

THIS is the validation call:

Entity Load (0.000000) SELECT * FROM entities WHERE
(entities.entity_name = ‘Second Test Client’) LIMIT 1

Why is “entity_name”=>“second test client” in the parameters passed
above but entities.entity_name is nonetheless set equal to ‘Second Test
Client’? What variable is holding this value?

The code for validated_uniqueness_of is

510: def validates_uniqueness_of(*attr_names)
511: configuration = { :message =>
ActiveRecord::Errors.default_error_messages[:taken] }
512: configuration.update(attr_names.pop) if
attr_names.last.is_a?(Hash)
513:
514: validates_each(attr_names,configuration) do |record,
attr_name, value|
515: condition_sql = “#{record.class.table_name}.#{attr_name}
#{attribute_condition(value)}”
516: condition_params = [value]
517: if scope = configuration[:scope]
518: Array(scope).map do |scope_item|
519: scope_value = record.send(scope_item)
520: condition_sql << " AND
#{record.class.table_name}.#{scope_item}
#{attribute_condition(scope_value)}"
521: condition_params << scope_value
522: end
523: end
524: unless record.new_record?
525: condition_sql << " AND
#{record.class.table_name}.#{record.class.primary_key} <> ?"
526: condition_params << record.send(:id)
527: end
528: if record.class.find(:first, :conditions =>
[condition_sql, *condition_params])
529: record.errors.add(attr_name, configuration[:message])
530: end
531: end
532: end

What is passing |value| from the model? This seems to be the source of
the difficulty.

5

@James:

The answer is in the code you’re written.

def entity_name
read_attribute(:entity_name).titlecase
end

def entity_name=(name)
write_attribute(:entity_name, name.keycase)
end

You’ve provided an accessor for ‘entity_name’ that reads the attribute
and returns it in titlecase form. That would appear to explain why
you’re getting ‘Second Test Client’ – you’re going through the
accessor which is doing what you’ve asked it.

On Mar 18, 9:38 pm, James B. [email protected]