I have a static array in my User model declared like this:
class User < ActiveRecord::Base
...
states = ['NYC', 'CAL', ...]
...
end
I know I should create a model for the states but I figured I just need the list for registration purposes. When I try to use it in a view like this:
= f.select(:state, options_for_select(states))
I get a Undefinded Method error. I tried using instance variables through the controller and that didnt work either. Whats the correct way of doing this?
You should be able to access it as
User::STATES
that's assuming you upcase it from states to STATES since that's idiomatic :)
Another option is to create a class method that returns the array
def self.states
['NYC', 'CAL', etc]
end
Capitalizing the constant in the model and using the Model::CONSTANT syntax is probably the most common way to do this.
States collection is not specific to a user, so I wouldn't have it under the User model. As shown in this answer, I would add a us_states helper to your application, and use that in your views:
= f.select(:state, options_for_select(us_states))
STATES = ['NYC', 'CAL', ...]in corresponding controller, instead of model