FlexImage - Must upload image?

I've got the flexImage plugin working with my RESTful app (thanks to Alex Wayne). The problem is when I render the 'create' method WITHOUT uploading an image, I get an invalid image error. My 'new' view has fields for the other attributes in the table (same table where the images are uploaded), and I would like to enter in those details and create a new object without having to upload an image. The image is an option or can be uploaded at a later time. I've looked in the FlexImage model source code and I've found where the error occurs (starts on line 4).

def data=(file)     file_is_a_url = file =~ %r{^https?://}

    unless file.respond_to?(:read) || file_is_a_url       raise InvalidImage, 'Uploaded file contains no binary data. Be sure that {:multipart => true} is set on your form.'     end

[snip]

Anyone know how I would be able to create a new object without necessarily uploading an image at the same time?

Name your form field something other than 'data'. I'm using flex_image (outside of REST) and my form field is named "image_file". My forms are two part, first part is data, second part is the image file. In the second part I simply do this:

       unless params['image_file'].original_filename.empty? then          @photo.data = params['image_file']        end

That works for me...

-philip