Rails - Oct 2007 - Providing HTML in an error message generated by validation

All,

I have some validation that I''m doing in a model.

As part of the error message, I would like to provide an HTML link.

What is the best approach to handling this?

APPROACH 1: One way is to

include ActionView::Helpers::UrlHelper
include ActionView::Helpers::TagHelper

in my model so that I can use link_to to generate my link (obv. I could
hard code HTML as well).

But anyway that feels crappy - too much view stuff in the model.

APPROACH 2: A better seeming - approach would be to encapsulate the
generation of the link in a helper method and call that in my model
where I generate the error message.

How do I get access to one of my helpers from a model class?

APPROACH 3: Put in some kind of place-holder when I generate the error
in the model and then replace that on the fly in the controller before I
render the error.

Any thoughts on this?

In general, I think it''s easy to forget that when you put error message
generation in the model, you are generating view artifacts, it just may
not feel that way.

Thanks,
Wes
-- 
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Ruby on Rails: Talk" group.
To post to this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

I have no problem with error generation in the model.  It''s nice to see
an
array of error messages in the model.

I would say you make your own display for it tho..


<%=special_error_messages_for @foo %>


and in the helper, inspect the errors collection that comes from the model
and then display appropriate values.  If you look at the rails source, it
specifically says that error_messages_for is really just an example and you
should do your own.

Remember, the model only puts messages in an array. Your view formats
them... I don''t consider those view artifacts any more than I consider
a
total for an invoice to be one...  it''s 200.0 in the model, but in the
view
I use the number_to_currency helper :)

Just my opinion tho... feel free to disagree. This is how I''ve handled
it
before tho.


On 10/3/07, Wes Gamble
<rails-mailing-list-ARtvInVfO7ksV2N9l4h3zg@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
>
>
> All,
>
> I have some validation that I''m doing in a model.
>
> As part of the error message, I would like to provide an HTML link.
>
> What is the best approach to handling this?
>
> APPROACH 1: One way is to
>
> include ActionView::Helpers::UrlHelper
> include ActionView::Helpers::TagHelper
>
> in my model so that I can use link_to to generate my link (obv. I could
> hard code HTML as well).
>
> But anyway that feels crappy - too much view stuff in the model.
>
> APPROACH 2: A better seeming - approach would be to encapsulate the
> generation of the link in a helper method and call that in my model
> where I generate the error message.
>
> How do I get access to one of my helpers from a model class?
>
> APPROACH 3: Put in some kind of place-holder when I generate the error
> in the model and then replace that on the fly in the controller before I
> render the error.
>
> Any thoughts on this?
>
> In general, I think it''s easy to forget that when you put error
message
> generation in the model, you are generating view artifacts, it just may
> not feel that way.
>
> Thanks,
> Wes
> --
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
>
> >
>
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Ruby on Rails: Talk" group.
To post to this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

I ended up doing this:

1) setting a placeholder in my error message in the model, like so:

      errors.add_to_base("Click <LINK HERE> for more info.")

2) In my view, I sub in the output of a helper (method called 
generate_appropriate_link), like so:

      @obj_of_interest.errors.each_full do |err_msg|
        err_msg.sub!("<LINK HERE>", generate_appropriate_link)
      end

(come to think of it, I could probably hide most of this in the helper 
method)

and then later calling error_messages_for(:obj_of_interest)

This allowed me to take advantage of the URL helper stuff more easily.

==========
To respond to Brian''s post, I guess I am a little hung up on the fact 
that error "messages" are being set in the model.  Obviously, you have
the power to do anything to that message that you want when you render 
the view.

The error message (set in the model) does two things:
1) by its existence it indicates that an attribute is "in error", and
2) provides a default rendering for the information about the error for 
the view.

So I think that the built-in error message stuff _is_ providing view 
artifacts in the sense that you get a default representation of error in 
the view.

Although, to be fair, this is the nature of the Rails Errors object :). 
Which I think I am arguing is blurring the boundaries between view and 
model.  But that''s ok.

==============
It works :)

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

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Ruby on Rails: Talk" group.
To post to this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
rubyonrails-talk-unsubscribe-/JYPxA39Uh5TLH3MbocFFw@public.gmane.org
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---