how to convert legacy query to ActiveRecord Rails way

Question

I have a query in my code as below

@sqladdpayment = "INSERT INTO payments (orderid, ttlprodcost, paytype, 
paystatus,created_at,updated_at,userid,storeid) 
VALUES ('" + session[:ordersid] + "', '" + session[:totalcost] + "', '"  
+ "1"+ "', '"  + "complete" +"',current_date, current_date, '"+"1"+"','"+   "1"+"')"

Here the table payments and primary key is orderid. Now, I know if I convert this to the ActiveRecord way then I will not have to put update_date, current_date because it will put that on it's own. It will also put orderid on it's own also (auto_increment).

I am looking for a way to convert the above query to ActiveRecord Rails way but still be able to put orderid on my own (session[:ordersid]). I do not want to rely on auto_increment because then I will have to refactor lot of the other code. This might be a quick and dirty fix but I want to know whether this type of flexibility is offered in rails?

I have wondered about this question many times. Why won't rails allow me to have that flexibility?

Answer 1

You seem to go to a lot of trouble, or maybe i am missing something. The ActiveRecord way of doing thing is, imho either manually

payment = Payments.new
payment.orderid = session[:ordersid]
payment.totalcost = session[:totalcost]
payment.paytype = 1
payment.paystatus = "complete"
payment.userid = 1
payment.storeid = 1
payment.save

Now, if you have a form filling up these fields, it is even easier:

payment = Payment.new(params[:payment])
payment.save

So there is no need for an autoincrement field. If you specified that `ordersid' is the id, you can still set the value manually, which will overrule the rails standard behaviour (unless you defined the field to be autoincrement inside the database).

For instance: an article showing how to use uuids instead of autoincrement.

I do have a remark, when i see this code. Normally for userid and storeid one would use the inherent relational capabilities built into rails. For instance, if a payment is related to a user, you either do

user.payments.build(params[:payment])

and then the newly created payment is automatically linked to the user. Or

payment.user = current_user

if you would have something like

belongs_to :user

in your model. Maybe you are aware of all that already, that is hard to make up from your question.