Question

I am sending object friend through params[:invitations][:friend]. In my params looks like:#< User:0x6925800>. Can I convert this string to an object in my controller?

Why I am sending an object through params? Because I get it from a javascript function that triggers when a field in my dropdown menu is clicked. And if I try to send just an Id(friend.id) of my object rails gives me an error stack too deep.

I googled around but found nothing how to convert string to object so any answers would be greatly appreciated.

So my question remains how can I convert my string(of an object) to an actual object in my controller?

Answer 1

Thing you are asking about is called serialization.

You can use it, but you shouldn’t. Serialization may be good for caching purposes, but in most cases, if you need it – you do something wrong. Just pass an id to script and retrieve data again.

What you’ve got #< User:0x6925800> is not serialized object, it contains only class name and memory address, so it can’t be unserialized.