# Two instances of a controller? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [April 28, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672 "2009-04-28T13:13:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cojones)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672/1 "2009-04-28T13:13:47Z")
Hello, I have written a guestbook and I’d like to use it twice in my application. One public guestbook and one private guestbook. How can I use the very same controller for two different guestbooks? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cojones)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672/2 "2009-04-28T13:32:59Z")
I guess for the private guess book one needs to login. Then you’ll select the guess book for the logged in user. In the public guess book, one just enters their information and all entries can be saved to a default user. Well, that’s all there is too it. Good luck, -Conrad Sent from my iPhone On Apr 28, 2009, at 4:13 AM, Heinz S. \ **Author:** ![cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cojones)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672/3 "2009-04-28T13:48:49Z") Yes of course, that’s how I wanna do it but the question was how to ‘create’ these two different guestbooks. I have one controller, therefore I have one guestbook but how can I instantiate a second one with the same controller but different entries etc.? Conrad T. wrote: > I guess for the private guess book one needs to login. Then you’ll > select the guess book for the logged in user. In the public guess > book, one just enters their information and all entries can be saved > to a default user. Well, that’s all there is too it. > > Good luck, > > -Conrad > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Apr 28, 2009, at 4:13 AM, Heinz S. > \ **Author:** ![cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cojones)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672/4 "2009-04-28T18:13:32Z") Not necessarily two tables. I read somewhere that it’s possible to use the same controller/model/whatever for various instances. I don’t know if you guys got me right… I’ve got a guestbook controller/model/etc. and decide to have another guestbook. Copying the controller/model/etc. and rename it to guestbook2 is very stupid that’s why I would like to know how I can use the same controller/model/etc. and have 2 different guestbooks. Colin L. wrote: > Data is not stored in a controller it is stored in the database, using a > model. Is it that you want two tables with the two guestbooks in it? > That > does not sound like the best solution. > > 2009/4/28 Heinz S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cojones)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672/5 "2009-04-28T15:18:04Z")
Data is not stored in a controller it is stored in the database, using a model. Is it that you want two tables with the two guestbooks in it? That does not sound like the best solution. 2009/4/28 Heinz S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cojones)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672/6 "2009-04-28T18:47:57Z")
I still don’t understand what you mean by two guestbooks. If all you want is for different users to see different data then have one guestbook but select the records based on the user. If you want the second book to be selected by a different url you could just pass a parameter to the controller (in the url) to select the records. There are probably numerous ways, it all depends what exactly you are trying to achieve. 2009/4/28 Heinz S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@cojones](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cojones)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/two-instances-of-a-controller/166672/7 "2009-04-28T19:02:02Z")
Or perhaps what you want is a table guest\_books with one record for each book. Then the data is in a table guest\_book\_entries where GuestBook has\_many GuestBookEntries and GuestBookEntries belongs\_to GuestBook. 2009/4/28 Colin L. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)