In Rails, enums work by mapping symbolic keys to underlying values, and Rails uses these keys to define methods like in_review?. However, when you try to set an enum value with spaces (e.g., 'in review' instead of in_review), Rails can lose the ability to generate helper methods like in_review?. In Rails 5, there’s no direct way to achieve the display format without underscores while retaining all enum helper methods.

One workaround is to override the status attribute's getter method to replace underscores with spaces when displaying the status. Here’s how:

class User < ApplicationRecord
  enum status: { approved: 'approved', in_review: 'in_review' }

  def status
    super&.tr('_', ' ')
  end
end

This keeps the status value in the database as in_review, allowing User.first.in_review? to work as expected while displaying User.first.status as "in review".

Why Consider Upgrading to Rails 7? If you're working with Rails 5, you might want to consider upgrading to Rails 7, which brings improved support for enums along with many new features and best practices. Rails 7 offers more flexibility and updates that can simplify handling enums and other model attributes. For best practices and use cases in Rails 7 enums, check out this guide: Enum in Ruby on Rails 7: Best Practices and Use Cases. Upgrading can be especially helpful in refining how you manage complex data structures like enums, making your codebase cleaner and easier to maintain.