Hi,
I need to be able to specify for my application, via a configuration approach (i.e. power user, no nice UI required), a way to automate creation of a pre-determine set of database records across a few models. So I’ll try to explain as best I can:
- Assume I have a model hierarchy something like the following (basically allocating a back account item out):
- model “Bank Account Item” can have multiple
- model "Allocation"s and within each allocation it defines
.amount (for the allocation, total for each allocation needs to equal bank_account)
.person_id (link to existing person in the Person table/model)
.category_id (link to existing category in the Category table/model)
-
There will be an automation routine that will say, “if you see a bank account item with a description of XYZ, then automatically set up it’s allocation to People & Categories” (i.e. predefined). This could be as simple as an “Automation” model that has a regex that would be used, and then a string to store the association(s) that should be created (e.g. XML, or YAML, or Ruby code, i.e. the reason for the question).
-
An example for what this string might represent for say an automation record where the regex was “Telephone Bill” might be:
--------example--------- -
Association 1
- amount = 30% (calculates absolute amount on the fly)
- person_id = 1 <Person A’s id>
- category_id = 23
- Association 2
- amount = 70% (calculates absolute amount on the fly)
- person_id = 1 <Person A’s id>
- category_id = 3
--------example---------
Any suggestions re (a) a nice generic way to do this and (b) what format may be the best (e.g. XML, Ruby code, YAML).
Some ideas that come to mind:
[1] Ruby code that takes input (not great)
[2] Ruby code that describes “example” above in the form of Array or Hashes. Maybe best?
[3] XML - readable, but a little more code to import?
[4] YAML - not that readable, but easy to import
[4] Other?
thanks
