Rails - Apr 2005 - Question about creating a controller(?) for feeding XML + map.connect...

Hello there, I have a question about something that''s been stumping  
me for several days, I just gotta ask. Maybe someone can help me get  
over this li''l hurdle.

I''m trying to give my application a sort of XML feed. All of my  
existing controllers and views require authentication, so I''m trying  
to create a fresh one to just feed XML. So that, say, it can handle  
requests to website.com/feed/8 and just get a feed from there --  
authentication is totally unnecessary for this purpose....

So my question is, how do I do this? I can''t really see if
it''s okay
to create a separate view like this without making a database table  
and so forth, I can''t quite get my head around it. Can you just  
create a view and a controller without creating a model? Or do I  
maybe *want* a model? Just not sure how to approach this.

This kind of ties into another problem of mine... The API docs make  
reference of using map.connect to define mapping throughout the site,  
and in the example I''m looking at, David uses an example like this:

   map.connect
''clients/:client_name/:project_name/:controller/:action''

... but where is :client_name and :project_name coming from here?  
This is kind of related to my other question, so I thought I''d blurt  
it out too.

Okay, I''ll keep my hand down for a while... any help would be greatly  
appreciated, even if it''s just to send me a lead or two. I''m
willing
to read as much as necessary, but right now I feel like I''ve read  
everything in the Wiki and API thrice in as many days, and this  
little throbbing in my head tells me to just come out and ask the  
damn question.

Kindest of regards,
Raymond

Views and Controllers don''t need models.  You can create a route like 
map.connect ''feed/:id'', :controller =>
''feeds'', :action => ''show''

as for map.connect
''clients/:client_name/:project_name/:controller/:action'':

When you make URLs with url_for (or link_to, redirect_to, form, etc),
you give it :client_name and :project_name.  When someone accesses the
above URL, those 2 fields are available as @params[:client_name] and
@params[:project_name].

I hope this helps some.

-- 
rick
http://techno-weenie.net