# Instance variable crossing models/controllers **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [February 1, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/instance-variable-crossing-models-controllers/84167 "2007-02-01T23:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/craigrails)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/instance-variable-crossing-models-controllers/84167/1 "2007-02-01T23:08:19Z")
I am playing around with tabnav plugin [http://blog.seesaw.it/articles/2006/07/23/the-easiest-way-to-add-tabbed-navigation-to-your-rails-app](http://blog.seesaw.it/articles/2006/07/23/the-easiest-way-to-add-tabbed-navigation-to-your-rails-app) The methodology of this plugin has a separate model and controller for each level of tabs (and I am planning on nesting the tabs). This makes it impossible to use a standard instance variable - for example… clients\_tabnav model sets the tabs in this fashion… class ClientsTabnav \< Tabnav::Base ``` include Reloadable; ``` add\_tab do named ‘General Info’ links\_to :controller =\> ‘clients’, :action =\> ‘edit\_general\_info’ ‘edit\_general\_info’ end add\_tab do named ‘Personal Info’ links\_to :controller =\> ‘clients’, :action =\> ‘edit\_personal\_info’ ‘edit\_personal\_info’ end and if I were to add ':id =\> @client.id to the links\_to line, @client.id means nothing to this controller but it obviously works in the same view that is rendered from one of those ‘actions’ above. I can push the value of @client.id into the session hash but I can see that is going to get ugly real quick so I’m wondering if there is a way I can link the ClientsTabnav Class into the Clients Class so that the @client instance variable works? – Craig W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/craigrails)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 11:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/instance-variable-crossing-models-controllers/84167/2 "2007-02-01T23:23:13Z")
Craig W. wrote: > I am playing around with tabnav plugin > [http://blog.seesaw.it/articles/2006/07/23/the-easiest-way-to-add-tabbed-navigation-to-your-rails-app](http://blog.seesaw.it/articles/2006/07/23/the-easiest-way-to-add-tabbed-navigation-to-your-rails-app) > > The methodology of this plugin has a separate model and controller for > each level of tabs (and I am planning on nesting the tabs). This makes > it impossible to use a standard instance variable - for example… > > clients\_tabnav model sets the tabs in this fashion… > class ClientsTabnav \< Tabnav::Base > > ``` > include Reloadable; > > ``` > > add\_tab do > named ‘General Info’ > links\_to :controller =\> ‘clients’, :action =\> ‘edit\_general\_info’ > ‘edit\_general\_info’ > end > > add\_tab do > named ‘Personal Info’ > links\_to :controller =\> ‘clients’, :action =\> ‘edit\_personal\_info’ > ‘edit\_personal\_info’ > end > > and if I were to add ':id =\> @client.id to the links\_to line, @client.id > means nothing to this controller but it obviously works in the same view I looked at [http://blog.seesaw.it/articles/2007/02/01/tabnav-for-rails-1-2](http://blog.seesaw.it/articles/2007/02/01/tabnav-for-rails-1-2) for an update to TabNav. I found them mentioning "A sample of the new code you can write is: class PostsTabnav \< Tabnav::Base add\_tab do named ‘Posts list’ links\_to proc { hash\_for\_posts\_path } end ``` add_tab do named 'New post' links_to proc { hash_for_new_post_path } end add_tab do named proc{ "Show: " + @post.title } links_to proc{ hash_for_post_path(:id => @post.id) } show_if proc{ !@post.nil? && !@post.id.nil? } end ``` : :" Would that help? Stephan ---
**Author:** ![craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/craigrails)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/instance-variable-crossing-models-controllers/84167/3 "2007-02-01T23:50:26Z")
On Thu, 2007-02-01 at 23:23 +0100, Stephan W. wrote: > > ``` > > links_to :controller => 'clients', :action => 'edit_personal_info' > > > > ``` > > for an update to TabNav. > end > end > : > :" > > Would that help? * * * I don’t recognize ‘proc’ as anything meaningful - Is it a ruby function? Craig ---
**Author:** ![craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/craigrails)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/instance-variable-crossing-models-controllers/84167/4 "2007-02-02T22:14:25Z")
On Thu, 2007-02-01 at 23:23 +0100, Stephan W. wrote: > > ``` > > links_to :controller => 'clients', :action => 'edit_personal_info' > > > > ``` > > for an update to TabNav. > end > end > : > :" > > Would that help? * * * OK - I think I got it but I still don’t understand what ‘proc’ actually is and that example wasn’t helpful to me but they have a sample app noted on their web site (titled lousy sample app) that used a variation of the code using double braces {{ }} and that works - not that I understand why but sometimes you have to appreciate luck and not question it too much. Thus a resulting code looks like this… ``` links_to proc{{ :controller => 'clients', :action => 'edit_insurance_info', :id => @client.id }} ``` Single braces - no workee Thanks Craig ---
**Author:** ![craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/craigrails)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/instance-variable-crossing-models-controllers/84167/5 "2007-02-02T23:18:33Z")
On Fri, 2007-02-02 at 22:22 +0100, Stephan W. wrote: > > > Would that help? > > > links\_to proc{{ :controller =\> ‘clients’, > > > Think function-pointer. > > The outer braces define a block, the inner braces a hash. * * * To paraphrase PeeWee Herman… I meant to know that 😉 Thanks - I actually understand that now that you splained it to me. Craig ---
**Author:** ![craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@craigrails](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/craigrails)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/instance-variable-crossing-models-controllers/84167/6 "2007-02-02T22:22:13Z")
Craig W. wrote: > On Thu, 2007-02-01 at 23:23 +0100, Stephan W. wrote: > > > > ``` > > > links_to :controller => 'clients', :action => 'edit_personal_info' > > > > > > ``` > > > > for an update to TabNav. > > end > > end > > : > > :" > > > > Would that help? > > * * * > > OK - I think I got it but I still don’t understand what ‘proc’ actually > is and that example wasn’t helpful to me but they have a sample app > noted on their web site (titled lousy sample app) that used a variation > of the code using double braces {{ }} and that works - not that I > understand why but sometimes you have to appreciate luck and not > question it too much. > > Thus a resulting code looks like this… > > ``` > links_to proc{{ :controller => 'clients', > :action => 'edit_insurance_info', > :id => @client.id }} > > ``` > > Single braces - no workee See [http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ref\_c\_proc.html](http://www.rubycentral.com/ref/ref_c_proc.html) Think function-pointer. The outer braces define a block, the inner braces a hash. Stephan > Thanks > > Craig