From ec0e84664f0c3516a3232758b4ec56c3a6d369e5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: jbranchaud <jbranchaud@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2025 08:52:25 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] Add Prevent Mailer Previews From Cluttering Database as a
 Rails TIL

---
 README.md                                     |  3 +-
 ...ailer-previews-from-cluttering-database.md | 50 +++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 52 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 create mode 100644 rails/prevent-mailer-previews-from-cluttering-database.md

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 07e866f..b143e7c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ pairing with smart people at Hashrocket.
 
 For a steady stream of TILs, [sign up for my newsletter](https://crafty-builder-6996.ck.page/e169c61186).
 
-_1659 TILs and counting..._
+_1660 TILs and counting..._
 
 See some of the other learning resources I work on:
 - [Get Started with Vimium](https://egghead.io/courses/get-started-with-vimium~3t5f7)
@@ -1103,6 +1103,7 @@ If you've learned something here, support my efforts writing daily TILs by
 - [Polymorphic Path Helpers](rails/polymorphic-path-helpers.md)
 - [Prefer select_all Over execute For Read Queries](rails/prefer-select-all-over-execute-for-read-queries.md)
 - [Pretend Generations](rails/pretend-generations.md)
+- [Prevent Mailer Previews From Cluttering Database](rails/prevent-mailer-previews-from-cluttering-database.md)
 - [Prevent Writes With A Sandboxed Rails Console](rails/prevent-writes-with-a-sandboxed-rails-console.md)
 - [Provide Fake Form Helper To Controllers](rails/provide-fake-form-helper-to-controllers.md)
 - [Query A Single Value From The Database](rails/query-a-single-value-from-the-database.md)
diff --git a/rails/prevent-mailer-previews-from-cluttering-database.md b/rails/prevent-mailer-previews-from-cluttering-database.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25d450e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rails/prevent-mailer-previews-from-cluttering-database.md
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+# Prevent Mailer Previews From Cluttering Database
+
+ActionMailer Previews give you a way to view email templates that your system
+sends. This is how I check that it is styled properly and that the logic and
+data of the template are able to run and render.
+
+Data for a preview typically means we need ActiveRecord objects and even their
+associations. If we start creating one-off records in our previews either with
+`#create` or with something like `FactoryBot`, those records will get left
+behind in our development database. Every view and refresh of a preview will
+generate more of these records.
+
+One way to get around that is to use `#new` and `#build`. I've found this
+cumbersome and it often leaves assocations missing or inaccessible.
+
+What if instead the preview could clean up after itself? That sounds like a
+great job for a database transaction.
+
+Let's create a `test/mailers/previews/base_preview.rb` as a base class for all
+our preview classes.
+
+```ruby
+class BasePreview < ActionMailer::Preview
+  def self.call(...)
+    message = nil
+    ActiveRecord::Base.transaction do
+      message = super(...)
+      raise ActiveRecord::Rollback
+    end
+    message
+  end
+end
+```
+
+This wraps the existing `self.call` functionality in a transaction that
+collects the resulting message from the preview and then rolls back the
+database changes.
+
+Now, instead of our individual preview classes inheriting directly from
+`ActionMailer::Preview`, they can inherit from `BasePreview`.
+
+```ruby
+class UserMailer < BasePreview
+
+  # ...
+
+end
+```
+
+[source](https://stackoverflow.com/a/31289295)