Assumptions of return JSON format lead to incorrect attribute associations

[coneybeare]

I have a JSON api which returns a root key when a collection is returned. Something like:

{ "foobars": [ {"id":1, "name":"baz"}, {"id":2, "name":"zab"} ] }

When remotely parses the remote object, it attaches the root "foobars" key as an attribute on the model. This means that if I have a class in my local project named Grass...

class Grass
  has_many_remote :foobars
end

class Foobar < Remotely::Model
end

... if I want to iterate over the grass's foobars, I have to do this

    @grass.foobars.foobars.each

... instead of ...

    @grass.foobars.each

Proposed solution
When parsing a has_many_remote response, if the root key of the returned json equals the name of the association, attach the returned json's array value for said key instead of the key. Thoughts?

[coneybeare]

The way I have solved this temporarily is to override the parsing in my models:

  def self.parse_response(response, klass=nil, parent=nil)
    return false if response.status >= 400

    body  = MultiJson.load(response.body) rescue nil
    klass = (klass || self)

    self.parse_body(body, klass, parent)
  end



  def self.parse_body(body, klass, parent)
    case body
    when Array
      Remotely::Collection.new(parent, klass, body.map { |o| klass.new(o) })
    when Hash
      if body.include? self.backing_model_name
        self.parse_body(body[self.backing_model_name], klass, parent)
      elsif body.include? self.backing_model_name.pluralize
        self.parse_body(body[self.backing_model_name.pluralize], klass, parent)
      else
        klass.new(body)
      end
    else
      body
    end
  end

I also had to define the class method backing_model_name on each model class

  def self.backing_model_name
    'foobar'
  end

[mnoble]

I think you could do this without the self.backing_model_name. Remotely::Model objects respond to all the ActiveModel naming stuff, so model_name.pluralize should do the trick (I think).

[coneybeare]

That would only be true for the scenarios where the Local model name is identical to the remote model name. In my app, they are different. None-the-less, a Remotely::Model subclass does not respond to model_name anyway.