Rails - Aug 2006 - Undefined Method error for call to ''render_component_as_string''- Why?

I want to put a ''search_box'' text_field in the header of each
page.  This
common header template is implemented in
''views/layouts/application.rhtml''.

The search_box is implemented in a controller named ''users''.
(so ApplicationController is calling an :action in UserController)

When I add this line to my ''controllers/application.rb'' file,
I don''t
understand why I get an ''undefined method'' error.  After all, 
"class
ApplicationController < ActionController::Base".

@sbox = render_component_as_string(:controller=>''users'',
:action=>:search)

This problem was also described in a post to this list 6 months ago:
http://lists.rubyonrails.org/pipermail/rails/2006-February/016759.html

Nobody replied.  I corresponded with the February poster, who points out
that render_component_as_string() is ''protected'', and suggests
that is why
Controller_A can''t call an Action in Controller_B. But some folks on
the
Site5 forums, as well as the book authors (Dave Thomas, Chad Fowler) claim
to make cross-controller calls.  And if cross-controller invocations simply
didn''t work, the whole point of Components would be greatly diminished.

I also read this nice ''components'' doc
http://manuals.rubyonrails.com/read/chapter/71
...
which does not make it clear if both ''render_component'' and
''render_component_as_string'' can both be called from either a
View or
Controller.   I think the doc is saying that either method can be called
from either location.  So why is it ''undefined''?
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It seems strange to me that the WEBrick logs shows the pages being produced
with back-rev gem libraries - for example, actionpack-1.12.1 instead of
1.12.5.  But I do find support for render_component_as_string even in the
"...1" version library.  So perphaps this is odd, but not the cause of
the
problem?  (I''m running 64-bit CentOS, Rails 1.1.6)

=====================================NoMethodError (undefined method
`render_component_as_string'' for
ApplicationController:Class):
    /app/controllers/application.rb:11
   
/usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:140:in
`load''
   
/usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:56:in
`require_or_load''
   
/usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:30:in
`depend_on''
   
/usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:85:in
`require_dependency''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.2/lib/dispatcher.rb:69:in
`prepare_application''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.2/lib/dispatcher.rb:37:in
`dispatch''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.2/lib/webrick_server.rb:115:in
`handle_dispatch''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.2/lib/webrick_server.rb:81:in
`service''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/httpserver.rb:104:in `service''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/httpserver.rb:65:in `run''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:173:in `start_thread''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:162:in `start_thread''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:95:in `start''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:92:in `start''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:23:in `start''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:82:in `start''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.2/lib/webrick_server.rb:67:in
`dispatch''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.2
/lib/commands/servers/webrick.rb:59
    /usr/lib64/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:21:in `require''
   
/usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:147:in
`require''
    /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.2/lib/commands/server.rb:30
    /usr/lib64/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:21:in `require''
   
/usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:147:in
`require''

 i 08-14 17:55:47 Rendering
/usr/lib64/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.1/lib/action_controller/templates/rescues/layout.rhtml
(500 Internal Error)
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I still don''t know why WEBrick and Mongrel were so fond of back-rev
libs,
but running "gem cleanup" got rid of all but the most recent ones.
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