This course came at the perfect time. I’ve recently gotten back into Rails after an 18-year hiatus, and this was a perfect refresher and shows just how much you can accomplish with Rails right out of the box.Garrett Winder
Summary
Video Transcript
After creating records, how can you update specific values? Let’s jump back into our sandbox and explore that together.
We have our posts table with title and body columns, and I’ve set up our Post model with a validation and a callback. I’ve also created an initial post with title: "title one" and "some text" for the body. Now, let’s clear everything and start working with updates.
Using the update Method
The most common way to update a particular value is by calling the update! method, passing the column name and a new value:
post.update!(title: "updated")
This method:
- Wraps the update query in a transaction.
- Uses a generic prepared SQL statement for efficiency and security.
- Automatically updates the updated_at timestamp.
Examining the SQL query, we see:
UPDATE posts SET title = ?, updated_at = ? WHERE posts.id = ?
This ensures that every update follows the same structure, improving performance and preventing SQL injection.
Handling Validation Errors with update
If we try to update the title to an empty value, our validation rule kicks in:
post.update!(title: nil)
# => ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid: Validation failed: Title can't be blank
Using update without the bang (!), we get false instead of an exception:
post.update(title: nil)
# => false
post.errors
# => [...Error attribute=title, type=blank,...]
This allows us to choose how to handle errors—whether to catch them explicitly with update! or check them manually with update.
Bypassing Validations and Callbacks with update_columns
What if we need to update a record without triggering validations or callbacks? We can use update_columns:
post.update_columns(title: nil)
Key differences:
- Does not check validations—so even if the title is required, this update still executes.
- Does not trigger callbacks, meaning any after-update logic will not run.
- Does not update the updated_at timestamp automatically.
Checking the database:
post.reload.title
# => nil (Title is now empty, even though validations would normally prevent this)
Because update_columns skips important Rails mechanisms, use it carefully—only when you’re sure it’s necessary.
Updating Values with save
Much like new, you can also update an attribute directly on a post instance and call save:
post.title = "updated again"
post.save!
- Runs validations before saving.
- Wraps the update in a transaction.
- Automatically updates updated_at.
Using save! ensures an exception is raised on failure, while save returns false if the update is invalid:
post.title = nil
post.save
# => false
post.errors.full_messages
# => [...Error attribute=title, type=blank,...]
Choosing the Right Update Method
| Method | Runs Validations? | Runs Callbacks? | Updates updated_at? | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| update! | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Default method for updates |
| update | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | When you want to check errors manually |
| update_columns | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | Skipping validations and callbacks for performance-sensitive updates |
| save! | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Ensures an exception on failure |
| save | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | When updating an instance directly |
In the next video, we’ll explore a more advanced technique—updating or inserting records in a single SQL query for even greater efficiency.