# Problems with defining routes **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 9, 2008, 7:11am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451 "2008-01-09T07:11:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 7:11am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/1 "2008-01-09T07:11:32Z")
hey i am having problems when defining routes like this. map.room ‘room/:name’, :controller =\> ‘room’, :action =\> ‘show’ when i try goto any url such as: /room/123 /room/technology it works fine to goto the show method with a param :name. but when i want to use my other actions such as ‘list’ it still treats it as room/:name and will direct it to my show action. eg. room/list gives \*\*NoMethodError in Room#show Showing room/show.rhtml where line #1 raised: You have a nil object when you didn’t expect it! The error occurred while evaluating nil.name ---
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 7:13am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/2 "2008-01-09T07:13:17Z")
Try map.resources :room instead. This will use restful routing which will do exactly what you want it to do, but instead list is called “index”. On Jan 9, 2008 4:40 PM, Chubbs [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > You have a nil object when you didn’t expect it! > The error occurred while evaluating nil.name > > > – Ryan B. > **[frozenplague.net](http://www.frozenplague.net)** > > This domain may be for sale! Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email. ---
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 7:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/3 "2008-01-09T07:17:23Z")
mmm but how do i create the route for /room/technology? ---
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 7:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/4 "2008-01-09T07:30:15Z")
im a bit confused im just wanting to call the show action for a name for the room. eg, /room/technology should goto /room/show with param[:name] = technology, so i can show the subtopics within technology would i have to create a maps.resources for each of my room names ? ---
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 7:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/5 "2008-01-09T07:33:10Z")
No, map.resources :rooms will automatically define the routes you need for CRUD’ding resources: index, show, new, create, edit, update & delete. This means when you do /rooms/technology it’ll actually pass in “technology” as params[:id], not params[:name]. Just a minor alteration in your code should fix this. On Jan 9, 2008 4:59 PM, Chubbs [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > would i have to create a maps.resources for each of my room names ? > > > Whether you do :member or :collection determines whether you do > > On Jan 9, 2008 4:46 PM, Chubbs [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > > > This will use restful routing which will do exactly what you want it > > > > > > > > > when i try goto any url such as: > > > > > room/list gives > > > > > Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email. > > > > – > > Ryan B.[http://www.frozenplague.net](http://www.frozenplague.net) > > Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email. – Ryan B. > **[frozenplague.net](http://www.frozenplague.net)** > > This domain may be for sale! Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email. ---
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 7:39am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/6 "2008-01-09T07:39:36Z")
ahh i get you,i change it and got it working ok ill start using RESTful routing from now on, thanks for the advice -chubbs ---
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 9:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/7 "2008-01-09T09:31:24Z")
On Jan 9, 2008, at 7:29 AM, Chubbs wrote: > im just wanting to call the show action for a name for the room. > > eg, > /room/technology > should goto /room/show with param[:name] = technology, > so i can show the subtopics within technology > > would i have to create a maps.resources for each of my room names ? Just another detail: you can still have the room name in the URL with a custom Room#to\_param that returns the name, or the trick “#{id}- name” you can see out there. That parameter goes to params[:id] anyway. – fxn ---
**Author:** ![Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Chubbs](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chubbs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 7:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-with-defining-routes/125451/8 "2008-01-09T07:20:54Z")
Ahh, the wonders of restful routing elude you: map.resources :room, :member =\> { :technology =\> :get } Or if you’re doing it for a whole bunch of rooms: map.resources :room, :collection =\> { :technology =\> :get } Whether you do :member or :collection determines whether you do technology\_room\_path(@room) or technology\_rooms\_path(@room). I covered restful routing a few days ago on this list and wrote a smallish tutorial for it: [frozenplague.net](http://frozenplague.net/?p=108) If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me through the list or through GTalk or MSN at this email. On Jan 9, 2008 4:46 PM, Chubbs [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > when i try goto any url such as: – Ryan B. > **[frozenplague.net](http://www.frozenplague.net)** > > This domain may be for sale! Feel free to add me to MSN and/or GTalk as this email.