Form_for and Rails attributes API

Attributes API allows you to have complex object with specified structure in fields. But how to make forms with this fields?

The answer is pretty simple: you work with them like with nested attributes.

Let’s say, we have class Provider with attribute address.

class Provider < ApplicationRecord

  attribute :address, Provider::Address::Type.new, default: Provider::Address.new

Address has following attributes:

class Provider::Address

  extend Dry::Initializer



  option :country, optional: true

  option :zip, optional: true

  option :city, optional: true

  option :address, optional: true

Form will look like this:

= form_for resource_provider, provider_url do |f|

  = f.fields_for :address do |ff|

      = ff.label 'Country'

      = ff.text_field :country, value: @provider.billing_address.country



      = ff.label 'Zip'

      = ff.text_field :zip, value: @provider.billing_address.zip



      = ff.label 'City'

      = ff.text_field :city, value: @provider.billing_address.city



      = ff.label 'Address'

      = ff.text_field :address, value: @provider.billing_address.address

In controller you have to permit parameters:

def provider_params

    params.require(:provider).permit(address: [:city, :zip, :country, :address])

end

And that’s all. Now, in action method you can assign attributes like this:

resource_provider.attributes = provider_params

resource_provider.save