Rails virtual attribute search or sql combined column search
You can used a named_scope in your user.rb:
named_scope :find_by_full_name, lambda {|full_name| {:conditions => {:first => full_name.split(' ').first, :last => full_name.split(' ').last}}}Then you can do User.find_by_full_name('John Carver')
new stuff in response to changes in requirement
named_scope :find_by_full_name, lambda {|full_name| {:conditions => ["first LIKE '%?%' or last LIKE '%?%'", full_name.split(' ').first, full_name.split(' ').last]}}
I found Jim's answer helpful as well. Thanks. I'd make a slight change though.This current code causes you to loose any middle names. What I have below is a bit messy but preserves middle names and compound last names (think Jean-Claude van Damme). Everything after the first name goes in the last_name field.
named_scope :find_by_full_name, lambda { |full_name| {:conditions => {:first_name => full_name.split(' ').first, :last_name => full_name.split(' ')[1, full_name.split(' ').length-1].join(' ')} }}Of course any cleaner way to do this is welcome.