In my application all users have the ability to upload a profile picture
through a file field but it is not compulsory.
On my index page it displays all users along with their profile pictures
but not all users have a profile picture and therefore some users have
no image at all.
How would I go about getting a generic image to display for the rest of
the users.
the users.
Add a method to model User called image_url (for example) that returns
the actual photo url if there is one or the url of the default image
if there is not.
Always move things down to the model if possible. This has the
additional advantage that you can test it in the model unit test which
is much easier than testing it in the view.
Ideally, you would extract this into a helper method, since you don’t
want to be repeating all that conditional logic all over the place. Then
you could simply call the ‘avatar’ method:
#users_helper.rb
def avatar(user)
if user.photo.url?
raw image_tag(user.photo.url)
else
raw image_tag(‘generic_avatar.png’)
end
end
If user has photo
end
if user.photo.url?
Hey Walter, I placed the above in my user helper and my application
helper but no luck> It doesn’t change anything. I even changed the above
to def photo(user)
I tried changing my index.html bit from what it is to image_tag
photo.url(user) but that caused an error.
I am not sure now, I tried using the old code I had for gravatar but
that doesn’t do anything.
I think my suggestion was better. If you can put something in the
model it is generally better than in a helper.
But to use Walter’s method, did you change the code in the view to use
the helper method?
Ideally, you would extract this into a helper method, since you don’t
want to be repeating all that conditional logic all over the place. Then
you could simply call the ‘avatar’ method:
#users_helper.rb
def avatar(user)
if user.photo.url?
raw image_tag(user.photo.url)
else
raw image_tag(‘generic_avatar.png’)
end
end
Untested, but it ought to work.
Walter
Hey Walter, I placed the above in my user helper and my application
helper but no luck> It doesn’t change anything. I even changed the above
to def photo(user)
I tried changing my index.html bit from what it is to image_tag
photo.url(user) but that caused an error.
I am not sure now, I tried using the old code I had for gravatar but
that doesn’t do anything.
On Feb 29, 2012, at 8:47 AM, Christopher J. wrote:
If user has photo
end
if user.photo.url?
Hey Walter, I placed the above in my user helper and my application
helper but no luck> It doesn’t change anything. I even changed the above
to def photo(user)
I tried changing my index.html bit from what it is to image_tag
photo.url(user) but that caused an error.
IF you created the helper method I posted earlier, you would want to
replace your entire image tag code in your index.html with
<%= avatar(user) %>
But I like Colin’s idea even better, since it separates concerns more
neatly.
#models/user.rb
…
def user_photo
(photo.url?) ? photo.url : ‘default.png’
end
And then in index.html.erb:
<%= image_tag user.user_photo %>
Much cleaner that way, since you don’t have to look in the helper for
the HTML or the accessor logic, rather you look for HTML in the view and
logic in the model, as Rails intends.
I don’t know what is stopping it from displaying the guest.png because
if I changed the line to photo.url.blank? then it will display the
guest.png for every user but with the present or simply photo.url line
it just doesn’t display the guest.png for any of them.
I don’t know what is stopping it from displaying the guest.png because
if I changed the line to photo.url.blank? then it will display the
guest.png for every user but with the present or simply photo.url line
it just doesn’t display the guest.png for any of them.
Could you put just this in your view (replacing your current image tag):
<%= user.user_photo %>
And see what prints out in the browser. My guess is that it will be
something, but I don’t know what that is. Also, are you seeing any
errors in the console when you test this locally?
On Feb 29, 2012, at 9:38 AM, Christopher J. wrote:
Any ideas why this? must I change it to photo.url.present?
(photo.url.blank?) ? photo.url : ‘images/guest.png’
Any ideas?
Unless you have a sub-folder named images inside your images folder, you
need to just pass guest.png to the image_tag helper (it already assumes
that your pictures are in the images folder).
I don’t know what is stopping it from displaying the guest.png because
if I changed the line to photo.url.blank? then it will display the
guest.png for every user but with the present or simply photo.url line
it just doesn’t display the guest.png for any of them.
Use rails console to work out what is going on. In the console ‘find’
a record with no url and then you can call your method and see what it
returns, also you can call photo.url.present? and so on to see what
they give.
On Feb 29, 2012, at 10:31 AM, Christopher J. wrote:
Hey Walter, good shout.
I don’t know where it is getting that line from.
Aha! That is coming from deep in the heart of Paperclip. You have two
options. First, put your missing icon image at that path in your
application. Second, choose a different method to test on your model.
Instead of using the image accessor, look for one of the actual database
columns in your model. (Look in db/schema.rb at your column names, pick
something like photo_file_name or the local equivalent.) Then make the
test in the method something to match:
The problem, as I should have picked up on from your earlier mention of
the missing photo never appearing, is that photo.url always returns something, so it’s not a good test subject for the ternary operator.
I don’t know what is stopping it from displaying the guest.png because
if I changed the line to photo.url.blank? then it will display the
guest.png for every user but with the present or simply photo.url line
it just doesn’t display the guest.png for any of them.
Could you put just this in your view (replacing your current image tag):
<%= user.user_photo %>
And see what prints out in the browser. My guess is that it will be
something, but I don’t know what that is. Also, are you seeing any
errors in the console when you test this locally?
Walter
Hey Walter, good shout.
I just checked my console and I see this for the images section for
those users who don’t have an image:
Started GET “/photos/original/missing.png” for 127.0.0.1 at 2012-02-29
15:29:16 +0000
ActionController::RoutingError (No route matches [GET]
“/photos/original/missing.png”):
On Feb 29, 2012, at 10:31 AM, Christopher J. wrote:
Hey Walter, good shout.
I don’t know where it is getting that line from.
Aha! That is coming from deep in the heart of Paperclip. You have two
options. First, put your missing icon image at that path in your
application. Second, choose a different method to test on your model.
Instead of using the image accessor, look for one of the actual database
columns in your model. (Look in db/schema.rb at your column names, pick
something like photo_file_name or the local equivalent.) Then make the
test in the method something to match:
The problem, as I should have picked up on from your earlier mention of
the missing photo never appearing, is that photo.url always returns something, so it’s not a good test subject for the ternary operator.
Walter
Fixed it,
I simply added default_url : guest.png to my has_attached_file :photo
model method.
On Feb 29, 2012, at 10:45 AM, Christopher J. wrote:
application. Second, choose a different method to test on your model.
Walter
Fixed it,
I simply added default_url : guest.png to my has_attached_file :photo
model method.
Good one. Then you can also remove the whole custom accessor method,
because any request of photo.url will always return something useful
now. Just go back to where you started, with image_tag user.photo.url.
Walter
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