How to set default values in Rails?

Question

I\'m trying to find the best way to set default values for objects in Rails.

The best I can think of is to set the default value in the new method in

Answer 1

You can also try change_column_default in your migrations (tested in Rails 3.2.8):

class SetDefault < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def up
    # Set default value
    change_column_default :people, :last_name, "Smith"
  end

  def down
    # Remove default
    change_column_default :people, :last_name, nil
  end
end

change_column_default Rails API docs