When should I use delegated types instead of polymorphism?

Use delegated types when you have 5 or more distinct types that share metadata and need to be queried together. Simple polymorphism is better for 1-3 types that rarely co-mingle.

What are delegated types in Rails?

Delegated types is an ActiveRecord pattern where a parent 'container' model holds shared data and operations, while delegating specific behavior to various specialized 'recordable' models.

Can I remove delegated types if my schema simplifies?

Yes, this skill includes 'flattening' guidance to help you refactor and merge models when the overhead of the container model is no longer necessary.

What is the Recording/Recordable pattern?

It is a specific implementation of delegated types popularized by Basecamp, where a 'Recording' acts as a shell for content like Messages, Todos, or Documents to share project-level context.

Does this pattern help with performance?

Yes. It allows for natural database-level pagination and sorting across all content types in a single query, avoiding the overhead of merging disparate results in Ruby.

Rails Delegated Types Pattern

Name: Rails Delegated Types Pattern
Author: ZempTime

byZempTime

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数据库管理

Implements a unified container model for complex Ruby on Rails content systems with 5 or more distinct types.

This skill provides domain-specific guidance for implementing the Delegated Types (Recording/Recordable) pattern in Ruby on Rails applications. It helps developers manage large-scale content systems where multiple distinct models—such as messages, documents, and uploads—need to share metadata, access control, and appear together in unified feeds or timelines. By leveraging a centralized container model rather than duplicating logic across polymorphic associations, it simplifies complex queries, pagination, and administrative operations like archiving or moving content.

主要功能

011 GitHub stars

02Centralized metadata and access control management for diverse content

03Standardized schema implementation for Recording/Recordable patterns

04Optimized querying patterns for unified timelines and cross-type feeds

05Decision logic for choosing between direct associations, polymorphism, and delegated types

06Refactoring patterns for flattening or merging types as requirements evolve

使用场景

01Designing centralized lifecycle operations like copy, move, and archive for diverse assets

02Building a unified activity feed for a project management tool with multiple content types

03Implementing cross-type search and pagination for complex document management systems

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add zemptime/zemptime-marketplace delegated-types

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill