https://github.com/dmitry/model_form
Model Form
https://github.com/dmitry/model_form
Last synced: 4 months ago
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Model Form
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/dmitry/model_form
- Owner: dmitry
- Created: 2012-12-24T22:10:56.000Z (over 13 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2016-04-28T12:23:02.000Z (about 10 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-07-25T18:08:09.947Z (11 months ago)
- Homepage:
- Size: 10.7 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
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README
# model_form
In a big or even medium project fat controllers and models can become a real problem.
With that gem you can move specific form parts of your logic to a `forms`.
## Features
* callbacks and validations
* virtual attributes
* nested attributes (can be replacements for a `accepts_nested_attributes_for` in your model)
* with correct error messages mapped to the nested attributes
* without `_attributes` postfix
* transaction safe (same as autosave)
## Future support
* multi-form - one form may consists of > 1 model
* orm agnostic: activerecord, mongoid
* multiparameter attributes
## Inspiration
Related: PORO, DAO, Service Object
Frameworks:
* Django - ModelForms
* Symfony - Forms (http://symfony.com/doc/current/book/forms.html#index-15)
Articles:
* http://pivotallabs.com/users/jdean/blog/articles/1706-form-backing-objects-for-fun-and-profit
* http://blog.codeclimate.com/blog/2012/10/17/7-ways-to-decompose-fat-activerecord-models/
* http://www.devcaffeine.com/2012/06/20/isolating-validations-in-activemodel/
* http://fredwu.me/post/54009567748/datamappify-a-new-take-on-decoupling-domain-form-and
* http://brainspec.com/blog/2012/07/09/activerecord-inheritance-contexts/ - context technique
* http://rubyflow.ru/items/1481 - in russian language about `form_logic` gem
Videos:
* http://railscasts.com/episodes/16-virtual-attributes
* http://railscasts.com/episodes/398-service-objects
Gems:
* https://github.com/orgsync/active_interaction - prefer that over everything else
* https://github.com/cypriss/mutations - more or less that gem would be
* https://github.com/fredwu/datamappify
* https://github.com/hookercookerman/form_model
* https://github.com/apotonick/reform
* https://github.com/ClearFit/redtape - nested attributes
* https://github.com/MSch/activemodel-form
* https://github.com/saratovsource/form_object
* https://github.com/joevandyk/cat_forms
* https://github.com/brycesenz/freeform
* https://github.com/braintree/curator
* https://github.com/nulogy/edr
* https://github.com/joakimk/minimapper
* https://github.com/GCorbel/activeform-rails
* https://github.com/shlima/form_logic
Additional readings:
* https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/8189 - rails pull request for refactoring multi-parameter to a controller; nice idea to have it in this gem
## Concept example
```ruby
class Article < ActiveRecord::Base
has_many :photos
end
class Photo < ActiveRecord::Base
# belongs_to :article
end
class ArticleForm < ModelForm
attr_accessible :header, :description, :photos
attribute :accepted, Boolean
after_assign do
self.description = translate(description, :en, :ru)
# triggers after_assign in nested attribute
end
before_validaiton do
# runs after_assign
end
validates :name, presence: true
# no photos_attributes - think about it, because ActiveRecord and ActionPack have some references on _attributes
nested_attributes :photos
def accepted=(accepted)
self.accepted_at = accepted ? Time.now : nil
end
class PhotoForm # < NestedForm
end
private
def translate(text, from, to)
# translation logic here
end
end
article_form = ArticleForm.new(header: 'Header name', description: 'Some description here', photos: [{id: 1, name: 'some name'}, {name: 'new'}])
article_form.assign_attributes header: 'Update header name'
article_form.save # or save!
article_form.valid?
article_form.invalid?
article_form.errors
```
## API
### Callbacks
##### assign_attributes
`before_assign`
`after_assign`
##### save
`before_validaiton`
`before_save`
`after_save`
`after_commit`
### Class
`attr_accessible` may take block or list of attributes to whitelist
`attribute(name, type)` add virtual attribute to a form with specific type
[`nested_attributes(association_name, options={})`](#nested_attributes) add ability to set nested attributes for some association
### Instance
`assign_attributes`
`valid?`
`invalid?`
`save`
`save!`
`model`
`params`
`errors` - TODO think how it should be: nested or plain!?
## Extended API description
##### nested_attributes
* `association_name`: association name that used in one of association types
* `options` by default is `{}`
* `class_name` by default "#{attribute_name.to_s.singularize.camelcase}Form", but can be a model or other ModelForm
* `reject_if`
* `allow_destroy`
## What else?!
From the beginning I've tried to develop this gem with `RDD` (Readme Driven Development - http://tom.preston-werner.com/2010/08/23/readme-driven-development.html)
As you can see, it not works yet, but the idea lives.