Create multiple entries with checkbox and strong params in Rails4

Question

I am having problems with the following scenario:

My users do searches by keywords which produces a list. The user has 2 actions either add them to a favorites table or block them using check boxes.

The problem I have is that when users click "Add to Favorites" the form passes a list of hashes to my strong params method and I am not able to pass it correctly.

I think the problem is that the hash required by strong_params is inside another hash.

Also I have no idea on how to pass the same hash to the BlockController when user click "Block"

This is the error message:

param is missing or the value is empty: {:favorites=>{:name=>"Jon Doe", :title=>"Provider", :company=>"Acme", :location=>"Dubai", :profile=>"Group A", :notes=>""}}

My results.html.erb is

<table class="table table-striped table-bordered">
  <tr>
      <th class="center">Name</th>
      <th class="center">Title</th>
      <th class="center">Company</th>
      <th class="center">Location</th>
      <th class="center">Profile</th>
      <th class="center">Select</th>

  </tr>
  <%= form_tag favorites_path do %>
        <%= @results.length %>
        <% @results.each do |key,value| %>

            <tr>
              <td><%= value['name'] %></td>
              <td><%= value['title'] %></td>
              <td><%= value['company'] %></td>
              <td><%= value['location'] %></td>
              <td><%= link_to 'Profile', value['profile'],:target => "_blank"%></td>
              <td><%=check_box_tag 'favorite[]',  {:name => value['name'],:title =>value['title'],:company => value['company'],:location => value['location'], :profile=> value['profile'], :notes =>""}%></td>

        </tr>

        <% end %>
    <%= submit_tag "Add to Favorites", name: 'add', class: 'btn btn-primary' %>
    <%= submit_tag "Block Profiles", name: 'block', class: 'btn btn-danger' %>
  <% end %>
</table>

this is how my strong_params method looks:

def favorite_params

  params[:profiles].each do |e|
    params.require(e).permit(:name, :title, :company, :location, :profile, :notes)
  end
end

Any ideas?

Update:

I am able to pass params as:

def favorite_params
      params.permit(:commit,favorite:[])
    end

create method:

def create
    @favorite = Favorite.new(favorite_params)
    @favorite.user_id = current_user.id
    respond_to do |format|
      if @favorite.save
        format.html { redirect_to @favorite, notice: 'Favorite was successfully created.' }
        format.json { render :show, status: :created, location: @favorite }
        format.js { render :show, status: :created, location: @favorite }

      else
        format.html { render :new }
        format.json { render json: @favorite.errors, status: :unprocessable_entity }

      end
    end
 end

Suggest you to keep your original version of view scripts, and move the new view scripts under Update section. — Jaugar Chang
– Jaugar Chang, Commented Aug 15, 2014 at 8:19

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 10:26:40Z

2

Reference to http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionController/Parameters.html Don't use each, use permit or require directly Try this:

params.permit(profiles: {favorites: [:name, :title, :company, :location, :profile, :notes]})
#or :
params.permit(profiles: [{favorites: [:name, :title, :company, :location, :profile, :notes]}])
#=>{:profiles=>{:favorites=>{:name=>"Jon Doe", :title=>"Provider", :company=>"Acme", :location=>"Dubai", :profile=>"Group A", :notes=>""}}}

or :

params.require(:profiles).permit( favorites: [:name, :title, :company, :location, :profile, :notes])
#=>{:favorites=>{:name=>"Jon Doe", :title=>"Provider", :company=>"Acme", :location=>"Dubai", :profile=>"Group A", :notes=>""}}

UPDATE

According to OP's modification of the view, the favorite_params should be:

params.require(:favorite)

Then in the create action use each to create every member of the array, becase check_box pass string as value, we have to eval the string into hash again.

favorite_params.each do |fp|
  f=Favorite.new(eval(fp))
  f.user_id = current_user.id
  f.save
end

But use eval to transfer the params is not safe. I suggest you to modify your view to:

<%= form_tag favorites_path do %>
  <%= @results.length %>
  <% @results.each do |key,value| %>
    <tr>
      <td><%= value['name'] %></td>
      <td><%= value['title'] %></td>
      <td><%= value['company'] %></td>
      <td><%= value['location'] %></td>
      <td><%= link_to 'Profile', value['profile'],:target => "_blank"%></td>
      <td><%= check_box_tag "favorites[#{value['name']}][checked]", 'checked',true %>
          <%= hidden_field_tag "favorites[#{value['name']}][name]" , value['name'] %>
          <%= hidden_field_tag "favorites[#{value['name']}][title]" , value['title'] %>
          <%= hidden_field_tag "favorites[#{value['name']}][company]" , value['company'] %>
          <%= hidden_field_tag "favorites[#{value['name']}][location]" , value['location'] %>
          <%= hidden_field_tag "favorites[#{value['name']}][profile]" , value['profile'] %>
          <%= hidden_field_tag "favorites[#{value['name']}][note]" , "" %>
      </td>
    </tr>
  <% end %>
  <%= submit_tag "Add to Favorites", name: 'add', class: 'btn btn-primary' %>
  <%= submit_tag "Block Profiles", name: 'block', class: 'btn btn-danger' %>
<% end %>

From this view, you may have params like this:

{:favorites=>{
  "Jon Doe" => {:checked => "checked", :name=>"Jon Doe", :title=>"Provider", :company=>"Acme", :location=>"Dubai", :profile=>"Group A", :notes=>""},
  "Alberto" => {:name=>"Alberto", :title=>"DS", :company=>"Dufrain", :location=>"chester", :profile=>"", :notes=>""}
  }
}

Then change your favorite_params to :

params.require(:favorites).select{|k,v| v[:checked]}.map{|k,v| v.except(:checked)}

Use select to get all checked members, and except the checked hash key that generated by check_box,so you could get an array of hashes like:

[{"name"=>"Jon Doe", "title"=>"Provider", "company"=>"Acme", "location"=>"Dubai", "profile"=>"Group A", "notes"=>""}]

Then you could use favorite_params safely without eval.

But on my point, your requiement is so similar as Mark V's question. So you can study using accepts_nested_attributes_for to simplify your code.

edited May 23, 2017 at 10:26

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answered Aug 13, 2014 at 12:16

Jaugar Chang

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5 Comments

Altons Over a year ago

thanks but does not work - it passes the strong_params but crashes in the def create with this error ``` {"profiles"=>[]} Unpermitted parameters: utf8, authenticity_token, add```

Jaugar Chang Over a year ago

Can you post your create method's code. I updated my answer to show the results that strong_params returned, require and permit return differently, may cause the create method's error.

Altons Over a year ago

I am able to pass params using params.permit(:commit,favorite:[]) but no idea how create will process multiple records at the same time. I slighty modified the form to make easier pass data

Jaugar Chang Over a year ago

Can you puts @favorite in your create action and see what happend?

Altons Over a year ago

favorite_params has the following values:

{"commit"=>"Add to Favorites", "favorite"=>["{:name=>\"Alberto\", :title=>\"DS\", :company=>\"Dufrain\", :location=>\"chester\", :profile=>\"\", :notes=>\"\"}", "{:name=>\"Eduardo\", :title=>\"DS\", :company=>\"Dufrain\", :location=>\"chester\", :profile=>\"\", :notes=>\"\"}"]}

Jaugar Chang · Accepted Answer · 2014-08-14 13:50:41Z

1

i am on the way home so have to use my phone to type a new answer. my spell may wrong.

as you see in your console. you should get the favorites array use require only.

params.require(:favorite)

then in your create action use each to create every member of the array.

favorite_params.each do |fp|
  f=Favorite.new(fp)
  f.user_id =
  f.save
end

edited Aug 14, 2014 at 13:50

answered Aug 14, 2014 at 13:43

Jaugar Chang

112 bronze badges

2 Comments

Altons Over a year ago

nearly there! fp is a string to need to use eval(fp) to converted back to a hash. Could you update ur answer with the eval() so I can mark it a solution? Many thanks for ur help

Jaugar Chang Over a year ago

This answer I posted with another temporary account on my phone, so I may delete it later. And I updated my original answer an have more advise to you. You know for some reason SO's sing in page is invald in China, I have to use different accounts at different divices. Sorry for the confusion of the two answers.

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