How to make an empty column still show up?

hard_coded.rb

  <div class="span12">
    <div class="row">
      <div class="span3">Not Yet Started
        <% story.tasks.each do |task| %>
          <%= render task if task.not_yet_started? %>
        <% end %>
      </div>
      <div class="span3">In Progress
        <% story.tasks.each do |task| %>
          <%= render task if task.in_progress? %>
        <% end %>  
      </div>
      <div class="span3">In Review
        <% story.tasks.each do |task| %>
          <%= render task if task.in_review? %>
        <% end %>  
      </div>
      <div class="span3">Complete
        <% story.tasks.each do |task| %>
          <%= render task if task.complete? %>
        <% end %>  
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

with_group_by.rb

<div class="row">
  <div class="span12">
    <h1>Story Title <%= link_to '+', new_task_path(:story_id => story.id) %> </h1>
    <div class="row">
      <% story.tasks.group_by(&:status).sort.each do |status, task| %>
        <div class="span3"><%= status_column_text(status) %>
          <p>(<%= status %>)</p>
          <% task.each do |task| %>
            <p><%= link_to task.title, task %></p>
          <% end %>
        </div>
      <% end %>
    </div>
  </div>

works.rb

    <div class="row">
      <% sorted_stories = Hash[story.tasks.group_by(&:status).sort] %>
      <% (1..4).each do |status| %>
        <div class="span3">
          <%= status_column_text(status) %>
          <% if sorted_stories[status].present? %>
            <% sorted_stories[status].each do |task| %>
              <p><%= task.title %></p>
            <% end %>
          <% end %>
        </div>
      <% end %>
    </div>

Hey Trevor, I implemented it with group_by. Only problem is, blank columns just disappear, when I want those blank columns to still show up, just be empty. Is group_by really what I want? (It does look cleaner, that's for sure)

Maybe you could build the headers outside of the group_by each block?

You should then take the results of that query, and right join it with a list of all statuses. That way all statuses are included, but the field with the results would be blank if there are none there.

@trey that's kinda what i did with works.rb, but more hacky. I'll leave that fun join stuff up to you, sir.