# Flash.now, why not just use an instance variable instead?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-now-why-not-just-use-an-instance-variable-instead/105809>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [June 3, 2007, 5:52am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-now-why-not-just-use-an-instance-variable-instead/105809 "2007-06-03T05:52:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mcampbell](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/8e7dd6/32.png) [@mcampbell](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mcampbell)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 5:52am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-now-why-not-just-use-an-instance-variable-instead/105809/1 "2007-06-03T05:52:55Z")

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Hi, me again with another silly question. If flash.now only lasts for  
the request on which it was set, what makes it different than a plain  
old instance variable?

Wouldn’t,

def action  
@message = “message”  
end  
\<%= @message %\>

produce the same results as,

def action  
flash.now[“message”] = “message”  
end  
\<%= flash[“message”] %\>

?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mcampbell](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/8e7dd6/32.png) [@mcampbell](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mcampbell)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 8:52am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-now-why-not-just-use-an-instance-variable-instead/105809/2 "2007-06-03T08:52:48Z")

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the assumption is that the flash is in your layout and flash.now will  
behave the same

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mcampbell](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/8e7dd6/32.png) [@mcampbell](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mcampbell)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-now-why-not-just-use-an-instance-variable-instead/105809/3 "2007-06-03T14:32:30Z")

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Ah, of course.