Default values for model attributes in Rails

Question

What's the proper way to set default values for models in Rails?

class User < ActiveRecord::Base
  attr_accessible :name, :points
end

I want points to start out at 0 instead of nil. Ideally the default value is created right away rather than waiting for the User to be saved into the database. But I guess using a before_save or database constraints work as well:

class User < ActiveRecord::Base
  attr_accessible :name, :points
  before_save :set_defaults

  private
  def set_defaults
    self.points = 0
  end
end

Using the latest stable Rails.

Here is a better http://stackoverflow.com/a/1188834/1765534 Posible duplication — dan1d, Nov 28 '12 at 15:08

score 8 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 28 '12 at 13:06

8

set it in your migration:

 t.integer :points, default: 0

answered Nov 28 '12 at 13:06

m_x

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score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 25 '17 at 13:10

0

You can set default value by migration or by using model setter methods.

change_column :user, :points, :integer, :default => 0

Or,

def points
    @points ||= 0
end

answered Feb 25 '17 at 13:10

Manish Nagdewani

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Default values for model attributes in Rails

2 Answers2