# Rails 2.0 vs. custom routes **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [December 26, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213 "2007-12-26T15:52:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/1 "2007-12-26T15:52:39Z")
In previous Rails, I used to use these (for example) /users/1 /users;expand\_all /users/1;say\_hello Now in Rails 2.0, I believe I am supposed to use these /users/1 /users/expand\_all /users/1/say\_hello Am I correct? But somehow, when I try /users/expand\_all, accessing action show with :id =\> “expand\_all” rather than accessing action expand\_all Is there something in my routes.rb that must be reconfigured? ---
**Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/2 "2007-12-26T16:19:47Z")
Check out the new ‘rake routes’ command. It’ll show you what available routes and helpers you have. Also, check out this sweet cheatsheet: > **[REST-cheatsheet.pdf](https://topfunky.com/clients/peepcode/REST-cheatsheet.pdf)** > > 78.73 KB Your route should look something like this: map.resources :users, :collection =\> { :expand\_all =\> :get } And, from your view, you should be doing something like this (assuming you’ve defined “expand\_all” as a collection route as opposed to a singular route): \<%= link\_to ''Expand All Users", expand\_all\_users\_path %\> If you’ve defined your “expand\_all” route as singular, then I’d expect to see behavior similar to what you’re seeing. If you can’t get it working, post your routes.rb file here. On Dec 26, 9:52 am, Sharkie L. \ **Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/3 "2007-12-26T16:47:31Z") I looked at the cheatsheet. In fact it refers to previous versions of Rails, and not Rails 2.0. ---
**Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/4 "2007-12-26T16:45:49Z")
map.resources :users, :collection =\> { :expand\_all =\> :get } map.resources :users, :member =\> { :say\_hello =\> :get } # Install the default route as the lowest priority. map.connect ‘:controller/:action/:id’ However when I call /users/expand all, it routes to :controller =\> users\_controller, :action =\> show, :id =\> “expand\_all” which is wrong. rake routes on the other hand reports the correct routing. ---
**Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/5 "2007-12-26T17:05:15Z")
I just tried it. Same problem still ☹ ---
**Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/6 "2007-12-26T16:57:51Z")
Ah, there’s the problem. Try this: map.resources :users, :collection =\> { :expand\_all =\> :get }, :member =\> { :say\_hello =\> :get } By calling map.resources twice, you’re overriding the first one. You have to map each resource as a single call. On Dec 26, 10:45 am, Sharkie L. \ **Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/7 "2007-12-26T17:06:09Z") Got it to work now. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/8 "2007-12-26T17:35:56Z")
I find the RESTful routing very confusing for anything other than the CRUD mode. I can see how GET/PUT/POST/DELETE maps to the controller for that. Its been soooooo well documented and soooooo many examples; I’m almost sick of it. But many of us aren’t doing the kind of model that is in AWDWR, the catalogue/invoice type of thing. There’s a whole class of applications that have a very different front end" Wikis, Games and so forth. Essentially they have one UI because there is only the one conceptual model that that the user sees. (The AWDWR has a catalogue view, a invoice view …). Something like Instiki has 26 public methods - that is things that can appear as URLs in buttons. Not all of them fit very obviously into the GPPD approach. I can squint hard and treat the various print and RSS/Atom as special cases of ‘view’, all I’ve really done, as far as I can see, is made my menu button code more complicated. Instiki also has one shortcoming that is easy to get around. Its urls are of the form [somedomain.com](http://www.somedomain.com/wiki/) … to point to the wiki controller. For many domains this is unacceptable. Yes, I know it can be cleaned up with Apache mod\_rewrite, but many of us use hosted services and would rather do it with the application - in routes. So would those Rails-ists experienced in resourceful techniques please help out the rest of us and come up with examples and illustrations that are a little different, that aren’t in the CRUD model, that don’t require the name of the controller in the URL to do a 1:1 mapping url:controller. Please, lets see some flexibility rather than the same old same old being repeated. Those who do want the CRUD mode - well there’s plenty out there on the 'Net right now, you don’t need to add to it with “me too” postings. – Over the last few centuries, mathematicians have demonstrated a remarkable tendency to underestimate the cryptanalytic powers of blunt and heavy objects. – Jamie Reid, CISSP ---
**Author:** ![sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/58f4c7/32.png) [@sharkie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/sharkie)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rails-2-0-vs-custom-routes/124213/9 "2007-12-26T18:12:50Z")
Btw, everything in that cheatsheet applies to Rails 2.0. On Dec 26, 10:47 am, Sharkie L. \