# Routing Requests with a database field

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-requests-with-a-database-field/48040>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 16, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-requests-with-a-database-field/48040 "2005-11-16T04:24:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![matt.ramos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@matt.ramos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt.ramos)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-requests-with-a-database-field/48040/1 "2005-11-16T04:24:28Z")

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Hello.

I am building a website that has a growing list of projects. So lets say  
I’d  
like to go to [http://localhost:3000/project/submarine/](http://localhost:3000/project/submarine/) and view the  
“Submarine Project”. I’d have a database, and an entry could be. id=1,  
title=submarine, description=we built a submarine. I’ve been reading  
through  
the pragprog rails book and asking in the #rubyonrails irc channel, but  
I  
can’t find the answer anywhere. I couldn’t even find anything on google.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Good day,  
Matt

---

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**Author:** ![matt.ramos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@matt.ramos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt.ramos)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-requests-with-a-database-field/48040/2 "2005-11-16T04:42:31Z")

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On Tue, Nov 15, 2005 at 10:21:42PM -0500, Matt R. wrote:

> I am building a website that has a growing list of projects. So lets  
> say I’d like to go to [http://localhost:3000/project/submarine/](http://localhost:3000/project/submarine/) and  
> view the “Submarine Project”. I’d have a database, and an entry  
> could be. id=1, title=submarine, description=we built a submarine.  
> I’ve been reading through the pragprog rails book and asking in the  
> #rubyonrails irc channel, but I can’t find the answer anywhere. I  
> couldn’t even find anything on google.

You might be interested in Named Routes.  
[http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/NamedRoutes](http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/NamedRoutes)

In config/routes.rb:

```
map.project 'project/:projtitle' :controller => 'project',
			     :action => 'show'

```

In app/controllers/project\_controller.rb:

```
def show
  @project = Project.find(:first,
  			      :conditions => ['title = ?',params[:projtitle]])
  ...
end

```

Or something like that. Assuming your project titles are unique. Then  
you can also use project\_url (since you have map.project in routes.rb)  
for urls in your views, e.g.

```
<% for project in @projects %>
<%= link_to project.title,
            project_url(:projtitle => project.title) %>
 ...
<% end %>

```

Named Routes is a really cool feature, and one of the best of Rails,  
I’d say.

Ronny

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![matt.ramos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@matt.ramos](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt.ramos)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/routing-requests-with-a-database-field/48040/3 "2005-11-16T04:54:33Z")

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Thanks a lot. I’ll give that a shot tomorrow sometime, and I’ll probably  
post back because I know absolutely nothing.