I'm using Devise for authentication in my Rails app. I'd like to eager load some of a users associated models in some of my controllers. Something like this:
class TeamsController < ApplicationController
def show
#team = Team.includes(:members).find params[:id]
current_user.includes(:saved_listings)
# normal controller stuff
end
end
How can I achieve this?
I ran into the same issue and although everyone keeps saying there's no need to do this, I found that there is, just like you. So this works for me:
# in application_controller.rb:
def current_user
#current_user ||= super && User.includes(:saved_listings).find(#current_user.id)
end
Note that this will load the associations in all controllers. For my use case, that's exactly what I need. If you really want it only in some controllers, you'll have to tweak this some more.
This will also call User.find twice, but with query caching that shouldn't be a problem, and since it prevents a number of additional DB hits, it still is a performance gain.
Override serialize_from_session in your User model.
class User
devise :database_authenticatable
def self.serialize_from_session key, salt
record = where(id: key).eager_load(:saved_listings, roles: :accounts).first
record if record && record.authenticatable_salt == salt
end
end
This will however, eager load on all requests.
I wanted to add what I think is a better solution. As noted in comments, existing solutions may hit your DB twice with the find request. Instead, we can use ActiveRecord::Associations::Preloader to leverage Rails' work around loading associations:
def current_user
#current_user ||= super.tap do |user|
::ActiveRecord::Associations::Preloader.new.preload(user, :saved_listings)
end
end
This will re-use the existing model in memory instead of joining and querying the entire table again.
Why not do it with default_scope on the model?
like so:
Class User < ActiveRecord::Base
...
default_scope includes(:saved_listings)
...
end
Related
Situation
I have a model User:
def User
has_many :cars
def cars_count
cars.count
end
def as_json options = {}
super options.merge(methods: [:cars_count])
end
end
Problem
When I need to render to json a collection of users, I end up being exposed to the N+1 query problem. It is my understanding that including cars doesn't solve the problem for me.
Attempted Fix
What I would like to do is add a method to User:
def User
...
def self.as_json options = {}
cars_counts = Car.group(:user_id).count
self.map do |user|
user.define_singleton_method(:cars_count) do
cars_counts[user.id]
end
user.as_json options
end
end
end
That way all cars counts would be queried in a single query.
Remaining Issue
ActiveRecord::Relation already has a as_json method and therefore doesn't pick the class defined one. How can I make ActiveRecord::Relation use the as_json method from the class when it is defined? Is there a better way to do this?
Edits
1. Caching
I can cache my cars_count method:
def cars_count
Rails.cache.fetch("#{cache_key}/cars_count") do
cars.count
end
end
This is nice once the cache is warm, but if a lot of users are updated at the same time, it can cause request timeouts because a lot of queries have to be updated in a single request.
2. Dedicated method
Instead of calling my method as_json, I can call it my_dedicated_as_json_method and each time I need to render a collection of users, instead of
render json: users
write
render json: users.my_dedicated_as_json_method
However, I don't like this way of doing. I may forget to call this method somewhere, someone else might forget to call it, and I'm losing clarity of the code. Monkey patching seems a better route for these reasons.
Have you considered using a counter_cache for cars_count? It's a good fit for what you're wanting to do.
This blog article also offers up some other alternatives, e.g. if you want to manually build a hash.
If you really wanted to continue down the monkey patching route, then ensure that you are patching ActiveRecord::Relation rather than User, and override the instance method rather than creating a class method. Note that this will then affect every ActiveRecord::Relation, but you can use #klass to add a condition that only runs your logic for User
# Just an illustrative example - don't actually monkey patch this way
# use `ActiveSupport::Concern` instead and include the extension
class ActiveRecord::Relation
def as_json(options = nil)
puts #klass
end
end
Option 1
In your user model:
def get_cars_count
self.cars.count
end
And in your controller:
User.all.as_json(method: :get_cars_count)
Option 2
You can create a method which will get all the users and their car count. And then you can call the as_json method on that.
It would roughly look like:
#In Users Model:
def self.users_with_cars
User.left_outer_joins(:cars).group(users: {:id, :name}).select('users.id, users.name, COUNT(cars.id) as cars_count')
# OR may be something like this
User.all(:joins => :cars, :select => "users.*, count(cars.id) as cars_count", :group => "users.id")
end
And in your controller you can call as_json:
User.users_with_cars.as_json
Here is my solution in case someone else is interested.
# config/application.rb
config.autoload_paths += %W(#{config.root}/lib)
# config/initializers/core_extensions.rb
require 'core_extensions/active_record/relation/serialization'
ActiveRecord::Relation.include CoreExtensions::ActiveRecord::Relation::Serialization
# lib/core_extensions/active_record/relation/serialization.rb
require 'active_support/concern'
module CoreExtensions
module ActiveRecord
module Relation
module Serialization
extend ActiveSupport::Concern
included do
old_as_json = instance_method(:as_json)
define_method(:as_json) do |options = {}|
if #klass.respond_to? :collection_as_json
scoping do
#klass.collection_as_json options
end
else
old_as_json.bind(self).(options)
end
end
end
end
end
end
end
# app/models/user.rb
def User
...
def self.collection_as_json options = {}
cars_counts = Car.group(:user_id).count
self.map do |user|
user.define_singleton_method(:cars_count) do
cars_counts[user.id]
end
user.as_json options
end
end
end
Thanks #gwcodes for pointing me at ActiveSupport::Concern.
I've got STI like this:
class Post
end
class Post::Confirmed < Post
end
class Post::Draft < Post
def confirm!
becomes Post::Confirmed
end
end
...# somewhere in controller
# POST /posts/1/confirm
# POST /posts/1/confirm.json
def confirm
#post = Post::Draft.first
#post = #post.confirm! # this is the only way I can reload #post with Post::Confrmed
end
Is it somehow possible to make:
#post.confirm! # I want this #post(Post::Draft) to become Post::Confirmed without reassigning
Or is it just nor RoR way?
Thanks in advance!
The pattern I've found that works best here is having a datetime type field that records when the record was flagged.
For example:
def confirm!
self.confirmed_at = DateTime.now
self.save!
end
Then you can tell when something was confirmed. This comes in especially handy for when you have a situation where something will be flagged but isn't yet, such as setting a publishing date in the future.
Although it might seem a little annoying to not have your STI bag of tricks available, STI is not always the appropriate tool. Generally STI is to differentiate between similar but different models that have a lot of commonality or are used in a common context. It's not supposed to be used to handle different states of a singular model.
What you want in that case is a state-machine type pattern.
I have a model that looks something like this:
class Comment < ActiveRecord::Base
...
#allow editing comment if it is moderated and the user passed-in
#is the one that owns the comment
def can_edit?(user)
moderated? and user.Type == User and user.id == self.user_id
end
...
end
And a call in a view:
<%= link_to 'Show Comment', #comment if #comment.can_show?(current_user) %>
I need to write many such methods in many different models - sort of validation checks to see if current_user is allowed to
do something on a model.
But it feels cumbersome - especially the need to check that the passed-in user is indeed a object of type User.
What's a clean, best-practice way to do this sort of thing? Am I on the right track? (i.e. should I be adding such methods to a model or somewhere else)
Note
I am using scoped queries to get the comments and other models, but in some cases I cannot scope the query so I have to use the can_xxxx? methods
Ps. Is what I'm doing considered a "fat model"?
Create a module containing all the authorization methods and include the module to all the classes requiring authorization.
Add a file called authorization.rb to app/models directory.
module Authorization
def can_edit?(user)
moderated? and user.is_a?(User) and user.id == self.user_id
end
def self.included(base)
base.send(:extend, ClassMethods)
end
module ClassMethods
# add your class methods here.
end
end
Add a file called authorization.rb to config/initializers directory.
%w(
Comment
Post
).each do |klass|
klass.constantize.include(Authorization)
end
Now Comment and Post models will have all the authorization methods.
Other approach is to use your current named_scope.
class Post
named_scope :accessible, lambda { |user|
{
:conditions => { :user_id => user.id, :moderated => true}
}
}
end
Post controller actions
class PostsController
def index
#posts = Post.acessible(current_user)
# process data
end
def show
# throws record not found when the record is not accessible.
#post = Post.acessible(current_user).find(params[:id])
# process data
end
end
I like this approach as it uses the same logic for accessing an array of objects or a single object.
You can add the named_scope to the module to avoid repeated definitions:
module Authorization
def self.included(base)
base.named_scope :accessible, lambda { |user|
{
:conditions => { :user_id => user.id, :moderated => true}
}
}
end
module ClassMethods
# add your class methods here.
end
end
Make sure to include the module in required classes as suggested earlier.
I don't think what you're doing is necessarily wrong. I see three ways to simplify, though:
1) track self.user as well as self.user_id. Then you can say:
def can_show?(user)
moderated ? and user == self.user
end
Note, this might add overhead either with DB lookup times and/or memory footprint.
2) Use #is_a? in order to check ancestry and not just class equality:
def can_show?(user)
moderated ? and user.is_a?( User ) and user.id == self.user_id
end
3) If passing in a non-user is wrong, you might want to raise an error when this happens:
def can_show?(user)
raise "expected User, not #{ user.class.to_s }" unless user.is_a?(User)
moderated ? and user.id == self.user_id
end
As for Q2, I haven't heard the terminology "fat model." Is it referenced anywhere in particular?
Re: fat model and skinny controller
This is the idea of pushing logic into the model rather than having it in the controller (or worse, the view).
A big benefit is to help with testing; also the focus of placing more logic in the model rather than in the controller. Remember that it is not uncommon to have controllers work with multiple models.
Putting the logic into a model rather than a controller often means that the business rules are being baked into the model--which is exactly where they belong.
A possible downside is that any information available to the controller that is not available in the model needs to be explicitly passed into the model's methods or "set" using a model's instance variables.
Your example of needing to pass the current user into the model illustrates the issue.
Overall though, I and many others have found that fat models tend to work out better than not.
Oddly enough, most of this works as it has been written, however I'm not sure how I can evaluate if the current_user has a badge, (all the relationships are proper, I am only having trouble with my methods in my class (which should partially be moved into a lib or something), regardless, the issue is specifically 1) checking if the current user has a record, and 2) if not create the corresponding new record.
If there is an easier or better way to do this, please share. The following is what I have:
# Recipe Controller
class RecipesController < ApplicationController
def create
# do something
if #recipe.save
current_user.check_if_badges_earned(current_user)
end
end
So as for this, it definitely seems messy, I'd like for it to be just check_if_badges_earned and not have to pass the current_user into the method, but may need to because it might not always be the current user initiating this method.
# User model
class User < ActiveRecord::Base
def check_if_badges_earned(user)
if user.recipes.count > 10
award_badge(1, user)
end
if user.recipes.count > 20
award_badge(2, user)
end
end
def award_badge(badge_id, user)
#see if user already has this badge, if not, give it to them!
unless user.badgings.any? { |b| b[:badge_id] == badge_id}
#badging = Badging.new(:badge_id => badge_id, :user_id => user)
#badging.save
end
end
end
So while the first method (check_if_badges_earned) seems to excucte fine and only give run award_badge() when the conditions are met, the issue happens in the award_badge() method itself the expression unless user.badgings.any? { |b| b[:badge_id] == badge_id} always evaluates as true, so the user is given the badge even if it already had the same one (by badge_id), secondly the issue is that it always saves the user_id as 1.
Any ideas on how to go about debugging this would be awesome!
Regardless of whether you need the current_user behavior above, award_badge should just be a regular instance method acting on self instead of acting on the passed user argument (same goes for check_if_badges_earned). In your award_badge method, try find_or_create_by_... instead of the logic you currently have. For example, try this:
class User < ActiveRecord::Base
# ...
def award_badge(badge_id)
badgings.find_or_create_by_badge_id(badge_id)
end
end
To access the current_user in your model classes, I sometimes like to use thread-local variables. It certainly blurs the separation of MVC, but sometimes this kind of coupling is just necessary in an application.
In your ApplicationController, store the current_user in a thread-local variable:
class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
before_filter :set_thread_locals
private
# Store thread-local variables so models can access them (Hackish, but useful)
def set_thread_locals
Thread.current[:current_user] = current_user
end
end
Add a new class method to your ActiveRecord model to return the current_user (you could also extend ActiveRecord::Base to make this available to all models):
class User < ActiveRecord::Base
def self.current_user
Thread.current[:current_user]
end
end
Then, you'll be able to access the current user in the instance methods of your User model with self.class.current_user.
What you need to do first of all is make those methods class methods (call on self), which avoids needlessly passing the user reference.
Then, in your award_badge method, you should add the Badging to the user's list of Badgings, e.g.: user.badgings << Badging.new(:badge_id => badge_id)
I'm working on a multi-user, multi-account App where 1 account can have n users. It is very important that every user can only access info from its account. My approach is to add an account_id to every model in the DB and than add a filter in every controller to only select objects with the current account_id. I will use the authorization plugin.
Is this approach a good idea?
What is the best way to always set the account_id for every object that is created without writing
object.account = #current_account
in every CREATE action? Maybe a filter?
Also I'm not sure about the best way to implement the filter for the select options. I need something like a general condition: No matter what else appears in the SQL statement, there is always a "WHERE account_id = XY".
Thanks for your help!
This is similar to a User.has_many :emails scenario. You don't want the user to see other peoples emails by changing the ID in the URL, so you do this:
#emails = current_user.emails
In your case, you can probably do something like this:
class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
def current_account
#current_account ||= current_user && current_user.account
end
end
# In an imagined ProjectsController
#projects = current_account.projects
#project = current_account.projects.find(params[:id])
I know, I know, if you access Session-variables or Instance variables in your Model you didn't understand the MVC pattern and "should go back to PHP". But still, this could be very useful if you have - like us - a lot of controllers and actions where you don't always want to write #current_account.object.do_something (not very DRY).
The solution I found is very easy:
Step 1:
Add your current_account to Thread.current, so for example
class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
before_filter :get_current_account
protected
def get_current_account
# somehow get the current account, depends on your approach
Thread.current[:account] = #account
end
end
Step 2:
Add a current_account method to all your models
#/lib/ar_current_account.rb
ActiveRecord::Base.class_eval do
def self.current_account
Thread.current[:account]
end
end
Step 3: Voilá, in your Models you can do something like this:
class MyModel < ActiveRecord::Base
belongs_to :account
# Set the default values
def initialize(params = nil)
super
self.account_id ||= current_account.id
end
end
You could also work with something like the before_validation callback in active_record and then make with a validation sure the account is always set.
The same approach could be used if you always want to add the current_user to every created object.
What do you think?
To answer your second question, check out the new default_scope feature in Rails 2.3.
I understand that you don't want to bother about scoping you account all time. Lets be honest, it's a pain in the a**.
To add a bit magic and have this scoping done seamlessly give a look at the following gem
http://gemcutter.org/gems/account_scopper
Hope this helps,
--
Sebastien Grosjean - ZenCocoon