Calling partials from a layout - once nil, once not nil

Rails
#1

Hi,

Rails 2.3.3 + restful_authentication.

current_user is a method from lib/authenticated_system.rb through
“include AuthenticatedSystem” in application_controller.rb

-------- home/_current_user.pl.html.erb : --------
<% if current_user %>
NOT NIL
<% else %>
NIL
<% end %>

-------- home/_user_box.pl.html.erb : --------
<% if current_user %>
NOT NIL
<% else %>
NIL
<% end %>

-------- layouts/layout.html.erb : --------
<%= render :partial => ‘/home/current_user’ -%>
<%= render :partial => ‘/home/user_box’ %>

----- OUTPUT: -------
NIL
NOT NIL

---- LOGS: -------
[INFO : 0925 13:43:58 #9238] Rendering template within layouts/layout
[INFO : 0925 13:43:58 #9238] Rendering home/index
[DEBUG: 0925 13:43:58 #9238] Rendered home/_current_user.pl (0.2ms)
[DEBUG: 0925 13:43:58 #9238] User Columns (1.9ms) SHOW FIELDS FROM
users
[DEBUG: 0925 13:43:58 #9238] User Load (0.2ms) SELECT * FROM users
WHERE (users.id = 1) LIMIT 1
[DEBUG: 0925 13:43:58 #9238] Rendered home/_user_box.pl (6.9ms)
[INFO : 0925 13:43:58 #9238] Completed in 16ms (View: 8, DB: 2) | 200 OK
[http://localhost/]

Why is that so? Why one time it is nil and the other time it is not nil?

Any help appreciated.

Regards.

#2

Michal B. wrote:

-------- home/_current_user.pl.html.erb : --------
<% if current_user %>
NOT NIL
<% else %>
NIL
<% end %>

-------- home/_user_box.pl.html.erb : --------
<% if current_user %>
NOT NIL
<% else %>
NIL
<% end %>

-------- layouts/layout.html.erb : --------
<%= render :partial => ‘/home/current_user’ -%>
<%= render :partial => ‘/home/user_box’ %>

Why is that so? Why one time it is nil and the other time it is not nil?

Any help appreciated.

Regards.

It has to do with the name of the partial, Rails does some magic by
looking at the name of the partial and then making a local variable
(with the same name as the partial) accessible to that partial.

i.e. a partial entitled “_current_user” will have current_user as a
local whereas a partial entitled “_user_box” will have user_box as a
local.

This was new functionality introduced with rails 2 I believe…

Don’t forget that the render() can have :object and :locals passed into
it…

hth

ilan