**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/1 "2007-08-10T12:40:16Z")
Hi all, very much new to Ruby and RoR - a very steep learning curve
but exciting stuff!
I’m just playing around with some things - I have a LoginController
which has an index.rhtml view file. If I insert \<%= self.inspect %\>
into this I get LOADS of not-very-readable stuff, so I tried \<%=
self.class %\> but this just gives me something like “#\” - why doesn’t this class have a name?
Am I right in thinking that ‘self’ in a view is the calling
controller?
Thanks for any help!
–rob
---
**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 12:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/2 "2007-08-10T12:59:21Z")
\<%= self.class.superclass %\> gives ActionView::Base.
self in a view is not calling the controller.
-Jatinder
---
**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/3 "2007-08-10T13:01:21Z")
Thanks Jatinder,
That makes more sense for it to be a view object.
Do you know why the actual class seems to have no name?
–rob
On 8/10/07, Jatinder S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> On 8/10/07, [rob desbois] [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
>
> >
>
> >
–
Rob Desbois
Eml: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid
Tel: 01452 760631
Mob: 07946 705987
“There’s a whale there’s a whale there’s a whale fish” he cried, and the
whale was in full view.
…Then ooh welcome. Ahhh. Ooh mug welcome.
---
**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/4 "2007-08-10T13:46:28Z")
Great thanks for that; I wasn’t aware you could create anonymous classes
in
Ruby.
–rob
On 8/10/07, Jatinder S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> > > > 0x4864ecc\>" - why doesn’t this class have a name?
> >
> > “There’s a whale there’s a whale there’s a whale fish” he cried, and the
> > whale was in full view.
> > …Then ooh welcome. Ahhh. Ooh mug welcome.
>
> >
–
Rob Desbois
Eml: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid
Tel: 01452 760631
Mob: 07946 705987
“There’s a whale there’s a whale there’s a whale fish” he cried, and the
whale was in full view.
…Then ooh welcome. Ahhh. Ooh mug welcome.
---
**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/5 "2007-08-10T13:42:26Z")
No clue about the thought behind the actual class having no name.
Following is a snippet from
actionpack-1.13.3\lib\action\_controller/base.rb
[http://pastie.caboo.se/86581](http://pastie.caboo.se/86581)
view\_class(extending ActionView:Base) gets associated with a controller.
-Jatinder
---
**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/6 "2007-08-10T13:50:28Z")
Try \<%= controller.inspect %\>
On 8/10/07, [rob desbois] [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> Am I right in thinking that ‘self’ in a view is the calling
> controller?
>
> Thanks for any help!
> –rob
>
> >
–
Cheers!
- Pratik
[http://m.onkey.org](http://m.onkey.org)
---
**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/7 "2007-08-10T14:48:38Z")
On 8/10/07, [rob desbois] [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> Am I right in thinking that ‘self’ in a view is the calling
> controller?
self.inspect is probably inspecting things like the request, response,
and controller objects. There may be some duplication, because
controller.inspect probably shows the request and response objects
too.
The view classes are created dynamically with the necessary helpers
mixed in.
[http://dev.rubyonrails.org/browser/tags/rel\_1-2-3/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/base.rb#L1028](http://dev.rubyonrails.org/browser/tags/rel_1-2-3/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb#L1028)
–
Rick O.
[http://lighthouseapp.com](http://lighthouseapp.com)
[http://weblog.techno-weenie.net](http://weblog.techno-weenie.net)
[http://mephistoblog.com](http://mephistoblog.com)
---
**Author:**  [@SSrob\_desbois](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/SSrob_desbois)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/self-class-in-view-rhtml/111745/8 "2007-08-10T15:08:42Z")
Hi –
On Fri, 10 Aug 2007, Rob Desbois wrote:
> Thanks Jatinder,
>
> That makes more sense for it to be a view object.
Of course, that raises the question: how can this view object share
instance variables with the controller object, since instance
variables by definition are always the property of self, and there are
two different selfs here?
I know you didn’t ask, but the answer is kind of interesting 🙂
The controller’s instance variables have to be explicitly transferred
to the view:
def assign\_variables\_from\_controller
@assigns.each { |key, value| instance\_variable\_set(“@#{key}”,
value) }
end
where @assigns is the controller’s instance variables.
So the whole thing where, say, @user is “shared” between the
controller and the view is based on this sleight of hand. It’s almost
the opposite of what instance variables, as such, are actually for,
but it provides a very nice sense of continuity and connection between
the controller code and the view.
David
–
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