# Select method save to database **URL:** \ **Category:** rubyonrails-talk\ **Created:** [August 7, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/select-method-save-to-database/53458 "2010-08-07T01:40:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![11155](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/d26b3c/32.png) [@11155](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/11155)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/select-method-save-to-database/53458/1 "2010-08-07T01:40:12Z")
Hi, real newbie question. How come this wont save to the database!          \<%= select(:to\_time\_unit, 'id', @time.timearray) %\> to\_time\_unit is the column is the database that is to hold the selected time unit. 'id' is just somethign I made up I dont know whether it is relevant @time.timearray gets a method from the model that lists an array of times -second -minute -hour However when I submit my form that holds this select field, it does not save it to the database, it enters null into the database. What am I doing wrong please help me! ---
**Author:** ![Pravin\_Mishra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@Pravin\_Mishra](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Pravin_Mishra)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/select-method-save-to-database/53458/2 "2010-08-07T05:55:16Z")
please help me ,what problem is going on there............. C:\InstantRails-2.0-win\_2\rails\_apps\store\>rake db:migrate (in C:/InstantRails-2.0-win\_2/rails\_apps/store) rake aborted! syntax error on line 4, col 2: ` database: store\_development' (See full trace by running task with --trace) ---
**Author:** ![Pravin\_Mishra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@Pravin\_Mishra](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Pravin_Mishra)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/select-method-save-to-database/53458/3 "2010-08-07T05:57:02Z")
please help me ,what problem is going on there............. mane od database is "store\_development" C:\InstantRails-2.0-win\_2\rails\_apps\store\>rake db:migrate (in C:/InstantRails-2.0-win\_2/rails\_apps/store) rake aborted! syntax error on line 4, col 2: ` database: store\_development' (See full trace by running task with --trace) ---
**Author:** ![Colin\_Law1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Colin\_Law1](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Colin_Law1)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 7:55am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/select-method-save-to-database/53458/4 "2010-08-07T07:55:01Z")
I presume you are using form\_tag as you are using select rather than f.select. You would probably be better to use form\_for though there is no reason why it should not work with form\_tag and select. Have a look at the generated html of the page (view, page source or similar in the browser) and make sure it is what you expect. Make sure that you understand the html that you see there. Then look in development.log to see what params are being passed to your action on submit. Again make sure that you understand what you see there. Look at your code to see what you are doing with the params. Once again make sure you understand the code if you have pasted it from a tutorial or it has been generated by scaffold. If still no clues use ruby-debug to break into the action in your controller and see what is happening. See Rails Guide on debugging if you do not know how to do this. Colin ---
**Author:** ![Colin\_Law1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Colin\_Law1](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Colin_Law1)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/select-method-save-to-database/53458/5 "2010-08-07T15:36:25Z")
What has this got to do with the subject line? (Select method save to database). Please start a new thread for this question. Please then post the whole of the file in question (presumably database.yml) and the full error message. When you get a syntax error look on lines immediately above also in case it is caused by the lines before. Colin