How to add a new method to the controller

I thought that was the case but when I do, I get this error:
Status: 500 Internal Server Error Content-Type: text/html
500 Internal Server Error

what is in the method?

def destroy_all
    my_count = PayPeriod.count
     for w in 1..my_count
     @pay_periods = PayPeriod.find(:first)
     i=@pay_periods.id
     @pay_period = PayPeriod.find(i).destroy
    end

    respond_to do |format|
      format.html { redirect_to(pay_periods_url) }
      format.xml  { head :ok }
    end
  end

Hello Again,
I have inspected the console output (in Aptana) and this is what it says:
Status: 500 Internal Server Error
  delete_all, accepted HTTP methods are delete, head, get, options, post, and put

I get the same error on my PC at home as well.

Regards

can you post your routes.rb?

Here it is:

ActionController::Routing::Routes.draw do |map|
  map.connect 'pay_periods_controller/delete_all', :controller => 'pay_periods_controller', :action => 'delete_all'
  map.resources :work_schedules
  map.resources :daynames
  map.resources :phols
  map.resources :pay_periods
  map.resources :abreviations
  map.resources :sections
  map.resources :employees
  map.resources :programs
  map.resources :groups
  map.resources :welcomes
  map.resources :mains
  map.resources :bureaus
  map.root :controller => "welcomes"
  map.connect ':controller/:action/:id'
  map.connect ':controller/:action/:id.:format'
end

You might try simplifying your code -- maybe using the delete_all method directly, such as the following (this assumes that you don't have any dependent records... destroy actually instantiates the object first and the destroys it, using any callbacks you may have created). delete_all is much more efficient and might make it easier to debug.

It may also have to do with your using a method name which already exists in ActiveRecord, so I've change the name of the method to avoid possible confusion.

You'll have to change your routes to implement this and you'll have to get the related employee id into the condition clause.

HTH...jon

def delete_all_pay_periods
  # Find the related employee id here
  ee_id = ...
  PayPeriod.delete_all "employee_id = ?", ee_id
end
                                              

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Thanks a lot JESii for your input.
I have no problem deleting all the records in one operation using the Destroy method/action in the controller, the problem is getting the RoR to recognise "delete_all_pay_periods" (in my case delete_all).  Everything I do results in the 500 error.
Status: 500 Internal Server Error
  delete_all, accepted HTTP methods are delete, head, get, options, post, and put

shouldn't this:
map.connect 'pay_periods_controller/delete_all', :controller => 'pay_periods_controller', :action => 'delete_all'

be:
map.connect 'pay_periods_controller/delete_all', :controller => 'pay_periods_controller', :action => 'delete_all_pay_periods'

@witgrfe: Try renaming the method to delete_all_pay_periods to make sure that you aren't getting into trouble duplicating an existing ActiveRecord method.

Hello, I have tried everything and still get the 500 error.  This is what I have:

in routes.rb I have tried various combinations:
map.connect 'work_schedules/:delete_all_scheds', :controller => 'work_schedules', :action => 'delete_all_scheds'  
map.connect 'work_schedules/delete_all_scheds', :controller => 'work_schedules', :action => 'delete_all_scheds'  
map.connect 'work_schedules/:delete_all_scheds', :controller => 'work_schedules_controller', :action => 'delete_all_scheds'  
map.connect 'work_schedules/delete_all_scheds', :controller => 'work_schedules_controller', :action => 'delete_all_scheds'  
map.connect 'work_schedules_controller/:delete_all_scheds', :controller => 'work_schedules_controller', :action => 'delete_all_scheds'  
map.connect 'work_schedules_controller/delete_all_scheds', :controller => 'work_schedules_controller', :action => 'delete_all_scheds'  

In the work schedules controller:
def delete_all_scheds
  my_count = WorkSchedule.count
      if my_count >0
        my_count.times do
          @work_schedules = WorkSchedule.find(:first)
          @work_schedule = WorkSchedule.find(@work_schedules.id).destroy
        end
    end
      respond_to do |format|
        format.html { redirect_to(work_schedules_url) }
       format.xml  { head :ok }
      end
  end

In the work schedules view:
<td><%= link_to 'Delete Scheds', work_schedule, :confirm => 'Are you sure?', :method => :delete_all_scheds %></td>

Can it be that it is just not possible to have any action in the controller other than the default ones?

@witgrefe... Two things to try:

1. Have you looked at the development log to see what the last thing was that executed successfully? That will give you more information. You can find the logs under the log directory under your appliation: the file is development.log (assuming this is still in development).

2. Rather than looping through the items, just give the array of schedules to destroy, as in the code snippet. destroy and friends can all delete a group of elements, not just a single one, so you  don't have to take a count and do them one-by-one... as long as you limit the find() to the specific set of records that you want. I am assuming that you have something like Employees have_many WorkSchedules.

Cheers...jon

def delete_all_scheds
# Get the related employee id however you need to:
ee_id = ...
@work_schedules = WorkSchedule.find(:all, :conditions => ['employee_id = ?, ee_id]).destroy
end

                                              

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oh and your controller action should be called delete_all