Question

Basically I need to connect to another app’s database, I’ve done the connection in config/database.yml, that database is not from a rails app so for starters the table names are not pluralized and also I’d need to add the establish_connection to all of them, I tried to create a parent class and Inherit the others from it but I just can’t get it right, keeps complaigning that the parent one doesn’t have a table, if i add abstract_class to it then the child modules are abstract as well -.-

How can DRY it up a bit

Update

This worked …

class QB < ActiveRecord::Base
  self.abstract_class = true
  establish_connection 'quickbooks'

  def self.pluralize_table_names
    false
  end
end

not quite sure why the pluralize_table_names had to be that way, but it works, thanks for the hint on the abstract_class @zetetic

Update

Used this in the parent class, better for my case

def self.table_name
    self.name.gsub(/QB::/,'').downcase
end

Answer 1

if i add abstract_class to it then the child modules are abstract as
well

This should not be the case. self.abstract_class = true sets an instance variable in the class singleton, a ‘class instance variable’. This is not shared by subclasses:

class A < ActiveRecord::Base
  self.abstract_class = true
end

class B < A; end

A.abstract_class # true
B.abstract_class # nil

This Martin Fowler blog post describes what is going on in more detail.