[Feature][ActiveRecord::Enum] Enum maps values to string in the database without hash.

[Alberto Almagro]

Hello again Rails community!

first of all thanks for your time reading this. I apologize in case this appeared before, I swear I have tried a lot of combinations in the search above, found nothing.

Currently Enum allows us to map the values to integers in the database. The typical use case would be something like:

class CreateOrders < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.2]
  def change
    create_table :orders do |t|
      t.integer :status
    end
  end
end


class Order < ApplicationRecord
  enum status: [:ok, :billing, :failed]
end

This would map the following:

Order.statuses[:ok]       # => 0
Order.statuses[:billing]  # => 1
Order.statuses[:failed]   # => 2

The problem with integers is that they don't read well in the database. Seeing status = 0 isn't meaningful, so at the end lots of teams, including us, end having a string in the database and mapping enums with a hash.

class CreateOrders < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.2]
  def change
    create_table :orders do |t|
      t.string :status
    end
  end
end


class Order < ApplicationRecord
  enum status: { ok: 'ok', billing: 'billing', failed: 'failed' }
end

Writing this really feels to us like unnecessary boilerplate. I would like to write a PR to allow having a string in the database and declaring the enum with an array of symbols.

class CreateOrders < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.2]
  def change
    create_table :orders do |t|
      t.string :status
    end
  end
end


class Order < ApplicationRecord
  enum status: [:ok, :billing, :failed]
end

I think this would feel much better, cleaner. Of course I will keep current options and syntax. Do you like it?

[Kasper Timm Hansen]

I’m +1 as I’ve wanted this in the past. I think enum actually did support this

but it was never documented (e.g. private API).

But I remember something about others having objections to supporting

string columns. Perhaps Rafael or Sean?

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Kasper

[Alberto Almagro]

Thanks Kasper for your reply! I'm really happy to see that you're +1 on this.

I would like to start implementing it on the weekend, it would be great if someone else shares her/his thoughts about it before.

[Dusan Orlovic]

Lets discuss on https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/32241

[Pudim]

> class CreateOrders < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.2]
> def change
> create_table :orders do |t|
> t.string :status
> end
> end
> end
>
>
> class Order < ApplicationRecord
> enum status: [:ok, :billing, :failed]
> end

+1!!!

--
Pudim