Thanks for all the replies. Let me ask you this:
If I do set up a view to rename the columns, can I override the create and update method in ActiveRecord::Base to make it insert into the original table (rather than the view)? Having looked at ActiveRecord::Base a little bit it would seem that I can do this without any ill effects. Thanks, Mike On Dec 4, 1:28 pm, Jeff Lewis <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Mike, > > Having a db table column named object_id is going to be a problem for > any ruby-based app, given object_id's significance as an object > attribute in ruby (http://www.ruby-doc.org/core/classes/ > Object.html#M000339). > > If your rails app only needs to read from (and not write to) that > legacy table, ... I'd create a view in the db which includes all the > columns in that table but with that object_id column renamed to > something like ob_id, and then read from that view instead of the > table in your rails app. > > If your rails app needs to write to that table, and your rails app and > the legacy app are the only two apps that use that legacy db, and you > are able to modify that legacy app, .... I'd change that column name > in the db to something like ob_id, then I'd search for ($ grep -Erni > "object_id" /path/to/proj/root ) and replace all specific references > to that specific column in the legacy code. > > Jeff > > On Dec 3, 12:22 pm, Mike B <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I'm writing a Rails application against a legacy database. One of the tables > > in this legacy database has a column named object_id. Unfortunately > > object_id is also an attribute of every object in Ruby, so when ActiveRecord > > is trying to use these objects to formulate a query it is using the Ruby > > defined object_id, rather than the value that is in the database. > > > The legacy application is immense at well over a million lines of code, so > > simply changing the name of the column in the database would be an option of > > last resort. > > > Questions: > > 1. Is there any way to make ActiveRecord/Rails use an alias or synonym for > > this column? (i.e. such that in my app I can access the value using the > > alias, but when AR generates SQL it uses the actual column name) > > 2. Is there any way in Ruby to make the object_id method behave differently, > > depending on who is calling it? (i.e. use database object_id when being > > called by activerecord, otherwise return ruby object_id) > > 3. Can I simply override the behavior of the object_id method in my model (I > > assume this is a terrible idea, but had to ask) > > > Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. -- 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.
