title: Rails API- Can't convert Symbol into Integer
body: <p>I am getting this error when processing a api test on my rails app.</p>
  
  <p>The error is;</p>
  
  <pre><code>can't convert Symbol into Integer
  
  app/controllers/api/v1/xml/messages_controller.rb:5:in `[]='
  app/controllers/api/v1/xml/messages_controller.rb:5:in `create'
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and </p>
  
  <pre><code>{"username"=&gt;"info@skylinesms.com",
   "password"=&gt;"[FILTERED]",
   "to"=&gt;"256776582036",
   "from"=&gt;"acacia",
   "message"=&gt;"hello acacia",
   "format"=&gt;:xml}
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>And i suspect the problem is the <code>"format" =&gt; :xml</code> in parameters. How di i stop it from being passed in?</p>
  
  <p>The controller is:</p>
  
  <pre><code>    def create
      @user = current_user
      @message = Message.new(params[:message])
      @message.user_id = current_user.id
      @message.status = 'Queued'
      if @message.save
          MessageWorker.perform_async(@message.id, lists, current_user.id)
          render json: {status: "success", to: @message.count, from: @message.from, 
                        balance: @user.balance, message: @message.message, 
                        time: @message.created_at} 
      else
          render status: 400 
      end
  end
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>line 5 is</p>
  
  <p><code>@message = Message.new(params[:message])</code></p>
  
  <p>The backtrace is </p>
  
  <pre><code>app/controllers/api/v1/xml/messages_controller.rb:5:in `create'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal/implicit_render.rb:4:in `send_action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/abstract_controller/base.rb:167:in `process_action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal/rendering.rb:10:in `process_action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/abstract_controller/callbacks.rb:18:in `block in process_action'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:414:in `_run__645129932408314116__process_action__3356705148777596390__callbacks'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:405:in `__run_callback'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:385:in `_run_process_action_callbacks'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:81:in `run_callbacks'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/abstract_controller/callbacks.rb:17:in `process_action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal/rescue.rb:29:in `process_action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal/instrumentation.rb:30:in `block in process_action'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/notifications.rb:123:in `block in instrument'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/notifications/instrumenter.rb:20:in `instrument'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/notifications.rb:123:in `instrument'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal/instrumentation.rb:29:in `process_action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal/params_wrapper.rb:207:in `process_action'
  activerecord (3.2.13) lib/active_record/railties/controller_runtime.rb:18:in `process_action'
  newrelic_rpm (3.6.7.159) lib/new_relic/agent/instrumentation/rails3/action_controller.rb:38:in `block in process_action'
  newrelic_rpm (3.6.7.159) lib/new_relic/agent/instrumentation/controller_instrumentation.rb:324:in `perform_action_with_newrelic_trace'
  newrelic_rpm (3.6.7.159) lib/new_relic/agent/instrumentation/rails3/action_controller.rb:37:in `process_action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/abstract_controller/base.rb:121:in `process'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/abstract_controller/rendering.rb:45:in `process'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal.rb:203:in `dispatch'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal/rack_delegation.rb:14:in `dispatch'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_controller/metal.rb:246:in `block in action'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/routing/route_set.rb:73:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/routing/route_set.rb:73:in `dispatch'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/routing/route_set.rb:36:in `call'
  journey (1.0.4) lib/journey/router.rb:68:in `block in call'
  journey (1.0.4) lib/journey/router.rb:56:in `each'
  journey (1.0.4) lib/journey/router.rb:56:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/routing/route_set.rb:612:in `call'
  newrelic_rpm (3.6.7.159) lib/new_relic/rack/error_collector.rb:43:in `call'
  newrelic_rpm (3.6.7.159) lib/new_relic/rack/agent_hooks.rb:22:in `call'
  newrelic_rpm (3.6.7.159) lib/new_relic/rack/browser_monitoring.rb:16:in `call'
  warden (1.2.3) lib/warden/manager.rb:35:in `block in call'
  warden (1.2.3) lib/warden/manager.rb:34:in `catch'
  warden (1.2.3) lib/warden/manager.rb:34:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/best_standards_support.rb:17:in `call'
  rack (1.4.5) lib/rack/etag.rb:23:in `call'
  rack (1.4.5) lib/rack/conditionalget.rb:35:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/head.rb:14:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/params_parser.rb:21:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/flash.rb:242:in `call'
  rack (1.4.5) lib/rack/session/abstract/id.rb:210:in `context'
  rack (1.4.5) lib/rack/session/abstract/id.rb:205:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/cookies.rb:341:in `call'
  activerecord (3.2.13) lib/active_record/query_cache.rb:64:in `call'
  activerecord (3.2.13) lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/connection_pool.rb:479:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/callbacks.rb:28:in `block in call'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:405:in `_run__3057558528737021071__call__666448881149873332__callbacks'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:405:in `__run_callback'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:385:in `_run_call_callbacks'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:81:in `run_callbacks'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/callbacks.rb:27:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/remote_ip.rb:31:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/debug_exceptions.rb:16:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/show_exceptions.rb:56:in `call'
  railties (3.2.13) lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:32:in `call_app'
  railties (3.2.13) lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:16:in `block in call'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/tagged_logging.rb:22:in `tagged'
  railties (3.2.13) lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:16:in `call'
  actionpack (3.2.13) lib/action_dispatch/middleware/request_id.rb:22:in `call'
  rack (1.4.5) lib/rack/methodoverride.rb:21:in `call'
  rack (1.4.5) lib/rack/runtime.rb:17:in `call'
  activesupport (3.2.13) lib/active_support/cache/strategy/local_cache.rb:72:in `call'
  rack (1.4.5) lib/rack/lock.rb:15:in `call'
  rack-cache (1.2) lib/rack/cache/context.rb:136:in `forward'
  rack-cache (1.2) lib/rack/cache/context.rb:143:in `pass'
  rack-cache (1.2) lib/rack/cache/context.rb:155:in `invalidate'
  rack-cache (1.2) lib/rack/cache/context.rb:71:in `call!'
  rack-cache (1.2) lib/rack/cache/context.rb:51:in `call'
  railties (3.2.13) lib/rails/engine.rb:479:in `call'
  railties (3.2.13) lib/rails/application.rb:223:in `call'
  railties (3.2.13) lib/rails/railtie/configurable.rb:30:in `method_missing'
  passenger (4.0.8) lib/phusion_passenger/rack/thread_handler_extension.rb:77:in `process_request'
  passenger (4.0.8) lib/phusion_passenger/request_handler/thread_handler.rb:140:in `accept_and_process_next_request'
  passenger (4.0.8) lib/phusion_passenger/request_handler/thread_handler.rb:108:in `main_loop'
  passenger (4.0.8) lib/phusion_passenger/request_handler.rb:441:in `block (3 levels) in start_threads'
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>made a quick fix like this </p>
  
  <pre><code>    def create
      @user = current_user
      @message = Message.new(params[:message])
      @message.message = params[:message][:text]
      @message.user_id = current_user.id
      @message.status = 'Queued'
      if @message.save
          MessageWorker.perform_async(@message.id, lists, current_user.id)
          render json: {status: "success", to: @message.count, from: @message.from, 
                        balance: @user.balance, message: @message.message, 
                        time: @message.created_at} 
      else
          render status: 400 
      end
  end
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and now getting this error </p>
  
  <pre><code>undefined method `[]=' for nil:NilClass
  </code></pre>