updating boolean attributes in postgresql from rails

Question

I have a simple statement like this:

@employee.update_attributes(:subscribed=>false)

but this is not updating the boolean column field subscribed. It throws a warning saying:

WARNING: Can't mass-assign these protected attributes: subscribed

Answer 1

needed attr_accessible :subscribed >_<

Answer 2

I would suggest using #update_attribute, not #update_attributes. #update_attribute (singular) accepts two parameters: the attribute name and the value. This is intended for flipping booleans, or updating single values. The semantics of #update_attribute also mean that callbacks won't be fired.

From your code, it's a simple change:

@employee.update_attribute(:subscribed, false)

Now, for the real reason why your code is failing is because you have someplace where you're using #attr_accessible or #attr_protected in your Employee model. Using #attr_accessible helps prevent injection attacks by only allowing certain fields to be assignable from #attributes= (which is what #update_attributes ultimately calls). The warning originates from #attributes=.