# ActionController::UrlWriter bug -- need help URGENTLY, thanks! **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [August 15, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814 "2009-08-15T15:03:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/1 "2009-08-15T15:03:32Z")
So i’ve been banging my head against this for the better part of the last 5 hours and I have concluded that in my sleep deprived state I’m missing something really obvious and should just ask for help. I need to be able to access named route helpers (XXX\_path and XXX\_URL) form a class method in an ActiveRecord model. I tried a couple of approaches none of which worked: 1. include ActionController::UrlWriter in the model class – this doesn’t work because the included methods are instance methods and thus are not available in the class methods 2. According to the rails api you can access the helpers by using ActionController::UrlWriter.xxx\_path ([http://api.rubyonrails.org/](http://api.rubyonrails.org/) classes/ActionController/UrlWriter.html). However that just doesn’t work for me, I get the following error NoMethodError: undefined method `xxx\_path’ for ActionController::UrlWriter:Module If anyone has ANY ideas PLEASE let me know. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/2 "2009-08-15T15:15:49Z")
On Aug 15, 1:52 pm, “removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > thus are not available in the class methods > > 1. According to the rails api you can access the helpers by using > ActionController::UrlWriter.xxx\_path ([http://api.rubyonrails.org/](http://api.rubyonrails.org/) > classes/ActionController/UrlWriter.html). However that just doesn’t > work for me, I get the following error > > NoMethodError: undefined method `xxx\_path’ for > ActionController::UrlWriter:Module > > If anyone has ANY ideas PLEASE let me know. The helpers are defined in an anonymous module hidden inside the routing stuff. You can ask rails to include that module in a class for you, eg class Foo include ActionController::UrlWriter def generate parent\_categories\_url :host =\> ‘[example.com](http://example.com)’ end end ActionController::Routing::Routes.named\_routes.install(Foo) Foo.new.generate #=\> “[http://example.com/admin/parent\_categories](http://example.com/admin/parent_categories)” Fred ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/3 "2009-08-15T15:24:01Z")
This only works for instance methods, my problem is that I need to be able to access xxxx\_path from a class method… meaning: class Foo include ActionController::UrlWriter def self.generate login\_path :host =\> ‘[example.com](http://example.com)’ end end ActionController::Routing::Routes.named\_routes.install(Foo) Foo.generate #=\> NameError: undefined local variable or method `login_path' for Foo:Class from (irb):4:in `generate’ from (irb):9 On Aug 15, 9:14 am, Frederick C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/4 "2009-08-15T15:33:58Z")
On Aug 15, 2:22 pm, “removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > This only works for instance methods, my problem is that I need to be > able to access xxxx\_path from a class method… meaning: Well there’s nothing stopping you bundling up your url generation stuff into its own class and then do UrlGenerator.new.generate (I’d even reccomend it seing as install the routes will pollute your model’s name space with loads of methods. A small experiment shows that ActionController::Routing::Routes.named\_routes.install isn’t actually needed - UrlWriter’s included method seems to call that for you Fred ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/5 "2009-08-16T17:08:35Z")
As in many cases, if it’s difficult to do in Rails, it’s probably wrong. Can you give more detail on why you’re generating URLs in a model rather than in the controller/view that’s sending them to the user? –Matt J. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/6 "2009-08-15T15:39:50Z")
Yea i guess it just seems silly to create a separate class who’s only purpose is to include ActionController::UrlWriter, especially since the rails documentation says that you can simply call ActionController::UrlWriter.xxx\_path. On Aug 15, 9:32 am, Frederick C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/7 "2009-08-17T17:29:32Z")
I am generating a URL for use with GoogleCheckout. I have a method in a model that uses the visitors shopping cart to construct an xml request to GoogleCheckout, in that request i need to include a callback url that GoogleCheckout can use to contact my webapp. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/actioncontroller-urlwriter-bug-need-help-urgently-thanks/173814/8 "2010-05-21T02:30:51Z")
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote: > I am generating a URL for use with GoogleCheckout. I have a method in > a model that uses the visitors shopping cart to construct an xml > request to GoogleCheckout, in that request i need to include a > callback url that GoogleCheckout can use to contact my webapp. I am in the same situation, needing to access the named routes from within a class method and am having no luck coming up with a logic solution. It seems that every post out there asking the same thing gets met with “if it’s so difficult, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.” I usually agree with this, but generating a callback for any 3rd party api calls that get made at a class level seems like a pretty acceptable requirement. Did you ever come to a solution that worked for you admin@fotocera?