module ActionView # There's also a convenience method for rendering sub templates within the current controller that depends on a # single object (we call this kind of sub templates for partials). It relies on the fact that partials should # follow the naming convention of being prefixed with an underscore -- as to separate them from regular # templates that could be rendered on their own. # # In a template for Advertiser#account: # # <%= render :partial => "account" %> # # This would render "advertiser/_account.erb" and pass the instance variable @account in as a local variable # +account+ to the template for display. # # In another template for Advertiser#buy, we could have: # # <%= render :partial => "account", :locals => { :account => @buyer } %> # # <% for ad in @advertisements %> # <%= render :partial => "ad", :locals => { :ad => ad } %> # <% end %> # # This would first render "advertiser/_account.erb" with @buyer passed in as the local variable +account+, then # render "advertiser/_ad.erb" and pass the local variable +ad+ to the template for display. # # == Rendering a collection of partials # # The example of partial use describes a familiar pattern where a template needs to iterate over an array and # render a sub template for each of the elements. This pattern has been implemented as a single method that # accepts an array and renders a partial by the same name as the elements contained within. So the three-lined # example in "Using partials" can be rewritten with a single line: # # <%= render :partial => "ad", :collection => @advertisements %> # # This will render "advertiser/_ad.erb" and pass the local variable +ad+ to the template for display. An # iteration counter will automatically be made available to the template with a name of the form # +partial_name_counter+. In the case of the example above, the template would be fed +ad_counter+. # # NOTE: Due to backwards compatibility concerns, the collection can't be one of hashes. Normally you'd also # just keep domain objects, like Active Records, in there. # # == Rendering shared partials # # Two controllers can share a set of partials and render them like this: # # <%= render :partial => "advertisement/ad", :locals => { :ad => @advertisement } %> # # This will render the partial "advertisement/_ad.erb" regardless of which controller this is being called from. # # == Rendering objects with the RecordIdentifier # # Instead of explicitly naming the location of a partial, you can also let the RecordIdentifier do the work if # you're following its conventions for RecordIdentifier#partial_path. Examples: # # # @account is an Account instance, so it uses the RecordIdentifier to replace # # <%= render :partial => "accounts/account", :locals => { :account => @buyer } %> # <%= render :partial => @account %> # # # @posts is an array of Post instances, so it uses the RecordIdentifier to replace # # <%= render :partial => "posts/post", :collection => @posts %> # <%= render :partial => @posts %> # # == Rendering the default case # # If you're not going to be using any of the options like collections or layouts, you can also use the short-hand # defaults of render to render partials. Examples: # # # Instead of <%= render :partial => "account" %> # <%= render "account" %> # # # Instead of <%= render :partial => "account", :locals => { :account => @buyer } %> # <%= render "account", :account => @buyer %> # # # @account is an Account instance, so it uses the RecordIdentifier to replace # # <%= render :partial => "accounts/account", :locals => { :account => @account } %> # <%= render(@account) %> # # # @posts is an array of Post instances, so it uses the RecordIdentifier to replace # # <%= render :partial => "posts/post", :collection => @posts %> # <%= render(@posts) %> # # == Rendering partials with layouts # # Partials can have their own layouts applied to them. These layouts are different than the ones that are # specified globally for the entire action, but they work in a similar fashion. Imagine a list with two types # of users: # # <%# app/views/users/index.html.erb &> # Here's the administrator: # <%= render :partial => "user", :layout => "administrator", :locals => { :user => administrator } %> # # Here's the editor: # <%= render :partial => "user", :layout => "editor", :locals => { :user => editor } %> # # <%# app/views/users/_user.html.erb &> # Name: <%= user.name %> # # <%# app/views/users/_administrator.html.erb &> #