Rails - Jul 2006 - Using an image button for "link_to_remote"

All,

I want to do an AJAX request using a custom image button.  I currently 
have this as a standard button action using "button_to".

What I need is the button equivalent of "link_to_remote".  Is there a 
helper that I can use, or do I need to build it by hand?

I see button_to_function(), but that sets me up to call a Javascript 
function, not post to a Rails action.

Or can I just do a link_to_remote and force it to be a POST?

Thanks,
Wes

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Can I just call an RJS template which will update the AJAX target DIV 
appropriately, so that I can still use button_to for a regular target?

Wes


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Looks like "button_to_function" and "remote_function" should
do it?


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Actually I ended up with two options to handle this (both should degrade 
gracefully if I understand the :html option correctly).

1) Put all of the AJAX-y ness into the submit button.
<%= form_tag %>
<%= submit_to_remote(''upload_list'', ''Upload a
List'',
                      :url => {:action =>
''target_list_upload_display''},
                      :html => {:action =>
''target_list_upload'', :class
=> ''additem''}) %>
<%= end_form_tag %>

2) Make the form handle the AJAX call and then use a regular submit tag.
<%= form_remote_tag (:url => {:action =>
''target_list_upload_display''},
                     :html => {:action =>
''target_list_upload''})%>
<%= submit_tag(''Upload a List'', :class =>
''additem'') %>
<%= end_form_tag %>

I think I''m going to go with #1 just because everything is encapsulated
in the submit.

In this case, I think the solutions are interchangeable.  Can anyone 
give me a good reason to favor one over the other?

Thanks,
Wes


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Wes, thank for posting answers to your questions!

It sounds you''ve gotten things under control, but for future
references,
link_to_remote("Submit", {:method => :post, :url => {...}}).
Actually, I
think it does a post by default.

Doug.

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Doug Dupory wrote:
> Wes, thank for posting answers to your questions!
> 
> It sounds you''ve gotten things under control, but for future
references,
> link_to_remote("Submit", {:method => :post, :url =>
{...}}). Actually, I
> think it does a post by default.
> 
> Doug.
Doug,

You know, it''s funny - I had read the part of the link_to documentation
where it said that you could do a post.  Sigh.  This is much more 
straightforward.  I''ll give it a shot.

Thanks,
Wes

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Doug,

This works well.  However, I have a silly CSS question.  I styled my <A> 
with display:block so that I could move it down a bit with margin-top.

Now, when I click it, the whole <A> element is surrounded by a border 
(even though the style on the <A> in my stylesheet is
''none''.

Any ideas?

Thanks again,
Wes

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Hi Wes,

Did you specify a style for all of the different states?  This should
disable the border for all link states:

a:link, a:visited, a:active, a:hover {border: none;}

Tom

On 7/22/06, Wes Gamble <weyus@att.net> wrote:
> Doug,
>
> This works well.  However, I have a silly CSS question.  I styled my
<A>
> with display:block so that I could move it down a bit with margin-top.
>
> Now, when I click it, the whole <A> element is surrounded by a border
> (even though the style on the <A> in my stylesheet is
''none''.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks again,
> Wes
>
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> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
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> Rails mailing list
> Rails@lists.rubyonrails.org
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>

-- 
Tom Davies

http://atomgiant.com
http://gifthat.com

Weird, that doesn''t help.

I also notice if I switch my <A> style so that''s it''s
displayed as an
inline element, that the border shows up just around the <A> as well. 
What gives?

wg

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Duh - that''s why.

This is an AJAX call, and so the page isn''t refreshing.  The border 
always shows up around a button when you click it, but the page isn''t 
being refreshed to restore the original link look and feel.

Luckily, I already have an RJS page to handle this :).

Wes


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Got it!

In order to avoid the irritating "image border after link clicked" 
effect lingering, you have to effectively refresh the anchor display, 
which you can do by refactoring just the anchor into a partial, 
enclosing it in a div, and then doing a replace_html on the div.  Like 
so:

View:
<DIV id="upload_link_container">
  <%= render(:partial => ''upload_link'') %>
</DIV>

(_upload_link.rhtml has the anchor tag display inside of it)

RJS:
page[:upload_link_container].replace_html :partial =>
''upload_link''

Very nice.

RJS - powerful magic.

Also, much thanks to RailsWeenie for this debugging script: 
http://rails.techno-weenie.net/tip/2005/12/20/debugging_your_rjs_calls

It is invaluable.

Wes

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