Rails - May 2005 - noob question: when do you use redirect_to vs render_action

Hi,
I was just wondering what is the rule of thumb for when you should do
a redirect_to vs render_action.  For example the scaffold generator
creates this update function in the controller.  The update is called
by the form in the edit page.
Any clarification for this newbie would be appreciated.

  def update
    @user = User.find(@params[:id])
    if @user.update_attributes(@params[:user])
      flash[''notice''] = ''User was successfully
updated.''
      redirect_to :action => ''show'', :id => @user
    else
      render_action ''edit''
    end
  end

Frank,
The two main reasons for redirecting over rendering after the
successful update are to keep the url consistent with the page you are
viewing and remove and post variables so if the resulting page is
reloaded the record isn''t updated again.

Micah

On 5/11/05, Frank Kim <mtmusko-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
> Hi,
> I was just wondering what is the rule of thumb for when you should do
> a redirect_to vs render_action.  For example the scaffold generator
> creates this update function in the controller.  The update is called
> by the form in the edit page.
> Any clarification for this newbie would be appreciated.
> 
>   def update
>     @user = User.find(@params[:id])
>     if @user.update_attributes(@params[:user])
>       flash[''notice''] = ''User was successfully
updated.''
>       redirect_to :action => ''show'', :id => @user
>     else
>       render_action ''edit''
>     end
>   end
> _______________________________________________
> Rails mailing list
> Rails-1W37MKcQCpIf0INCOvqR/iCwEArCW2h5@public.gmane.org
> http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>

On 11.5.2005, at 23:50, Micah Calabrese wrote:
> Frank,
> The two main reasons for redirecting over rendering after the
> successful update are to keep the url consistent with the page you are
> viewing and remove and post variables so if the resulting page is
> reloaded the record isn''t updated again.
Right. And the reason why we render_action in case of failed save is 
that we already have all those form parameters at hand in this action 
so there''s no idea to redirect and pass all of them around. We can just
render a template and it will be pre-filled with the (possibly invalid) 
form values and possible error messages for them.

//jarkko
>
> Micah
>
> On 5/11/05, Frank Kim
<mtmusko-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I was just wondering what is the rule of thumb for when you should do
>> a redirect_to vs render_action.  For example the scaffold generator
>> creates this update function in the controller.  The update is called
>> by the form in the edit page.
>> Any clarification for this newbie would be appreciated.
>>
>>   def update
>>     @user = User.find(@params[:id])
>>     if @user.update_attributes(@params[:user])
>>       flash[''notice''] = ''User was
successfully updated.''
>>       redirect_to :action => ''show'', :id =>
@user
>>     else
>>       render_action ''edit''
>>     end
>>   end
>> _______________________________________________
>> Rails mailing list
>> Rails-1W37MKcQCpIf0INCOvqR/iCwEArCW2h5@public.gmane.org
>> http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Rails mailing list
> Rails-1W37MKcQCpIf0INCOvqR/iCwEArCW2h5@public.gmane.org
> http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails
>
--
Jarkko Laine
http://jlaine.net
http://odesign.fi


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I stuck this up at the wiki as I found it kind of useful myself:

http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/show/redirect_to+vs+render_action

-- 
sam
http://www.magpiebrain.com/