Riding Rails: Edge Rails: PATCH is the new primary HTTP method for updates

PATCH misunderstood (again)

, update_attributes() is no longer adequate for both. We need a method that enforces complete replacement of the resource. I read Jose’s objections concerning mapping 1:1 between the HTTP action and the underlying model data, but if you’re going to support the verb and not encourage the behavior, then what’s the point? Standards-compliance in name-only? To speak more directly to his concern, so what if you’re a limited-access User and can’t completely replace the object? The ‘replace’ action should fail and return an appropriate response. It shouldn’t be any different than the way PUT is usually handled now in Rails apps, which is if you don’t own the resource your update request will probably fail. So, here’s a +1 for a replace_attributes() method.

Full article: http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2012/2/26/edge-rails-patch-...