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**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 30, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/compile-error-question-on-a-login-rhtml-file-text-included/105543 "2007-05-30T22:35:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1
**Author:**  [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/compile-error-question-on-a-login-rhtml-file-text-included/105543/1 "2007-05-30T22:35:32Z")
I am working my way through the January 2007 edition of “Build Your
Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications” by Patrick Lenz. The application
in the book is a clone of [digg.com](http://digg.com) and I am halfway through the book
with no problems.
I am now working on the user authentication portion, and I am getting
a compile error with the following 12 line file (typed exactly as
printed in the book):
\<% form\_tag do %\>
Please log in.
Username: \<%= text\_field\_tag 'login' %\>
Password: \<%= password\_field\_tag 'password' %\>
\<%= submit\_tag 'login' %\>
\<% end\_form %\>
The compile error is:
compile error
C:/CONDUC~1/rails\_apps/shovell/config/…/app/views/account/login.rhtml:
13: parse error, unexpected $, expecting kEND
Extracted source (around line #13):
10:
11:
\<%= submit\_tag ‘login’ %\>
12: \<% end\_form %\>
My application’s environment is:
Ruby version 1.8.5 (i386-mswin32)
RubyGems version 0.9.2
Rails version 1.2.3
Active Record version 1.15.3
Action Pack version 1.13.3
Action Web Service version 1.2.3
Action Mailer version 1.3.3
Active Support version 1.4.2
Application root C:/CONDUC~1/rails\_apps/shovell
Environment development
Database adapter mysql
Database schema version 4
I suspect that I have a typo somewhere, but I need a fresh set of eyes
to review what I have typed to uncover it. I realize that there might
be a version differential between what I have installed on my laptop
and the version used in the book (Ruby 1.8.4, Rails 1.2 Release
Candidate 2, MySQL General Release 5.0.27).
Thanks in advance for your guidance!
John
---
**Author:**  [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/compile-error-question-on-a-login-rhtml-file-text-included/105543/2 "2007-05-30T22:38:33Z")
On May 30, 2007, at 4:34 PM, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote:
> Please log in.
>
> The compile error is:
>
> compile error
> C:/CONDUC~1/rails\_apps/shovell/config/…/app/views/account/
> login.rhtml:
> 13: parse error, unexpected $, expecting kEND
You have two different approaches to building form mixed up here. If
you’re starting a form with
\<% form\_tag do %\>
then you need
\<% end %\>
to match the ‘do’. (everything between them is considered a block. So
your form should be:
\<% form\_tag do %\>
Please log in.
Username: \<%= text\_field\_tag 'login' %\>
Password: \<%= password\_field\_tag 'password' %\>
\<%= submit\_tag 'login' %\>
\<% end %\>
For more, look at the form\_tag API documentation at:
[http://rails.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers/](http://rails.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers/)
FormTagHelper.html#M000601
James.
–
James S.
Play: [http://james.anthropiccollective.org](http://james.anthropiccollective.org)
Work: [http://jystewart.net/process/](http://jystewart.net/process/)
---
**Author:**  [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/compile-error-question-on-a-login-rhtml-file-text-included/105543/3 "2007-05-30T22:55:35Z")
> your form should be:
>
> -- James S. Play:http://james.anthropiccollective.org Work:http://jystewart.net/process/
James,
Thank you for clarifying that point and providing the online reference
resource as well! I made the change and it worked instantly. This is
my first efforts at Ruby on Rails (and programming in general) with a
mountain of things to learn. I hope to arrive at a point of
proficiency where I can contribute similar guidance to another newbie
in the near future.
Thanks again!
John