On 18 May 2010 16:41, chewmanfoo <[email protected]> wrote: > if you use a > database to create the list, then you necessarily have to reference > their position get to them
No - you reference their "primary key". This does not equate (unless you have a *very* bad approach to DB design) to position. > but if you define the list with, say, a > yml file, then position is irrelevant. No - again. If you have a yaml data source, you're probably going to be storing a string value for the object. Exactly the same as if you'd stored the string description (assuming the field was called "description") of a db-table record. Absolutely no reference to "position" is given. > So, you can alter the list at > will without having to worry about the consequences for objects which > reference the list - you just can't delete an item in the list. If you're worried about referential integrity, then check for it before allowing records to be deleted. I have a strong feeling, Chewmanfoo, that you aren't grasping some of the fundamental principles of SQL, and using relational databases to store representations of objects. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ruby on Rails: Talk" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en.
