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rails does not handle columns that start with a number

#3984

I have a database that I want to create a rails frontend for, and am attempting with rails 3.0.0beta. One of the tables has a column named 2_3. rails tries to create method accessors, and ruby wants them to be starting with [a-z_].

irb(main):001:0> Task.find(1)
=> #<Task id: 1, user: "cwevans", tid: 11464, comment: "", created_at: "2010-02-15 07:57:02", updated_at: "2010-02-15 07:57:02">
irb(main):002:0> Task.find(1).em7_ticket
=> #<Em7Ticket tid: 11464, Xid: 25135, Xtype: 0, Xname: "", aid: 0, roa_id: 25006, roa_lid: 0, class: 15, descr: "Duplicate VIP recap", severity: 4, status: 0, source: 45, date_create: "2010-01-26 15:26:01", user_create: "system", date_update: "2010-02-09 16:44:01", user_update: "system", assign: 34, assigned_to: "cwevans", resolution: 0, cause: 0, escalation: 2, hours_billed: 0.0, user_close: "", date_close: nil, close_age: "", auto_close: 0, master_tid: 0, 2_1: "- No Project -">
irb(main):003:0> Task.find(1).em7_ticket.task
SyntaxError: compile error
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:258: syntax error, unexpected tINTEGER
                 def 2_1?(*args)
                        ^
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:258: syntax error, unexpected ')', expecting '='
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:260: syntax error, unexpected kEND, expecting ')'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:260:in `define_attribute_methods'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:250:in `each'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:250:in `define_attribute_methods'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:249:in `each'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activemodel-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_model/attribute_methods.rb:249:in `define_attribute_methods'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_record/attribute_methods.rb:12:in `define_attribute_methods'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-3.0.0.beta/lib/active_record/attribute_methods.rb:41:in `respond_to?'
   from /usr/local/lib/ruby/g

To test a similar case, I used rails 2.3.5

rails generate scaffold task 2_3:string
./script/generate scaffold task 2_3:string
[root@hold-dev-app01 attribute_number]# rake --trace db:migrate
(in /root/attribute_number)
 Invoke db:migrate (first_time)
 Invoke environment (first_time)
 Execute environment
 Execute db:migrate
rake aborted!
./db/migrate//20100217201534_create_tasks.rb:4: syntax error, unexpected tINTEGER, expecting tSTRING_CONTENT or tSTRING_DBEG or tSTRING_DVAR or tSTRING_END
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.5/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:145:in load_without_new_constant_marking'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.5/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:145:inload'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.5/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:521:in new_constants_in'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-2.3.5/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:145:inload'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:373:in load_migration'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:369:inmigration'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:365:in migrate'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:486
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:560:incall'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:560:in ddl_transaction'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/database_statements.rb:136:intransaction'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/transactions.rb:182:in transaction'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:560:inddl_transaction'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:485:in migrate'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:472:ineach'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:472:in migrate'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:400:inup'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-2.3.5/lib/active_record/migration.rb:383:in migrate'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-2.3.5/lib/tasks/databases.rake:116
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:636:incall'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:636:in execute'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:631:ineach'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:631:in execute'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:597:ininvoke_with_call_chain'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/monitor.rb:242:in synchronize'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:590:ininvoke_with_call_chain'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:583:in invoke'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2051:ininvoke_task'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in top_level'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:ineach'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2029:in top_level'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2068:instandard_exception_handling'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2023:in top_level'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2001:inrun'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:2068:in standard_exception_handling'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/lib/rake.rb:1998:inrun'
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rake-0.8.7/bin/rake:31
/usr/local/bin/rake:19:in load'
/usr/local/bin/rake:19</code>
</pre>

Reported by Christopher Evans · February 17th, 2010 @ 08:37 PM

Activity

Elad Meidar
I don't really think it makes any sense.

Since columns are accessed via getter/setter ruby methods, the Ruby language restriction of not using method names that start with a number is a blocker for this fix.

Not sure if there's a workaround/hack to solve this somehow, but it doesn't make too much sense to name a method that begins with a number either... simply replace the method name digits with explicit description:
```
def two_one?
```
June 18th, 2010 @ 11:07 AM
Rohit Arondekar
- State changed from new to wontfix
June 18th, 2010 @ 11:08 AM
Christopher Evans
Sorry, I didn't describe the issue in the best terms.

The issue is that the database table has columns that start with numbers.

mysql> describe asset_dynamic_embed;
+-------+------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | +-------+------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+ | id | int(11) unsigned | NO | MUL | 0 | | | 1_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 6_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 7_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 8_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 9_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 10_2 | varchar(48) | NO | | | | | 11_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 12_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 13_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 14_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 15_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 16_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 17_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 18_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 19_2 | varchar(48) | NO | | | | | 20_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | | 21_2 | varchar(32) | NO | | | | +-------+------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+ 18 rows in set (0.01 sec)

June 18th, 2010 @ 07:22 PM
Rohit Arondekar
Christopher, the best solution that I can give you is to migrate that legacy table to something Rails will support. It will be quite difficult to modify Rails to support column names starting with numbers as Elad has explained.

June 19th, 2010 @ 05:25 AM
Jeremy Kemper
- State changed from wontfix to open
The workaround is to not generate Ruby accessors for columns with invalid Ruby names. They're still accessible using read_attribute and []. Seems reasonable.

Christopher, got a patch + tests?

June 19th, 2010 @ 06:56 AM
Santiago Pastorino
- Importance changed from to Low
This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not been commented on for at least three months.

The resources of the Rails core team are limited, and so we are asking for your help. If you can still reproduce this error on the 3-0-stable branch or on master, please reply with all of the information you have about it and add "[state:open]" to your comment. This will reopen the ticket for review. Likewise, if you feel that this is a very important feature for Rails to include, please reply with your explanation so we can consider it.

Thank you for all your contributions, and we hope you will understand this step to focus our efforts where they are most helpful.

February 2nd, 2011 @ 04:37 PM
Santiago Pastorino
- State changed from open to stale
February 2nd, 2011 @ 04:37 PM
bingbing
omega watch

March 26th, 2011 @ 01:35 AM