# Extending ApplicationHelper not working with plugins

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/extending-applicationhelper-not-working-with-plugins/47535>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 12, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/extending-applicationhelper-not-working-with-plugins/47535 "2005-11-12T12:49:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mannl](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@mannl](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mannl)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/extending-applicationhelper-not-working-with-plugins/47535/1 "2005-11-12T12:49:22Z")

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Hi!

I want a plugin to supply me with additonal helpers like this:

#/vendor/plugins/test\_plugin/init.rb  
module ApplicationHelper  
def test\_helper  
‘does this work?’  
end  
end

Contrary to my expectation, the method “test\_helper” is _not_  
available in my views…

I thought that maybe the module ApplicationHelper is namespaced  
inside some other class, but I can’t find anything about that in the  
source code.  
ApplicationHelperI’m running Rails 0.14.3.

Thanks,  
Rob

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mannl](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@mannl](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mannl)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/extending-applicationhelper-not-working-with-plugins/47535/2 "2005-11-12T12:49:22Z")

</div>

Hello Francois!

Thanks for the quick answer. Your solution worked 🙂

I’m gonna post this in the WIKI now, so that others will be warned

Rob

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mannl](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@mannl](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mannl)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/extending-applicationhelper-not-working-with-plugins/47535/3 "2005-11-12T12:49:22Z")

</div>

Hello Robert !

2005/11/8, Robert [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):

> I thought that maybe the module ApplicationHelper is namespaced  
> inside some other class, but I can’t find anything about that in the  
> source code.  
> ApplicationHelperI’m running Rails 0.14.3.

Take a look at how I do it in the FlashHelperPlugin:  
[http://rubyurl.com/8LU](http://rubyurl.com/8LU)  
[http://opensvn.csie.org/traccgi/flash\_helper\_plugin/trac.cgi/file/trunk/init.rb](http://opensvn.csie.org/traccgi/flash_helper_plugin/trac.cgi/file/trunk/init.rb)

The problem is that the ApplicationHelper module does not exist at the  
moment the plugins are loaded. I too thought ApplicationHelper would  
simply be reopened, but it doesn’t work that way.

As suggested by Trevor S. in the RFC Flash Standardization thead  
[1], I simply sent the include to ActionView::Base instead.

## Hope that helps !

François  
[http://blog.teksol.info/](http://blog.teksol.info/)

[1] [http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.ruby.rails/28302](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.ruby.rails/28302)  
[1] [http://rubyurl.com/gXj](http://rubyurl.com/gXj)