README.md

InteractiveCU is a simple interactive create and update for AR.

Examples:

Create:

ruby-1.9.2-p180 :007 > User
 => User(id: integer, name: string, created_at: datetime, updated_at: datetime) 
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :008 > User.interactive_create # or User.ic

==New User==

name: nash
  SQL (0.8ms)  INSERT INTO "users" ("created_at", "name", "updated_at") VALUES (?, ?, ?)  [["created_at", Sun, 24 Jul 2011 08:49:26 UTC +00:00], ["name", "nash"], ["updated_at", Sun, 24 Jul 2011 08:49:26 UTC +00:00]]
 => true 

Update:

ruby-1.9.2-p180 :009 > User.last.interactive_update # or User.last.iu

==Old User==

id: 8
name: nash
created_at: 2011-07-24 08:49:26 UTC
updated_at: 2011-07-24 08:49:26 UTC

==New User==

name: updated_nash
   (0.5ms)  UPDATE "users" SET "name" = 'updated_nash', "updated_at" = '2011-07-24 08:50:28.794082' WHERE "users"."id" = 8
 => true 

It shows you validation errors:

ruby-1.9.2-p180 :010 > User.last.iu

==Old User==

id: 8
name: updated_nash
created_at: 2011-07-24 08:49:26 UTC
updated_at: 2011-07-24 08:50:28 UTC

==New User==

name: 

Something went wrong:

name:  <------ can't be blank 
 => nil 

interactive_cu.rb

module InteractiveCU
  NOT_INTERACTIVE = %w(id created_at updated_at)

  def self.included base
    base.extend(ClassMethods)
  end

  def self.read_attributes attrs
    params = {}
    attrs.each do |name, value|
      unless NOT_INTERACTIVE.include? name
        print "#{name}: "
        params[name] = gets.strip
      end
    end
    params
  end

  def self.output(options)
    puts
    puts "==#{options[:status]} #{options[:name]}=="
    puts
  end

  def self.validate_errors(obj, attrs)
    puts
    puts "Something went wrong:"
    puts
    obj.errors.messages.each do |attr, error|
      puts "#{attr}: #{obj.send(attr)} <------ #{error.join(', ')} "
    end
    nil
  end

  def interactive_update
    InteractiveCU::output :status => "Old", :name => self.class.name
    attributes.each do |name, value|
      puts "#{name}: #{value}"
    end
    InteractiveCU::output :status => "New", :name => self.class.name

    new_attributes = InteractiveCU::read_attributes attributes
    self.attributes = new_attributes

    unless self.valid?
      InteractiveCU::validate_errors self, new_attributes
    else
      save
    end
  end

  alias_method :iu, :interactive_update

  module ClassMethods
    def interactive_create
      InteractiveCU::output :status => "New", :name => self.name
      obj = self.new
      new_attributes = InteractiveCU::read_attributes self.attribute_names
      obj.attributes = new_attributes
      unless obj.valid?
        InteractiveCU::validate_errors obj, new_attributes
      else
        obj.save
      end
    end

    alias_method :ic, :interactive_create

  end
end

class ActiveRecord::Base
  include InteractiveCU
end

This is pretty cool and handy

Nice. How about passing attributes in to #iu, #ic ? Often you only want to edit one, or a few. And/or a way of skipping when prompted.

Thanks, guys!
@ericgj, it's a good idea about attributes skipping. I'll look into it.

Wow, that's awesome!