I'd suggest getting that stuff out of the controller and into the model:
==Model==
class Guest def self.choices_for_name_by_group_and_event(group_id, event_id) find(:all, :conditions => ['group_id = ? AND event_id = ?', group_id, event_id]). map {|u| [u.name, u.id] } end def name "#{first_name} #{last_name}" end end
==Controller==
@guests = Guest.choices_for_name_by_group_and_event(params[:group_id], params[:event_id])
==View==
<%= select(:object, :method, @guests) %>
(your select call doesn't make sense unless you have a variable @first_name)
That should help you make some sense of it. The biggest help is having the logic in the model.
-Rob
Rob Biedenharn http://agileconsultingllc.com Rob@AgileConsultingLLC.com