Cannot insert row into table through create action - ruby-on-rails

Question

I'm sure there has to be a very simple solution to my problem but i don't know why i cant seem to put my finger on it, the problem is that I'm trying to submit a form but every time i submit the form the create action controller gives the following error
Mysql2::Error: Column 'preffered_players' cannot be null: INSERT INTO saved_sessions (preffered_players, session_id, preffered_opponents, game_id, game_type, opponents_list, banned_players, players_list) VALUES (NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL)
how ever all these values that the error says are null are passed through parameters as soon as the form is submitted, can anyone tell me how to use the parameter values that i get from the form to fill in the little nulls in my query, create controller is as follow
def create
opponents_list = params[:opponents_list]
banned_players = params[:banned_players]
game_type = params[:game_type]
session_id = params[:session_id]
preffered_opponents = params[:preffered_opponents]
game_id = params[:game_id]
players_list = params[:players_list]
preffered_players = params[:preffered_players]
#saved_sessions = SavedSession.new(params[:saved_sessions])
respond_to do |format|
if #saved_sessions.save
format.html { redirect_to(#game, :notice => 'Game was successfully created.') }
format.xml { render :xml => #game, :status => :created, :location => #game }
else
format.html { render :action => "new" }
format.xml { render :xml => #game.errors, :status => :unprocessable_entity }
end
end
end
thanks for any advice...
i'm including the form code however its very messy(its a huge form) plus its in haml :)
- form_tag('/saved_sessions',:method => :post, :id => "new_game") do
.select_option
.list_col1
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/happy_face.png"}/
.blue_col
= text_field_tag :preffered_opponents, "", :class => :blue_bar
.clr
.list_col2
.list_col2_top_row
.radio_row
.fl
%input{:type => "radio", :name => "battle_scale", :value => "3"}
.fl 3 vs 3
.fl
%input{:type => "radio", :name => "battle_scale", :value => "5"}
.fl 5 vs 5
.clr
%div
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/sad_face.png"}/
.fl
/%input#banned_players.white_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag :banned_players, "", :class => :white_bar
.clr
.versus_row
#inputs-vs.versus_col1
.versus_col_row
.blue_col
/%input#input-1-vs.blue_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-1-vs', "", :class => :blue_bar
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.clr
.versus_col_row
.blue_col
/%input#input-2-vs.blue_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-2-vs', "", :class => :blue_bar
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.clr
.versus_col_row
.blue_col
/%input#input-3-vs.blue_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-3-vs', "", :class => :blue_bar
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.clr
.versus_col_row
.blue_col
/%input#input-4-vs.blue_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-4-vs', "", :class => :blue_bar
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.clr
.versus_col_row
.blue_col
/%input#input-5-vs.blue_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-5-vs', "", :class => :blue_bar
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.clr
.versus_col2
%img{:alt => "0", :border => "0", :src => "/images/vs.png"}/
#inputs.versus_col1
.versus_col_row
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.blue_col
/%input#input-1.pink_bar{:name => "blah", :type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-1', "", :class => :pink_bar
.clr
.versus_col_row
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.blue_col
/%input#input-2.pink_bar{:name => "blah", :type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-2', "", :class => :pink_bar
.clr
.versus_col_row
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.blue_col
/%input#input-3.pink_bar{:name => "blah", :type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-3', "", :class => :pink_bar
.clr
.versus_col_row
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.blue_col
/%input#input-4.pink_bar{:name => "blah", :type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-4', "", :class => :pink_bar
.clr
.versus_col_row
.fl
%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/lock.png"}/
.blue_col
/%input#input-5.pink_bar{:name => "blah", :type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'input-5', "", :class => :pink_bar
.clr
.clr
.session_row
%p
%b You can save and share this session by entering your email. A unique code will be sent
%p.small_text (Session are stored for 30 days)
.seesion_send_row
.fl
/%input.big_white_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'email_bar', "", :class => :big_white_bar
.fl
%span 2+2=
%span
%span
/%input.small_bar{:type => "text"}/
= text_field_tag 'code_bar', "", :class => :small_bar
.fl
/%a{:href => "#."}
/%img{:alt => "image", :border => "0", :src => "/images/send_button.png"}/
= submit_tag("Send")
hope this can help you guys better understand the problem..

Answer 1

You seem to be pulling from 2 different places. The block of code at the top of the method is pulling the values from the top level of the incoming params, but then later you initialize a new SavedSession using the params[:saved_sessions] input. The two things don't seem to match...
if saved_sessions.opponents_list is found at opponents_list = params[:opponents_list] in the first line, then when you later try to save params[:saved_sessions], you're getting it from a different spot in the params...
EDIT: so you do not need both of the sets of values you have in the action. if you build your form like this (or at least something like this) you'll get the params correctly and can just blindly send them into SavedSession.new, and then call .save.
- form_for(#aved_session) do |f|
-.blue_col
= f.text_field :preffered_opponents, "", :class => :blue_bar
If you allow f.text_field to build the id and name then rails magic will make sure that they are named/id'd correctly and then more rails magic interprets them and builds your input parameters correctly. This will build your params as:
params = {:saved_session => {:preferred_opponents => "text value" }...
Then you can pull those params out:
saved_session_input = params[:saved_session]
and pass them into new just like you are. the difference is that now those parameters are actually IN there.
The way you have it is like this:
params = {:preferred_opponents => "text value", :saved_session => {:preferred_opponents => nil }...
this means you're passing nil in for the expected values for new. Note that you don't actually assign your local values to the new saved_session before calling save.
I hope this is clearer.