Ruby - Active Record Query - Comparing Variables Producing False Positive - ruby

Question

Be warned this a newbie question as its first time using active recored and oracle db.Trying to get my head around active record returned values and its comparison operators.
To summarise I want to get a offer id and then compare to the offer value stored in the database and compare to find out offer are the same(sounds simple:))
Steps:
I have an html ref element value that I have stripped from url and stored in offer_id i.e. site/offers/XXX0317
Create get_offer and verify_offer db methods
def self.get_offer(offer_id)
#offer_id = offer_id
#offer = find_by_sql "select bonus_offer_id
from my_offers
where BONUS_OFFER_ID = '#{offer_id}'
And ROWNUM <= 1"
#return_value = #offer.first[0]
end
def self.verify_offer_id
if #return_str == #offer_id
puts "Offer loaded and ids match in DB"
else
" No match in db - offer not loaded"
end
end
Printing the results with puts:
XXX0317
XXX0317
No match in db - offer not loaded
Scenario passes
I read that the data array being returned, returns All columns and values hence using the first[0]. I am assuming the the returned db value and my offer id cannot be compared directly hence the false positve.I have tried using .attributes but not sure how to work around this.
-Using Watir Webdriver as the DSL if that has any bearing
Any help would be great.

Answer 1

It's very important that you be aware of exactly what you're comparing for equivalency in your test. The test is probably failing to catch what you think it should catch because while the two values are logically the same to you (01BXXX0317), I'm willing to bet that they are of entirely different classes.
If you re-wrote that test in the following way:
def self.verify_offer_id
puts "Same class : #{#return_str.class == #offer_id.class}"
puts "Equivalent object: #{#return_str == #offer_id}"
puts "Same String value: #{#return_str.to_s.eql?(#offer_id.to_s)}"
end
...my guess is the output would be:
Same class : false
Equivalent object: false
Same String value: true
When you pass objects into the puts method they're going to be coerced to String values, so when printed they are going to look the same. But really you're stripped away everything else about that object that is of interest.
Another way to examine the output of the above would be:
puts "#return_str: #{#return_str.inspect}"
puts "#offer_id : #{#offer_id.inspect}"
Which would show you the object differences between the two very clearly.