Rails - Jul 2008 - navbar: what's the "Rails Way"?

Hi all.

I''ve the following navbar on my site:

<div  id="nav">
        <ul>
                <li id="current"><%= link_to
"Home", home_url
%></li>
                <li><%= link_to "Link 1", link1_url
%></li>
                <li><%= link_to "Link 2", link2_url
%></li>
                <li><%= link_to "Link 3", link3_url
%></li>
                <li><%= link_to "Link 4", link4_url
%></li>
                <li><%= link_to "Link 5", link5_url
%></li>
        </ul>               
</div>

My question is: what''s the best approach against
id="current"? I mean:
I want to my current controller to be the current "selected" item.

I was thinking about use something like my.url/?current=item_name and
an helper. So:

#app/helpers/home_helper.rb
def output_li(name, current, &content)
  output = "<li"
  output = (name.to_upper == current.to_upper) ? ''
id="current"'' : ''''
  output = ">"

  output = yield

  output = "</li>"
end

#app/views/layouts
<div id="nav">
        <ul>
        <%= output_li "home", params[:current] { link_to
"Home",
home_url(:current="home") } %>
        <%= output_li "link1", params[:current] { link_to
"Link
1", link1_url(:current="link1") } %>
        <%= output_li "link2", params[:current] { link_to
"Link
2", link2_url(:current="link2") } %>
        <%= output_li "link3", params[:current] { link_to
"Link
3", link3_url(:current="link3") } %>
        <%= output_li "link4", params[:current] { link_to
"Link
4", link4_url(:current="link4") } %>
        <%= output_li "link5", params[:current] { link_to
"Link
5", link5_url(:current="link5") } %>
        </ul>
</div>

What about my solution? I believe that there is an best approach than
it, since I unfamiliar with "view logic".

Sorry for my poor English.

Best regards,

davi vidal

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davividal-UiHwsRqXctc1RhZgQKG/ig@public.gmane.org wrote:
> I''ve the following navbar on my site:
> 
> <div  id="nav">
>         <ul>
>                 <li id="current"><%= link_to
"Home", home_url
> %></li>
>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 1", link1_url
%></li>
>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 2", link2_url
%></li>
>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 3", link3_url
%></li>
>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 4", link4_url
%></li>
>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 5", link5_url
%></li>
>         </ul>               
> </div>
Start with link_to_unless_current. If you rewrite your solution using it, most 
of your logic might disappear inside.

Then, I''m going to nit-pick some common irritations in your solution,
so even if
you rewrite it we will all learn a little.
> def output_li(name, current, &content)
>   output = "<li"
>   output = (name.to_upper == current.to_upper) ? ''
id="current"'' : ''''
>   output = ">"
> 
>   output = yield
> 
>   output = "</li>"
> end
If you must generate HTML, use content_tag (or Builder::XmlMarkup).
>         <%= output_li "home", params[:current] { link_to
"Home",
> home_url(:current="home") } %>
params is visible inside your helper, so you don''t need to pass it in.
Next, the
{} block is passing to params[:current], which ignores it. You were missing a
comma.

Finally, your solution duplications "link1" etc. Roll such things up
into a loop.

Next, a chain of <%= x %><%= x %><%= x %> is really a single
<%= x+x+x %>, so if
you find yourself writing so many <%= %> next time you can often clean
them up, too.

Finally, don''t use an ''id'' for a
''class''. Some CSS tools do that (and some CSS
tool users do it!). IDs must not duplicate in a page, and you are always a 
refactor away from that!

-- 
   Phlip


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Citando Phlip <phlip2005-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>:
>
> davividal-UiHwsRqXctc1RhZgQKG/ig@public.gmane.org wrote:
>
>> I''ve the following navbar on my site:
>>
>> <div  id="nav">
>>         <ul>
>>                 <li id="current"><%= link_to
"Home", home_url
>> %></li>
>>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 1", link1_url
%></li>
>>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 2", link2_url
%></li>
>>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 3", link3_url
%></li>
>>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 4", link4_url
%></li>
>>                 <li><%= link_to "Link 5", link5_url
%></li>
>>         </ul>
>> </div>
>
> Start with link_to_unless_current. If you rewrite your solution   
> using it, most
> of your logic might disappear inside.
>

Thank you very much for your response, Phlip. And thank you very much  
for the tip. It''s VERY useful.

> Then, I''m going to nit-pick some common irritations in your   
> solution, so even if
> you rewrite it we will all learn a little.
>
>> def output_li(name, current, &content)
>>   output = "<li"
>>   output = (name.to_upper == current.to_upper) ? ''
id="current"'' : ''''
>>   output = ">"
>>
>>   output = yield
>>
>>   output = "</li>"
>> end
>
> If you must generate HTML, use content_tag (or Builder::XmlMarkup).
>

Thanks again.

>>         <%= output_li "home", params[:current] { link_to
"Home",
>> home_url(:current="home") } %>
>
> params is visible inside your helper, so you don''t need to pass it
> in. Next, the
> {} block is passing to params[:current], which ignores it. You were   
> missing a comma.
>

Yeah. Typo. Sorry.

> Finally, your solution duplications "link1" etc. Roll such things
up
>  into a loop.
>

I was using "linkN" as sample.

So, here is what am I doing right now:

#app/views/layouts/post.html.erb
<div  id="nav">
	<ul>
		<%= build_navbar %w(home, posts, articles, photos) %>
	</ul>
</div>

#app/helpers/home_helper.rb
module HomeHelper
   def build_navbar(items)
     items.each do |item|
       content_tag :li, :class => is_current?(item) do
         link_to_unless_current item.capitalize, item.singularize +  
"_url"( :current => item )
       end
     end
   end

   def is_current?(item)
     (item == params[:current]) ? "current" : nil
   end
end


I know that, by convention, methods ending by ''?'' returns true
or
false. But I think that it will increase readbility, right?

Sorry for my very poor English.

Thanks,

davi vidal

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