# Cannot catch ActionController exception

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-catch-actioncontroller-exception/73351>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [October 24, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-catch-actioncontroller-exception/73351 "2006-10-24T01:45:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joman](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@joman](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/joman)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-catch-actioncontroller-exception/73351/1 "2006-10-24T01:45:41Z")

</div>

Hi,

I am running ruby 1.8.2  
(ruby 1.8.2 (2005-04-11) [i386-linux])

I cannot catch the ActionController::RedirectBackError exception.

My code is:

```
   begin
     redirect_to :back
   rescue ActionController::RedirectBackError
     redirect_to :action => 'index'
   end

```

When the exception is raised I get the following error:

NameError in Release managementController#new

uninitialized constant RedirectBackError

RAILS\_ROOT: ./script/…/config/…  
Application Trace | Framework Trace | Full Trace

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active\_support/dependencies.rb:123:in  
`const_missing' #{RAILS_ROOT}/app/controllers/release_management_controller.rb:821:in`new’

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active\_support/dependencies.rb:123:in  
`const_missing' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/base.rb:941:in`send’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/base.rb:941:in  
`perform_action_without_filters' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/filters.rb:368:in`perform\_action\_without\_benchmark’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/benchmarking.rb:69:in  
`perform_action_without_rescue' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/benchmarking.rb:69:in`measure’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/benchmarking.rb:69:in  
`perform_action_without_rescue' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/rescue.rb:82:in`perform\_action’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/base.rb:408:in  
`send' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/base.rb:408:in`process\_without\_filters’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb:377:in  
`process_without_session_management_support' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/session_management.rb:117:in`process’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/dispatcher.rb:38:in  
`dispatch' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/webrick_server.rb:115:in`handle\_dispatch’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/webrick\_server.rb:81:in  
`service' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/httpserver.rb:104:in`service’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/httpserver.rb:65:in `run' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:172:in`start\_thread’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:161:in `start' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:161:in`start\_thread’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:95:in `start' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:92:in`each’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:92:in `start' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:82:in`start’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:82:in `start' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/webrick_server.rb:67:in`dispatch’  
script/server:49

/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activesupport-1.3.1/lib/active\_support/dependencies.rb:123:in  
`const_missing' #{RAILS_ROOT}/app/controllers/release_management_controller.rb:821:in`new’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/base.rb:941:in  
`send' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/base.rb:941:in`perform\_action\_without\_filters’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb:368:in  
`perform_action_without_benchmark' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/benchmarking.rb:69:in`perform\_action\_without\_rescue’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/benchmarking.rb:69:in  
`measure' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/benchmarking.rb:69:in`perform\_action\_without\_rescue’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/rescue.rb:82:in  
`perform_action' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/base.rb:408:in`send’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/base.rb:408:in  
`process_without_filters' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action_controller/filters.rb:377:in`process\_without\_session\_management\_support’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/actionpack-1.12.5/lib/action\_controller/session\_management.rb:117:in  
`process' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/dispatcher.rb:38:in`dispatch’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/webrick\_server.rb:115:in  
`handle_dispatch' /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/webrick_server.rb:81:in`service’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/httpserver.rb:104:in `service' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/httpserver.rb:65:in`run’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:172:in `start_thread' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:161:in`start’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:161:in `start_thread' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:95:in`start’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:92:in `each' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:92:in`start’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:82:in `start' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/webrick/server.rb:82:in`start’  
/usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rails-1.1.6/lib/webrick\_server.rb:67:in  
`dispatch’  
script/server:49

This error occured while loading the following files:

action\_web\_service/dispatcher/action\_controller/redirect\_back\_error.rb

If I change the code to catch all exceptions then it works, but I would  
prefer not to do this.

Thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joman](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@joman](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/joman)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-catch-actioncontroller-exception/73351/2 "2006-10-24T02:49:45Z")

</div>

joman wrote:

> When the exception is raised I get the following error:
> 
> NameError in Release managementController#new
> 
> uninitialized constant RedirectBackError

Change the rescue to

rescue ::ActionController::RedirectBackError

–  
We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![joman](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@joman](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/joman)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-catch-actioncontroller-exception/73351/3 "2006-10-24T03:43:48Z")

</div>

That’s it! Thanks very much.