Create Action Flow

Action 'new'

These methods are called in the following order:

1. create_authorized_filter called as before_action
   1. create_authorized? (or the method defined in conf.create.link.security_method if it's changed) is called to check the permission. If this method returns false, create_authorized_filter will raise ActiveScaffold::ActionNotAllowed.
2. new
   1. do_new which uses new_model to setup the record used to render the create form. It will set the values from constraints if controller is embedded, and set the parent association if it's nested.
   2. respond_to_action, which will call the corresponding response method for new action and the requested format

do_new or new_model can be overrided, for example to set some default attributes in the form, do_new is only used in new action, while new_model is called from other actions too, such as create when form is submitted, field_search to render the form, to render create form when always_show_create is enabled, when changing a field in create form refreshes other field.

Then it will render these views:

• create.html.erb (only for HTML request)
  • _create_form.html.erb
    • _base_form.html.erb
      • _form_messages.html.erb
        • _messages.html.erb (only for HTML request)
      • _form.html.erb
      • footer_extension partial if _base_form was called with this variable

The _form partial will render other partials depending on the columns, such as partials to render subforms, or partials for columns which have a partial form override.

The _create_form partial can be overrided and call render :super with local variables, to change some of default behaviour of _base_form:

• xhr: to force rendering as XHR request or HTML request instead of relying on the value of request.xhr?
• form_action: to use other action in the controller instead of create.
• method: to use other HTTP method instead of POST.
• cancel_link: use false to avoid adding a cancel link to the form.
• headline: to change the header of the form.

The _base_form partial can be overrided to render :super setting some variables to change the default behaviour, although it's used by many actions. Also, _create_form partial can be overrided copying the code, and passing more variables to _base_form. The following variables can be used, besides the ones explained above:

• multipart: to enable or disable rendering the form as multipart instead of relying in active_scaffold_config.create.multipart.
• persistent: can be :optional, true or false, instead of relying in active_scaffold_config.create.persistent.
• columns: an ActionColumns instance to use instead of active_scaffold_config.create.columns, build it with active_scaffold_config.build_action_columns :create, [<list of columns>].
• footer_extension: to render a partial after footer buttons, inside the p tag with class form-footer.
• url_options: to change URL to submit the form, instead of default params_for(action: :create).
• scope: to render the fields with an initial scope.
• floating_footer: to enable or disable the floating footer when form is too big to fit in the window, instead of relying on active_scaffold_config.create.floating_footer.
• submit_text: the text of submit button, which defaults to the value of form_action (create with default form_action).
• apply_text: the text of submit button which doesn't close the form, when persistent is enabled. The default value is #{form_action}_apply (create_apply with default form_action).
• body_partial: to use a different partial to render the fields in the form, instead of default _form partial.

Action 'create'

When form is submitted, these methods are called in the following order:

1. create_authorized_filter called as before_action
   1. create_authorized? (or the method defined in conf.create.link.security_method if it's changed) is called to check the permission. If this method returns false, create_authorized_filter will raise ActiveScaffold::ActionNotAllowed.
2. create
   1. do_create which accepts options hash, so it can be overrided and call super with the hash. :attributes key can be set in the options hash to use other attributes than params[:record].
      1. new_model will be called to create the record which will be saved. It must return an instance of the model, where the submitted values for active_scaffold_config.create.columns will be set.
      2. It will set the values from constraints if controller is embedded. It's called before the next method, because embedded in polymorphic association with multiple ids will set only the foreign type, and the form attributes will have the foreign id, so the foreign type must be set before.
      3. update_record_from_params to set the submitted values, from the :attributes key in the hash.
      4. Sets the parent association if it's nested.
      5. before_create_save will be called, an empty method which can be overrided to set other values before creating the record.
      6. It will run validations in the model and its associations which have been set from the submitted params.
      7. create_save will be called, unless :skip_save is set in the options hash.
         1. It will do nothing if validation failed.
         2. It will save the record and its associations which have been set.
         3. after_create_save will be called, an empty method which can be overrided to do something after creating a record.
   2. respond_to_action, which will call the corresponding response method for create action and the requested format
      • For HTML request:
        • If record is created successfully, it will call return_to_main which redirects to main_path_to_return, which defaults to list, or redirect to an action for the current record if active_scaffold_config.create.action_after_create is defined, or render the create form as new action does if persistent is used.
        • If record fails to be created, it will render the create form with create view, as new action does.
      • For XHR request will render on_create view.