Adds a class method for retrieving and querying objects. A scope represents a narrowing of a database query, such as :conditions => {:color => :red}, :select => 'shirts.*', :include => :washing_instructions.
class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base named_scope :red, :conditions => {:color => 'red'} named_scope :dry_clean_only, :joins => :washing_instructions, :conditions => ['washing_instructions.dry_clean_only = ?', true] end
The above calls to named_scope define class methods Shirt.red and Shirt.dry_clean_only. Shirt.red, in effect, represents the query Shirt.find(:all, :conditions => {:color => 'red'}).
Unlike Shirt.find(...), however, the object returned by Shirt.red is not an Array; it resembles the association object constructed by a has_many declaration. For instance, you can invoke Shirt.red.find(:first), Shirt.red.count, Shirt.red.find(:all, :conditions => {:size => 'small'}). Also, just as with the association objects, named scopes act like an Array, implementing Enumerable; Shirt.red.each(&block), Shirt.red.first, and Shirt.red.inject(memo, &block) all behave as if Shirt.red really was an Array.
These named scopes are composable. For instance, Shirt.red.dry_clean_only will produce all shirts that are both red and dry clean only. Nested finds and calculations also work with these compositions: Shirt.red.dry_clean_only.count returns the number of garments for which these criteria obtain. Similarly with Shirt.red.dry_clean_only.average(:thread_count).
All scopes are available as class methods on the ActiveRecord::Base descendant upon which the scopes were defined. But they are also available to has_many associations. If,
class Person < ActiveRecord::Base has_many :shirts end
then elton.shirts.red.dry_clean_only will return all of Elton's red, dry clean only shirts.
Named scopes can also be procedural:
class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base named_scope :colored, lambda { |color| { :conditions => { :color => color } } } end
In this example, Shirt.colored('puce') finds all puce shirts.
Named scopes can also have extensions, just as with has_many declarations:
class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base named_scope :red, :conditions => {:color => 'red'} do def dom_id 'red_shirts' end end end
For testing complex named scopes, you can examine the scoping options using the proxy_options method on the proxy itself.
class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base named_scope :colored, lambda { |color| { :conditions => { :color => color } } } end expected_options = { :conditions => { :colored => 'red' } } assert_equal expected_options, Shirt.colored('red').proxy_options
# File lib/active_record/named_scope.rb, line 86 def named_scope(name, options = {}, &block) name = name.to_sym scopes[name] = lambda do |parent_scope, *args| Scope.new(parent_scope, case options when Hash options when Proc if self.model_name != parent_scope.model_name options.bind(parent_scope).call(*args) else options.call(*args) end end, &block) end singleton_class.send :define_method, name do |*args| scopes[name].call(self, *args) end end
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