Hey,
I want to insert new records manually with a little ruby script and I want to use the corresponding rails models beyond the running rails application. How do I manage this? Is there a way to fill up some tables using a kind of yml-files like you have in the testing environment?
Thanks for your suggestions! ms
Use script/runner to execute your script in your Rails environment. And of course you can load data from YAML, CSV -- whatever kind of files you like.
HTH,
Hi --
Hey,
I want to insert new records manually with a little ruby script and I want to use the corresponding rails models beyond the running rails application. How do I manage this? Is there a way to fill up some tables using a kind of yml-files like you have in the testing environment?
I imagine there's a script or rake task out there that does this, but if you want to roll your own, it's not hard.
Here's a mini-example. Create a file called (say) users.yml, like this:
one: name: Emma Peel email: mrspeel@blah two: name: John Steed email: steed@blah
Then create a file called read_records.rb (or whatever):
users = YAML.load(File.read("/path/to/users.yml")) users.each do |tag,hash| User.create(hash) # give or take error checking end
Then run it using script/runner:
cd my_rails_app_directory ./script/runner /path/to/read_records.rb
The runner script will load your application environment (development by default), so it will know what User is and it will already have YAML loaded.
And of course you can include the YAML in the script file instead, or just create hashes directly, and so on.
As I say, there are probably more turnkey-ish ways to do it already out there somewhere, though I find it pretty turnkey-ish anyway.
There's also rake db:fixtures:load, if you happen to have the sample data you want already in the test fixtures.
David
Thank you both - this was exactly the hint I needed! 
Cheers, ms
ar_fixtures can do some of this kind of stuff - may be worth taking a look at.
--Matt Jones