# Browser detection with Rails? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [August 7, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287 "2008-08-07T14:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/1 "2008-08-07T14:57:03Z")
hi I can’t find any posibility to detect the browser with rails so i tried javascript. * * * ## The problem is, that the flash message will shown independent of the IF request. Any ideas? Greeting Chaos ---
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/2 "2008-08-07T17:09:31Z")
Andi G. wrote: > hi > > I can’t find any posibility to detect the browser with rails so i tried > javascript. > > Any ideas? > > Greeting Chaos Did you try using request.env[‘HTTP\_REFERER’]? I think this can be used to detect the browser type. Not sure what all the info that this returned but I think browser type was one of them. -S ---
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/3 "2008-08-07T17:33:29Z")
I once used something like this: ``` def client_browser_name user_agent = ``` request.env[‘HTTP\_USER\_AGENT’].downcase if user\_agent =~ /msie/i “Internet Explorer” elsif user\_agent =~ /konqueror/i “Konqueror” elsif user\_agent =~ /gecko/i “Mozilla” elsif user\_agent =~ /opera/i “Opera” elsif user\_agent =~ /applewebkit/i “Safari” else “Unknown” end end On Aug 7, 5:09 pm, Shandy N. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/4 "2008-08-07T20:24:47Z")
Thanks a lot to both! The solution works great! cya chaos ---
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/5 "2008-08-08T10:55:59Z")
Walter Lockhart wrote: > Hi Andi, > > where in your Rails application did you place this method? And from > where did you call this method? In other words, how did you use this > code? > > Thanks in advance. > > Walter > > On Aug 7, 7:24�pm, Andi G. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) Hi Walter, I placed the method in the application\_helper.rb in the app/helpers directory. Then I call the method in the application layer in app/views/layer/application.rb with \<% client\_browser\_name %\>. But you can call this method also in every other view. Ask if you have still questions. Greetings Andi ---
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 10:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/6 "2008-08-08T10:31:12Z")
Hi Andi, where in your Rails application did you place this method? And from where did you call this method? In other words, how did you use this code? Thanks in advance. Walter On Aug 7, 7:24 pm, Andi G. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/7 "2009-03-27T14:28:49Z")
One typo above: ``` isSafari3 = (ua.index('webkit/5')) ? true : false ``` ---
**Author:** ![chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@chaosbanane](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chaosbanane)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2008, 5:40am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/browser-detection-with-rails/145287/8 "2008-08-31T05:40:19Z")
Hi, I am using this code based on the javascript browser detection code in the open source ExtJS framework ([ExtJS.com](http://ExtJS.com)) and converted to Rails: def getBrowser(bt) rs=false ua=request.env[‘HTTP\_USER\_AGENT’].downcase isOpera = ua.index(‘opera’) ? true : false isSafari = (ua =~ /webkit|khtml/) ? true : false isSafari3 = (ua.index(‘webkit/5’) ? true : false isGecko = (!isSafari and ua.index(‘gecko’)) ? true : false isGecko3 = (!isSafari and ua.index(‘rv:1.9’)) ? true : false isIE = (!isOpera and ua.index(‘msie’)) ? true : false isIE7 = (!isOpera and ua.index(‘msie 7’)) ? true : false case bt when 0 #isKonqueror if ua.index(‘konqueror’) then rs=true end when 1 #isOpera rs=isOpera when 2 #isSafari rs=isSafari when 3 #isSafari2 rs=isSafari && !isSafari3 when 4 #isSafari3 rs=isSafari3 when 5 #isIE rs=isIE when 6 #isIE6 rs=isIE && !isIE7 when 7 #isIE7 rs=isIE7 when 8 #isGecko rs=isGecko when 9 #isGecko2 rs=isGecko && !isGecko3 when 10 #isGecko3 rs=isGecko3 when 11 #isWindows if ua.index(‘windows’) or ua.index(‘win32’) then rs=true end when 12 #isMac if ua.index(‘macintosh’) or ua.index(‘mac os x’) then rs=true end when 13 #isAir if ua.index(‘adobeair’) then rs=true end when 14 #isLinux if ua.index(‘linux’) then rs=true end when 15 #isSecure s = request.env[‘SERVER\_PROTOCOL’].downcase if s.index(‘https’) then rs=true end end rs end