I can't get rails to see my plugin. How can I this?

Rails
1

I’m trying to produce a plugin to help me with my page caching woes. I
can’t seem to get rails to see my method within the plugin. This is my
first attempt at a plugin so I’m sure I’m missing something. I’ve
created a directory /vendor/lib/plugins/broom_stick/. I then created an
init.rb file with:
require ‘broom_stick’

I then created /vendor/lib/plugins/broom_stick/lib/broom_stick.rb
Here are the contents of broom_stick.rb. It doesn’t add any new
functionalit…yet. I wanted to make sure I could get the plugin seen
by rails before I did any real coding. Thanks in advance for any
assistance.

module ActionController::Caching::Pages::ClassMethods

Expires the page that was cached with the +path+ as a key. Example:

expire_page “/lists/show”

def expire_each_page(path)
return unless perform_caching
benchmaddrk “EXPIRED ALL PAGES: #{page_cache_file(path)}” do
File.delete(page_cache_path(path)) if
File.exists?(page_cache_path(path))
Dir.foreach(page_cache_path(path)) {|x| benchmark ("Got " + x) }
end
end
end

2

charlie bowman wrote:

I’m trying to produce a plugin to help me with my page caching woes. I
can’t seem to get rails to see my method within the plugin. This is my
first attempt at a plugin so I’m sure I’m missing something. I’ve
created a directory /vendor/lib/plugins/broom_stick/. I then created an

The simplest possible thing, you do mean:

#{RAILS_ROOT}/vendor/lib/plugins/broom_stick/

right?

–

Ray

3

Actually, the path was a typo. I am using the
path: /vendor/plugins/broom_stick/.

4

On 11-Apr-06, at 4:36 PM, charlie bowman wrote:

I’m trying to produce a plugin to help me with my page caching
woes. I
can’t seem to get rails to see my method within the plugin. This
is my
first attempt at a plugin so I’m sure I’m missing something. I’ve
created a directory /vendor/lib/plugins/broom_stick/. I then
created an
init.rb file with:
require ‘broom_stick’

Hi Charlie,

I think your folder hierarchy is wrong:

vendor/plugins/broom_stick/init.rb
vendor/plugins/broom_stick/lib/broom_stick.rb

If you’ve got any doubt, the simplest thing to do is use the plugin
generator to see how to properly layout a plugin:

(in your rails application root)

./script/generate plugin test_this

will show you where the files ought to go (you can remove vendor/
plugins/test_this afterwards).

Regards,
Trevor

Trevor S.
http://somethinglearned.com

5

Hi again Charlie,

you’ve got me wondering - you do realize that you’ve only added
your method to the ClassMethods module (so it’s not a controller
instance method) right?

So you have to use it like:

MyController.expire_each_page(somepath)

The code you posted really ought to work so trying to call a class
method as though it was an instance method is about the only place I
can think you’re going wrong.

HTH,
Trevor

–
Trevor S.
http://somethinglearned.com

6

I didn’t. I’m still trying hard to grasp the inner working of rails and
ruby inheritance in general. I have modified the plugin but it is still
breaking because it can’t find the page_cache_path and page_cache_file
methods. Here’s what I’ve got so far. Thank you for your help so far!

module ActionController::Caching::Pages
def expire_each_page(path)
return unless perform_caching
logger.error(“EXPIRED ALL PAGES: #{path}”)
File.delete(page_cache_path(path)) if
File.exists?(page_cache_path(path))
Dir.foreach(page_cache_path(path)) {|x| benchmark ("Got " + x) }
rescue
end
end

7

Hi Charlie,

it would seem on my last email I steered you a bit wrong: namely I
forgot that page_cache_file and page_cache_path are private class
methods so you can’t call them from an instance method.

Try this instead:

module ActionController::Caching::Pages
module ClassMethods
def expire_each_page(path)
return unless perform_caching
logger.error(“EXPIRED ALL PAGES: #{path}”)
File.delete(page_cache_path(path)) if File.exists?
(page_cache_path(path))
Dir.foreach(page_cache_path(path)) {|x| benchmark ("Got " + x) }
rescue
end
end

def expire_each_page(path)
self.class.expire_each_page(path)
end
end

Regards,
Trevor

–
Trevor S.
http://somethinglearned.com

8

Thanks again for so much help! I think I’m getting much closer to
understanding this stuff. It still isn’t quite there. The app runs and
rails doesn’t complain about not finding the methods, but I still can’t
get the correct result out of the method. Only the first logger.error
is printing to the log. I added a two more logger statements and the
second statement won’t print. I"m I missing something else as well?

module ActionController::Caching::Pages

Expires the page that was cached with the +path+ as a key. Example:

expire_page “/lists/show”
def expire_each_page(path)
return unless perform_caching
#test = self.class.page_cache_path(path)
logger.error(“EXPIRED ALL PAGES: #{path}”)
test = self.class.page_cache_path(path)
logger.error(“FULL PATH OF PAGES: #{test}”)
File.delete(self.class.page_cache_path(path)) if
File.exists?(self.class.page_cache_path(path))
Dir.foreach(self.class.page_cache_path(path)) {|x| logger.error(“Got
#{x}”) }
rescue
end
end

9

Thanks, I’ll give that I try!

10

Thanks, your last tip really helped out! My method ran correctly. So
just to make sure I have this correct in my head, I’m adding a method to
the ClassMethods module. Then I’m creating a method of the same name in
ActionController::Caching::Pages. This second method calls the method
in the module ClassMethods? Wow this stuff can be confusing!

11

Hey again,

you can’t find page_cache_path and page_cache_file because they are
class methods.

With the changes you sent your expire_each_page method is now an
instance method (it’s no longer in the ClassMethods module).

So, change the calls to page_cache_path and page_cache_file to be
self.class.page_cache_path and self.class.page_cache_file and see how
you get on.

Regards,
Trevor

–
Trevor S.
http://somethinglearned.com

12

On 12-Apr-06, at 10:51 AM, Charlie B. wrote:

Thanks, your last tip really helped out! My method ran correctly.
So just to make sure I have this correct in my head, I’m adding a
method to the ClassMethods module. Then I’m creating a method of
the same name in ActionController::Caching::Pages. This second
method calls the method in the module ClassMethods? Wow this stuff
can be confusing!

That’s about the size of it.

Regards,
Trevor