Strong parameters with Active Admin: no implicit conversion of Symbol into Integer

Question

I'm on Rails 4 and using Active Admin. I need to have a different set of parameters permissible for the create and update methods, so I am approaching this by modifying the instructions from the Active Admin documentation. Here is what I am trying to do:

My model needs to take the following set of parameters on create:

:name, :region, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date

But is should not change :region on update. So, without overriding the default Active Admin’s update method, I am modifying permit_params as follows:

  permit_params do
    params = [:name, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date]
    params.push(:region) unless params[:action] == "update"
    params
  end

The result is inevitably the following error:

TypeError: no implicit conversion of Symbol into Integer

which occurs, I believe, when permit_params is creating the method permitted_params.

What am I doing wrong? What is the solution?

`permit_params` are used by ActiveAdmin behind the scenes in its default controllers (please see [here](https://github.com/activeadmin/activeadmin/blob/master/docs/2-resource-customization.md)). I have not written any code that uses `permit_params`. — azangru, Dec 10 '14 at 10:32

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 10 '14 at 11:02

2

A shorter version of Andrey Deineko

 permit_params do
    params = [:region, :name, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date]
    params.delete(:region) if action_name == 'update'
    params
  end

console output:

2.1.5 :021 > params = [:region, :name, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date]
 => [:region, :name, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date] 
2.1.5 :022 > params.delete(:region)
 => :region 
2.1.5 :023 > params
 => [:name, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date]

answered Dec 10 '14 at 11:02

rmagnum2002

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Short and sweet indeed. Now I have another problem: although your code works and `:region` is listed among unpermitted parameters during an update method, its value still gets updated. But this probably deserves a question of its own. – azangru Dec 10 '14 at 11:59
try this `params.delete(:region) if params[:action] == "update"`, might be that `action_name` is not available at that point, but params are sent anyway and params[:action] might work. – rmagnum2002 Dec 10 '14 at 12:54
`action_name` is available, thanks for that hint. It was just me being stupid: I was filtering out one parameter and testing another :-) – azangru Dec 10 '14 at 13:32
Actually, `params.delete(:region) if params[:action] == "update"` was producing the same `TypeError: no implicit conversion of Symbol into Integer`, while `params.delete(:region) if action_name == 'update'` worked fine. Mysterious. – azangru Dec 10 '14 at 13:34
Cool then, something new for me anyway. Might need this at some point. Cheers. – rmagnum2002 Dec 10 '14 at 13:41

Andrey Deineko · Answer 2 · 2014-12-10T10:46:42.630

1

What if you refactor your code as follows:

 permit_params do
    regular_params = [:name, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date]
    update_params = regular_params + [:region]
    permitted = params[:action] == "update" ? update_params : regular_params
    permitted
  end

edited Dec 10 '14 at 10:46

answered Dec 10 '14 at 10:39

Andrey Deineko

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You cannot use `#push` as that'd modify the original as well. Something like `regular_params + [:region]` should work. – Jiří Pospíšil Dec 10 '14 at 10:42
Yes, this works, thank you. I eventually went with rmagnum2002's variation, and now am perplexed by the fact that although I pass the correct set of parameters to the update method, the deleted parameter (:region) still gets updated. – azangru Dec 10 '14 at 12:02
@Andrey Deineko: Yes, I have. The shortened list of parameters that is passed to the update method is correct, but for some weird reason the unpermitted parameter still gets updated. I'll need to go deeper. – azangru Dec 10 '14 at 12:28

Nermin · Answer 3 · 2014-12-10T10:54:01.590

0

Try this way, maybe your problem is not with permit params

  permit_params :name, :contact_details, :province_id, :status_id, :start_date
  # it does not work as you want but maybe can help you find bug

edited Dec 10 '14 at 10:54

answered Dec 10 '14 at 10:43

Nermin

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And what about :region ? He said he don't want :region to be permitted on update. In your case they are permitted in both create and update actions – rmagnum2002 Dec 10 '14 at 10:45

Strong parameters with Active Admin: no implicit conversion of Symbol into Integer

3 Answers3