Rails custom validations with multi-model forms - ruby-on-rails

Question

I'm having problems with my rails custom validations.
def validates_hsp_program(*attr_names)
options = attr_names.extract_options!
regex = '^('
err = ''
$CetConfig.program.each do |key, val|
regex << val.to_s << '|'
err << $CetConfig.program_prefix + " " + val.to_s + ", "
end
regex.chomp!('|')
regex << ')$'
regex = Regexp.new(regex)
validates_each attr_names do | record, attr_name, value |
exit 1
unless value.nil? or value =~ regex
record.errors.add(attr_name, 'must be one of ' + err.chomp(", "));
end
end
end
The problem is that for debugging purposes I added exit 1 as I wasn't getting the error message for invalid date for that field. However, it never exits. This is the same thing I do in all my other custom validators. The only difference I can see is that this one is the second model of a multi-model form and all the others are on the first model... What am I doing wrong?
My Model
class ProfileProgram < ActiveRecord::Base
set_table_name "profile_program"
set_primary_key "STUDENT_ID"
belongs_to :profile_core, :primary_key => "STUDENT_ID", :foreign_key => "STUDENT_ID"
validates_presence_of :program
validates_hsp_program :program
end
Action from my controller
def create
#pc = ProfileCore.new(params[:profile_core])
#pp = ProfileProgram.new(params[:profile_program])
#pc.student_type = $CetConfig.student_type.application
#pc.AGENT_ID = current_agents_staff.AGENT_ID
year = #pc.contract.to_s
case #pp.program
when 10 then
sd = year + '-09-01'
ed = year + '-06-30'
when 51 then
sd = year + '-08-15'
ed = year + '-06-30'
when 52 then
sd = year + '-01-15'
ed = year + '-06-30'
when 12 then
sd = year + '-01-15'
ed = year + '-01-14'
else
sd = nil
ed = nil
end
#pc.start_date = Date.parse(sd) unless sd.nil?
#pc.end_date = Date.parse(ed) unless ed.nil?
#pc.program_status = $CetConfig.student_status.apply
if #pc.valid? and #pp.valid?
ProfileCore.transaction do
#pc.save!
#pp.save!
end
redirect_to(students_path(#pc.STUDENT_ID))
else
render :action => 'new'
end
end
My view (element_block is a helper that just stuffs the label and field into the right tags for the dl)
<% form_for :profile_core, #pc, :url => { :controller => 'core', :action => 'create'} do |f| %>
<%= error_messages_for :object => [ #pc, #pp ] %>
<dl>
<%= element_block f.label(:contract, 'Contract Year'), f.contract_year_select(:contract) %>
<% fields_for :profile_program do |pp| %>
<%= element_block pp.label(:program, 'Program'), pp.hsp_program_select(:program) %>
<% end %>
<%= element_block f.label(:passport_number, 'Passport Number'), f.text_field(:passport_number) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:passport_country, "Country that issued the student's passport"), f.countries_select(:passport_country) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:passport_expires, 'Passport Expiration Date'), f.text_field(:passport_expires, :class => 'datepicker') %>
<%= element_block f.label(:last_name, 'Last Name (as on passport)'), f.text_field(:last_name) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:first_name, 'First Name (as on passport)'), f.text_field(:first_name) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:middle_name, 'Middle Name (as on passport)'), f.text_field(:middle_name) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:other_names, 'Other Names'), f.text_field(:other_names) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:residence_street_address, 'Street Address'), f.text_field(:residence_street_address) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:residence_city, 'City'), f.text_field(:residence_city) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:residence_province, 'Province'), f.text_field(:residence_province) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:residence, 'Country'), f.text_field(:residence) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:residence_postal_code, 'Postal Code'), f.text_field(:residence_postal_code) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:birthdate, 'Date of Birth'), f.text_field(:birthdate, :class => 'datepicker', :id => "student_birth_date") %>
<%= element_block f.label(:citizenship, 'Country of Citizenship'), f.countries_select(:citizenship) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:birth_city, 'Birth City'), f.text_field(:birth_city) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:nationality, 'Nationality'), f.countries_select(:nationality) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:gender, 'Gender'), f.gender_select(:gender) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:email, 'Email'), f.text_field(:email) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:desires_esl, 'Does the student wish to participate in CLEP?'), f.bool_yes_no_select(:desires_esl) %>
<%= element_block f.label(:may_pay_tuiton, 'Willing to pay tuition'), f.yes_no_select(:may_pay_tuition) %>
</dl>
<div class="submit"><%= submit_tag("Proceed to Step Two") %></div>
<% end %>

Answer 1

This is how I ended up taking care of it with accepts_nested_attributes_for
Primary Model. (Irrelevant code replaced with ellipses)
class ProfileCore < ActiveRecord::Base
set_table_name "profile_core"
set_primary_key "STUDENT_ID"
belongs_to :agents_profile, :primary_key => "AGENT_ID", :foreign_key => "AGENT_ID"
has_one :profile_program, :primary_key => "STUDENT_ID", :foreign_key => "STUDENT_ID"
accepts_nested_attributes_for :profile_program
...
end
Secondary Model
class ProfileProgram < ActiveRecord::Base
set_table_name "profile_program"
set_primary_key "STUDENT_ID"
belongs_to :profile_core, :primary_key => "STUDENT_ID", :foreign_key => "STUDENT_ID"
validates_presence_of :program
validates_hsp_program :program
end
New action in the controller. (Create was irrelevant)
def new
#pc = ProfileCore.new
#pp = #pc.build_profile_program
end
View
<% form_for #pc, :url => { :controller => 'core', :action => 'create'} do |f| %>
<%= f.error_messages %>
<dl>
<%= element_block f.label(:contract, 'Contract Year'), f.contract_year_select(:contract) %>
<% f.fields_for :profile_program do |pp| %>
<%= element_block pp.label(:program, 'Program'), pp.hsp_program_select(:program) %>
<% end %>
<%= element_block f.label(:passport_number, 'Passport Number'), f.text_field(:passport_number) %>
...
<% end %>

Answer 2

It's not correct custom validation implementation, try something like that:
http://marklunds.com/articles/one/312
or http://chrisblunt.com/blog/2009/04/18/rails-writing-dry-custom-validators/