I have four tables: jp_properties, cn_properties, jp_dictionaries and cn_dictioanries.
And every jp_property belongs to a jp_dictionary with foreign key "dictionary_id" in table.
Similarly, every cn_property belongs to a cn_dictionary with foreign key "dictionary_id" in table too.
Since there are a lot of same functions in both property model and both dictionary model, I'd like to group all these functions in abstract_class.
The Models are like this:
class Property < AR::Base
self.abstract_class = true
belongs_to :dictionry,
:foreign_key=>'dictionary_id',
:class=> ---ModelDomainName--- + "Dictionary"
### functions shared by JpProperty and CnProperty
end
class Dictionary < AR::Base
self.abstract_class = true
has_many :properties,
:foreign_key=>'dictionary_id',
:class=> ---ModelDomainName--- + "Dictionary"
### functions shared by JpDictionary and CnDictionary
end
class JpProperty < Property
:set_table_name :jp_properties
end
class CnProperty < Property
:set_table_name :cn_properties
end
class JpDictionary < Dictionary
:set_table_name :jp_dictionaries
end
class CnDictionary < Dictionary
:set_table_name :cn_dictionaries
end
As you can see from the above code, the ---ModelDomainName--- part is either 'Jp' or 'Cn'. And I want to get these string dynamically from the instances of JpProperty, JpDictionary, CnProperty or CnDictionary.
For example:
tempJpProperty = JpProperty.first
tempJpProperty.dictionary #=> will get 'Jp' from tempJpProperty's class name and then apply it to the "belongs_to" declaration.
So the problem is I don't know how to specify the ---ModelDomainName--- part.
More specifically, I have no idea how to get subclass's instance object's class name within the parent class's body.
Can you please help me with this problem?
Edit:
Anybody any ideas?
Basically, what I want to ask is how to 'delay the creation of the association until the subclass is created.'?