FO.rb

# I'm trying to convert a form I'm using over to use "Form Objects".  I created a base
# object that all my forms can inherit from:
class FormObject
  include Virtus.model

  extend ActiveModel::Naming
  include ActiveModel::Validations
  include ActiveModel::Conversion

  def initialize(attributes = {})
    attributes.each do |name, value|
      send("#{name}=", value)
    end
  end
  
  # Forms are never themselves persisted
  def persisted?
    false
  end

  def save
    if valid?
      persist!
    else
      false
    end
  end
end

# Then, I created a custom form.  This form is for a user/site combination.  When a user
# registers an account, we also create a Site for them.
class NewUserForm < FormObject
  #attr_reader :user
  #attr_reader :company

  # User Attributes
  attribute :email, String
  attribute :password, String
  attribute :password_confirmation, String

  # Site Attributes
  attribute :title, String
  attribute :slug, String
  attribute :tagline, String

  # User Validations
  validates :email, :presence => true
  validates :password, :presence => true
  validates :password_confirmation, :presence => true

  # Site Validations
  validates :slug, :presence => true

  def persist!
    @user = User.create!(:email => email, :password => password, :password_confirmation => password_confirmation)
    @site = Site.create!(:slug => slug, :title => title, :tagline => tagline)
  end
end


# Questions
# 
# 1. The validations on the FormObject can't do Unique tests.  For example, the user.email needs
#    to be globally unique, but that validation needs to be on the model for it to work. Because
#    of this, my FormObject might appear valid, but the persist! method will fail because of an
#    invalid user.
# 
# 2. I want my user experience to be good, so if there is an invalid form, the server re-renders
#    the `new` action with a populated form, so the user doesn't have to fill it out again.  The
#    problem is if I do "form_for(@form_object_instance)", I get errors about an "implicit cast
#    from String to Integer".  If I change it to "form_for('signup')", it works.