Question

Model

1 flat invoices table with sales_invoice_date, you_ref amongst other fields

Controller

def raw
  @invoices = Invoice.find(:all, :order => 'sales_invoice_date, id')
  @invoice_days =  @invoices.group_by { |day| day.sales_invoice_date }
end

View

<% @invoice_days.sort.each do |day, invoices| %>
  <h2><%= day.to_date.to_s(:long) %></h2>
  <% for invoice in invoices %>
  <div class="invoice_line">
    <strong><%= invoice.your_ref %></strong>
    Sales invoice date: <%= invoice.sales_invoice_date.to_date.to_s(:long) %>
  </div>
  <% end %>
<% end %>

This gets me halfway to my objective. It prints the following:

September 9, 2012
    2222 Sales invoice date: September 9, 2012
    5555 Sales invoice date: September 9, 2012
    2222 Sales invoice date: September 9, 2012
October 1, 2012
    1111 Sales invoice date: October 1, 2012
    1111 Sales invoice date: October 1, 2012
    1111 Sales invoice date: October 1, 2012
November 11, 2012
    3333 Sales invoice date: November 11, 2012
December 12, 2012
    0000 Sales invoice date: December 12, 2012

What I need is a way to group_by and sort again within the date loop on unique “your_ref” values, it would look something like this:

September 9, 2012
    2222
        2222 Sales invoice date: September 9, 2012
        2222 Sales invoice date: September 9, 2012
    5555
        5555 Sales invoice date: September 9, 2012

October 1, 2012
    1111
        1111 Sales invoice date: October 1, 2012
        1111 Sales invoice date: October 1, 2012
        1111 Sales invoice date: October 1, 2012
November 11, 2012
    3333
        3333 Sales invoice date: November 11, 2012
December 12, 2012
    0000
        0000 Sales invoice date: December 12, 2012

Thanks

Answer 1

Instead of

  <% for invoice in invoices %>
    <div class="invoice_line">
      <strong><%= invoice.your_ref %></strong>
      Sales invoice date: <%= invoice.sales_invoice_date.to_date.to_s(:long) %>
    </div>
  <% end %>

try:

  <% invoices.group_by(&:your_ref).sort.each do |ref, ref_invoices| %>
    <div class="invoice_line">
      <strong><%= ref %></strong>
    </div>
    <% for invoice in ref_invoices %>
      <strong><%= invoice.your_ref %></strong>
      Sales invoice date: <%= invoice.sales_invoice_date.to_date.to_s(:long) %>
    <% end %>
  <% end %>

This will also group invoices by ref.