Preload fields_form fields with data from database

Question

I have a form to build several objects following Ryan Bates’ nested form tutorials (#196 and #197). My form looks like this:

<%=form_for @group_poll, :remote => true do |f|%>
   <%=f.fields_for :questions do |builder| %>
      <%=render "group_polls/question_fields",  :f => builder%>    
   <%end%>
   <p><%= link_to_add_group_question "#{t(:addquestion)}", f, :questions%></p>
<%end%>

The partial looks like:

<div class="row-fluid">
    <div class="span3"><%=f.label "#{t(:question)}:"%></div>
    <div class="span3"><%=f.text_field :admin_question, :required => true%></div>
    <div class="span1"><%=f.submit "#{t(:send)}", :name => "send_#{f.object.id}", :class=>"btn-white"%></div>
    <div class="span1"><%=f.submit "#{t(:save)}", :name => "save_#{f.object.id}", :class=>"btn-white"%></div>
</div>

I want to preload some questions that exist in the DB when accessing the page in the app and also have the chance to add new questions. In the controller action I have @group_poll.questions.build() for each poll. It works OK for generating the questions' fields, but they are empty. I don’t know how to preload those polls with the data in DB. I tried passing the question object @group_poll.questions.build(question), but I had no luck. I followed this SO question’s answer, but I get lost.

Is it posible what I want to do?

Answer 1

if you want to preload existing questions in the DB, you shouldn't use build() because it builds and empty object.

If you take build() out, does it work?

@group_poll.questions