Issue with Ruby on Rails 7.1 automatic attribute detection for custom JSON serialization
Hey everyone, I'm running into an issue that's driving me crazy. I'm facing a challenge with custom JSON serialization in Rails 7.1 when using the `as_json` method in my model. I have a User model that has several attributes, including a `profile_picture` attribute which is a string URL. I've overridden the `as_json` method to include some custom logic for a JSON API response, but I'm noticing that even after my override, the `profile_picture` field is sometimes included with a `nil` value, causing issues on the frontend. Here’s what I have in my User model: ```ruby class User < ApplicationRecord def as_json(options = {}) super(options.merge(include: :profile_picture)) end def profile_picture # Custom logic to get the user's profile picture URL return nil if some_condition_not_met? # Replace with your actual condition "https://example.com/profile_pics/#{id}.jpg" end end ``` I’ve tried using `ActiveModel::Serializers` as well, but I keep hitting the same snag. I also experimented with using `ActiveModel::Serializers::JSON` to control the serialization better, but the `nil` values still appear intermittently: ```ruby class UserSerializer < ActiveModel::Serializer attributes :id, :name, :profile_picture def profile_picture object.profile_picture if object.some_condition_not_met? end end ``` The unexpected behavior is particularly frustrating because it seems to happen only under certain conditions which I haven't fully isolated yet. The frontend is processing this JSON and breaking when it encounters a `null` value for `profile_picture`. I’ve logged the output of the `as_json` method directly before it is sent out and verified that the conditions control is functioning correctly. How can I ensure the `profile_picture` attribute is either a valid URL or completely omitted from the response when it’s `nil`? I'm looking for a robust solution to handle this without affecting performance or introducing additional complexity. Could someone point me to the right documentation?