# unknown attribute: commit

**URL:** <https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/unknown-attribute-commit/48081>\
**Category:** rubyonrails-talk\
**Created:** [December 18, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/unknown-attribute-commit/48081 "2009-12-18T23:45:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Al11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Al11](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Al11)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/unknown-attribute-commit/48081/1 "2009-12-18T23:45:54Z")

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Anyone experience this before?

I have a very simple form, and when I try to submit the form I get an "unknown attribute: commit" error.

Here is the form:

\<% form\_for @nominator do |f| %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.error\_messages %\>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.label :first\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.text\_field :first\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.label :last\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.text\_field :last\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.label :email %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.text\_field :email %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.submit "Register" %\> \<% end %\>

And parameters fed:

Parameters: {"commit"=\>"Register", "nominator"=\>{"last\_name"=\>"Smith", "first\_name"=\>"Barney", "email"=\>"nominator@email.com"}}

Here's my model in nominator.rb:

class Nominator \< ActiveRecord::Base &nbsp;&nbsp;acts\_as\_authentic &nbsp;&nbsp;has\_many :students

&nbsp;&nbsp;validates\_presence\_of :email end

Btw, I'm using authlogic, although I don't suspect that has anything to do with this error, as I've commented out the "acts\_as\_authentic" and still get the same error. Thanks in advance, folks.

-Sal

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**Author:** ![Philip\_Hallstrom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Philip\_Hallstrom](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Philip_Hallstrom)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/unknown-attribute-commit/48081/2 "2009-12-19T00:59:20Z")

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> Anyone experience this before?
> 
> I have a very simple form, and when I try to submit the form I get an "unknown attribute: commit" error.
> 
> Here is the form:
> 
> \<% form\_for @nominator do |f| %\> \<%= f.error\_messages %\>
> 
> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.label :first\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.text\_field :first\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.label :last\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.text\_field :last\_name %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.label :email %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.text\_field :email %\> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\<%= f.submit "Register" %\>

Get rid of f.submit and use submit\_tag. That will keep the 'commit' parameter from being included in params[:nominator].

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**Author:** ![Rick\_DeNatale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a587f6/32.png) [@Rick\_DeNatale](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Rick_DeNatale)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/unknown-attribute-commit/48081/3 "2009-12-19T01:43:24Z")

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Well you don't show your controller code, which I suspect is the culprit.

For example I suspect that you are doing something like

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nominator.create(params) or &nbsp;&nbsp;@nominator.update\_attributes(params)

instead of &nbsp;&nbsp;Nominator.create(params['nominator']) or &nbsp;&nbsp;@nominator.update\_attributes(params['nominator'])

or the like in your create and or update actions.

Note those parameters

{"commit"=\>"Register", "nominator"=\>{ &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"last\_name"=\>"Smith", &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"first\_name"=\>"Barney", &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"email"=\>"nominator@email.com" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;} }

Not all of the parameters are model attributes. The commit parameter is telling you which button was pushed. It's usually ignored since there is only one, but ...

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**Author:** ![Al11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Al11](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/u/Al11)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://discuss.rubyonrails.org/t/unknown-attribute-commit/48081/4 "2009-12-19T15:53:02Z")

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Rick,

You hit the nail right on the head! In my controller, I had the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;@nominator = Nominator.new(params)

When I changed it to &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;@nominator = Nominator.new(params['nominator'])

that cleared it up!

Thanks!

-Sal