# How to identify the browser?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-identify-the-browser/54361>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [March 2, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-identify-the-browser/54361 "2006-03-02T15:00:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/ea5d25/32.png) [@godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/godsmurf)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-identify-the-browser/54361/1 "2006-03-02T15:00:40Z")

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I need to generate some browser-specific code; can I identify which  
browser is being used from within my RoR code?

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**Author:** ![godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/ea5d25/32.png) [@godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/godsmurf)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-identify-the-browser/54361/2 "2006-03-02T16:42:44Z")

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Peter E. wrote:

> Check that out:  
> [Javascript - Object detection](http://www.quirksmode.org/js/support.html)

Thanx but that’s from within Javascript. I need to detect the browser  
from within Rails. The reason is that IE needs a doctype declaration to  
lay out my site properly, but in Firefox some of my javascripts don’t  
work anymore if I include a doctype. So I’d just like to send the  
doctype to IE browsers.

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**Author:** ![godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/ea5d25/32.png) [@godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/godsmurf)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-identify-the-browser/54361/3 "2006-03-02T16:32:02Z")

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Check that out:  
[http://www.quirksmode.org/js/support.html](http://www.quirksmode.org/js/support.html)

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**Author:** ![godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/ea5d25/32.png) [@godsmurf](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/godsmurf)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-identify-the-browser/54361/4 "2006-03-02T17:02:58Z")

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inside an action controller method:

redirect\_to “[http://www.microsoft.com](http://www.microsoft.com)” if  
request.env[“HTTP\_USER\_AGENT”].include?(“MSIE”)