CHECK if param exists? please help

Rails
1

hi folks.

i want to check if a param exists if not to set it to a default value
for my date range filter. in my controller i have:

@from_date = Date.strptime(params[:startdate],"%d/%m/%Y")
@to_date = Date.strptime(params[:enddate],"%d/%m/%Y")

@articles = @results.find(:all,
                        :conditions => [ "created_at >= ? and

created_at <=?",@from_date,@to_date],
:order => ‘created_at desc’, :page => {:size
=> 5, :current => params[:page]})

this works as long as i have the params in the query string in the
address. but if i remmove them i want to be able to default to a date
range from today back a couple of months.

is there a param[:startdate].exists? check i can do???

any help asap would be great!!

2

First, some code style tips…

@from_date = Date.strptime(params[:startdate],"%d/%m/%Y")
@to_date = Date.strptime(params[:enddate],"%d/%m/%Y")

Don’t use @ unless other methods really want to see the variable.

@articles = @results.find(:all,
                        :conditions => [ "created_at >= ? and

created_at <=?",@from_date,@to_date],
:order => ‘created_at desc’, :page =>
{:size
=> 5, :current => params[:page]})

And always prefer an AR shortcut if you can find one:

@articles = @results.find_all_by_created_at( from … to,
:order => ‘created_at desc’,
:page => {:size => 5, :current => params[:page]})

this works as long as i have the params in the query string in the
address. but if i remmove them i want to be able to default to a date
range from today back a couple of months.

The big sloppy way would be:

from = 2.months.ago
to = Time.now.to_date
from_date = Date.parse(params[:startdate]) if params[:startdate]
to_date = Date.parse(params[:enddate]) if params[:enddate]

is there a param[:startdate].exists? check i can do???

params.key?(:startdate). But… hash[q] returns nil (usually) if no q
key
exists, so everyone always just treats hash[q] as a boolean.

New question: Could someone make those statements even DRYer? such as
with .fetch()?

3

from_date = Date.parse(params[:startdate]) if params[:startdate]
to_date = Date.parse(params[:enddate]) if params[:enddate]

I forgot to mention I don’t know if there’s a Date.parse. Use Time.parse
otherwise…

4

Use the ternary/comparison operator. I’ve removed your strptime stuff,
but the idea is like so:

@from_date = params[:startdate] ? params[:startdate] : (Time.now -
3.months.ago)
@to_date = params[:enddate] ? params[:enddate] : Time.now

“If params[:startdate], then @from = params[:startdate], else @from =
time.now - 3.months.ago”

-eric

On Feb 22, 10:34 am, Dave S. [email protected]

5

Eric wrote:

Use the ternary/comparison operator. I’ve removed your strptime stuff,
but the idea is like so:

@from_date = params[:startdate] ? params[:startdate] : (Time.now -
3.months.ago)

3.months.ago is an absolute time (probably “seconds since 1970”). So the
“Time.now -” is implied.

6

On Feb 22, 3:46 pm, Phlip [email protected] wrote:

Eric wrote:

Use the ternary/comparison operator. I’ve removed your strptime stuff,
but the idea is like so:

@from_date = params[:startdate] ? params[:startdate] : (Time.now -
3.months.ago)

3.months.ago is an absolute time (probably “seconds since 1970”). So the
“Time.now -” is implied.

It was just for illustration.

7

3.months.ago is an absolute time (probably “seconds since 1970”). So the
“Time.now -” is implied.

It was just for illustration.

You gotta consider the audience, dude!