# Routing/format (I'm lost.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [October 1, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-format-im-lost/176525 "2009-10-01T16:59:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/djames)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-format-im-lost/176525/1 "2009-10-01T16:59:50Z")
I understand that the default Rails routing matches URLs with the form: /controller/action/id.format Default values exist for each of the parts to the right of the controller. I also understand that the default format is html. So, for example, the URL: /blog/read/23 would route a request to the ‘read’ action of the ‘blog’ controller, set the :id param to ‘23’, and and render the html view ‘read.rhtml’ Now, if the URL were altered to: /blog/read/23.csv Apparently something different happens; but, I’m not at all clear on exactly what. Does this mean that I should setup a read.csv view to render the document in csv, or what? I don’t seem to have enough basic knowledge to get started understanding this. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me get started off in the right direction. Thanks for any input. ``` ... doug ``` ---
**Author:** ![djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/djames)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-format-im-lost/176525/2 "2009-10-01T20:35:17Z")
> Have you read this? > [Rails Routing from the Outside In — Ruby on Rails Guides](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/routing.html) Yes, I have. However, because of your referral I have taken a fresh look. It is still none too clear to me. Here is what I get: The respond\_to block allows us to assign separate action code and a separate response to each different format. I’m thinking that a “response” is a view template; but, I’m not sure. It also appears that part of what is going on is to get render to set the content-type header appropriately. For example, the ‘render :xml’ causes the content-type header to be set to “application/xml”. I’m not sure how the template file should be named. For example, should it be, “read.csv”? I don’t know what content-type is associated with the csv format. As you can see, I still have quite a bit missing. Any further clarifying comments would be appreciated. Thanks. ``` ... doug ``` ---
**Author:** ![djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/djames)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-format-im-lost/176525/3 "2009-10-01T17:15:39Z")
On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 4:58 PM, doug [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I understand that the default Rails routing matches URLs with the > form: > > /controller/action/id.format Have you read this? > **[Rails Routing from the Outside In — Ruby on Rails Guides](https://guides.rubyonrails.org/routing.html)** > > Rails Routing from the Outside InThis guide covers the user-facing features of Rails routing.After reading this guide, you will know: How to interpret the code in config/routes.rb. How to construct your own routes, using either the preferred... > ``` > ... doug > > ``` – Leonardo M… There’s no place like ~ ---
**Author:** ![djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/djames)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-format-im-lost/176525/4 "2009-10-01T21:33:15Z")
On 10/1/09, djolley [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > that part of what is going on is to get render to set the content-type > header appropriately. For example, the ‘render :xml’ causes the > content-type header to be set to “application/xml”. I’m not sure how > the template file should be named. For example, should it be, > “read.csv”? I don’t know what content-type is associated with the csv > format. > > As you can see, I still have quite a bit missing. Any further > clarifying comments would be appreciated. Thanks. > > ``` > ... doug > > ``` Ok, just to clarify a bit more, as Marnen said, a template is not mandatory, is just the default. Take a look a this example: [http://pastie.org/638500](http://pastie.org/638500) I took it for some book and modified it just a bit. With format html, it will search for the default export.html.erb template, but for csv, it will behave differently. The example here uses fastercsv, which will let you handle csv in a nice way, but nevermind it for now, you should asume that you’ll have a variable with the csv data you want to return, and you’ll return it with the send\_data method (you can chech de ri doc for this later), setting the content-type and suggesting a file name to be saved. So my point here is to show you how you can answer from an action without having a template and considering more that one format. Anyway, it seems that you’re focusing on the wrong thing, you should read more about ActionController (ri doc or the guide on the ruby on rails site should be fine), this is not a routing problem. Hope it helps. Cheers. – Leonardo M… There’s no place like ~ ---
**Author:** ![djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/djames)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-format-im-lost/176525/5 "2009-10-01T20:41:04Z")
Doug J. wrote: > > Have you read this? > > [Rails Routing from the Outside In — Ruby on Rails Guides](http://guides.rubyonrails.org/routing.html) > > Yes, I have. However, because of your referral I have taken a fresh > look. It is still none too clear to me. Here is what I get: > > The respond\_to block allows us to assign separate action code and a > separate response to each different format. I’m thinking that a > “response” is a view template; but, I’m not sure. No. The response _is_ the respond\_to code block for the given format. If you don’t tell it otherwise, it will fnish by rendering a template of the same name as the action, but it doesn’t have to. > It also appears > that part of what is going on is to get render to set the content-type > header appropriately. For example, the ‘render :xml’ causes the > content-type header to be set to “application/xml”. I’m not sure how > the template file should be named. For example, should it be, > “read.csv”? I don’t know what content-type is associated with the csv > format. You can look up the MIME type for CSV in any list of standard MIME types (there are many available on the Web). As for naming the template, the pattern is action.format.renderer . So show.html.erb is called from the “show” action, and is processed by the ERb renderer to produce an HTML response. > As you can see, I still have quite a bit missing. Any further > clarifying comments would be appreciated. Thanks. > > ``` > ... doug > > ``` ## Best, Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/djames)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-format-im-lost/176525/6 "2009-10-02T05:41:29Z")
> The example If a picture is worth 1,000 words, an example is worth at least 2,000. I easily got it working following your example. That doesn’t mean that I understand everything. I still have some learning to do. The thing is that at least now I feel like I have a significant toe hold to use in mastering this concept. Before, I was just plain totally lost. Thanks to all for the help. ``` ... doug ```