Rails - Feb 2006 - Rewriting with an after_filter

All -

I''m completely new to RoR and also new to programming in an MVC 
structure...

The Pragmatic Programmers guide to Rails says, temptingly:

"After filters can be used to modify the outbound response, changing the
headers and content if required. Some applications use this technique to
perform global replacements in the content generated by the controller?s
templates (for example, substituting a customer?s name for the string
<customer/> in the response body)."

This, "substituting a customer?s name for the string
<customer/>", is
exactly the simple task I''m trying to accomplish, however I
can''t find
how to do it.

I think what I want to do is gsub(/UserName/, ''Matthew''),
however, I''m
clearly missing something. Here''s what I use:

<code>
class DisplayController < ApplicationController

  after_filter :customerize

  def show
    @contentdivs = Contentdiv.thispage(params[:page])
  end

  def customerize
	  @contentdivs.gsub(/UserName/, ''Matthew'')
  end


end
</code>

@contentdivs contains bits of html that show.rhtml nicely formats. 
thispage() selects only those with an attribute that matches the page 
requested.

The error I get is "private method `gsub'' called for 
#<Array:0x385df18>". I''m certain the solution is blindingly
simple.

-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

On 2/20/06, Matt Southworth <ror@mmsw.org> wrote:
> I think what I want to do is gsub(/UserName/, ''Matthew''),
however, I''m
> clearly missing something. Here''s what I use:
>
> <code>
> class DisplayController < ApplicationController
>
>   after_filter :customerize
>
>   def show
>     @contentdivs = Contentdiv.thispage(params[:page])
>   end
>
>   def customerize
>           @contentdivs.gsub(/UserName/, ''Matthew'')
>   end
>
>
> end
> </code>
>
> @contentdivs contains bits of html that show.rhtml nicely formats.
> thispage() selects only those with an attribute that matches the page
> requested.
>
> The error I get is "private method `gsub'' called for
> #<Array:0x385df18>". I''m certain the solution is
blindingly simple.
gsub is a String method, but you appear to have an array of strings.

Try something like this instead:

 @contentdivs.each { |div| div.gsub!(/UserName/, ''Matthew'') }

-- James

James Ludlow wrote:
> 
>  @contentdivs.each { |div| div.gsub!(/UserName/,
''Matthew'') }

Thanks! I''m getting closer. This:

 	@contentdivs.each { |div| div.content.gsub!(/UserName/,
''Matthew'') }

Works in the show method, but not in an after_filter. I''ve put a code 
snippet below. When I try to do that in an after_filter, I get no error, 
but no substitution.


<code>
class DisplayController < ApplicationController

  #when the below is uncommented, it has no effect:
  #after_filter :customerize

  def show
    @contentdivs = Contentdiv.thispage(params[:page])
    # the below line works in show but not the after_filter
    @contentdivs.each { |div| div.content.gsub!(/UserName/,
''Matthew'') }
  end

  #when the below is uncommented, it has no effect:
  #def customerize
 	#@contentdivs.each { |div| div.content.gsub!(/UserName/,
''Matthew'') }
  #end


end
</code>

-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

On 2/20/06, Matt Southworth <ror@mmsw.org> wrote:
> James Ludlow wrote:
> <code>
> class DisplayController < ApplicationController
>
>   #when the below is uncommented, it has no effect:
>   #after_filter :customerize
>
>   def show
>     @contentdivs = Contentdiv.thispage(params[:page])
>     # the below line works in show but not the after_filter
>     @contentdivs.each { |div| div.content.gsub!(/UserName/,
''Matthew'') }
>   end
>
>   #when the below is uncommented, it has no effect:
>   #def customerize
>         #@contentdivs.each { |div| div.content.gsub!(/UserName/,
''Matthew'') }
>   #end
>
>
> end
> </code>
Sorry, it should have registered with me the first time that you were
doing this as an after_filter.  In your after_filter method your array
has already been used to generate the response, so changing it won''t
matter.

Try this instead:

def customerize
  response.body.gsub!(/UserName/, ''Matthew'')
end


-- James