# Variables in routes.rb? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 1, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/variables-in-routes-rb/87267 "2007-03-01T11:00:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ramontayag)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/variables-in-routes-rb/87267/1 "2007-03-01T11:00:50Z")
Hi everyone, The title is based on what I think is the solution to this problem: I need to have files available without, as far as the client is concerned, server processing. I know how to make [http://www.myapp.com/flv/get/30](http://www.myapp.com/flv/get/30) and it will return a flv file. The browser knows how to handle that, no problem, but some programs, like Flash, don’t. I can’t tell Flash to play [http://www.myapp.com/flv/get/30](http://www.myapp.com/flv/get/30) because it won’t know how to accept it. This is what I thought the solution would be, but if you know of other ways to do this, I’d greatly appreciate your help. It’s based on a solution to a similar problem I found here: [http://tinyurl.com/ylnyzk](http://tinyurl.com/ylnyzk) How do I assign “variables” in routes.rb? For example: map.connect ‘/flv/get/.flv’, :controller =\> ‘flv’, :action =\> ‘get’, :id =\> ## I hope that was clear. Thanks! Ramon Miguel M. Tayag ---
**Author:** ![ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ramontayag)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 12:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/variables-in-routes-rb/87267/2 "2007-03-01T12:22:05Z")
> How do I assign “variables” in routes.rb? For example: > > map.connect ‘/flv/get/.flv’, :controller =\> > ‘flv’, :action =\> ‘get’, :id =\> I am not sure if I understand the problem here. I think routes.rb comes with this: map.connect ‘:controller/:action/:id.:format’ which should take care of your case - request to flv/get/30.flv will be handled by flv\_controller’s action ‘get’ which will have access to params[:id] . Of course you can have your own route like map.connect ‘flv/get/:movie\_id.flv’ and in your controller retrieve :movie\_id with params[:movie\_id] ## Regards, Rimantas [http://rimantas.com/](http://rimantas.com/) ---
**Author:** ![ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ramontayag)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2007, 9:44am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/variables-in-routes-rb/87267/3 "2007-03-02T09:44:50Z")
It seems the problem was in the way the server would send the file to client. We used to use generate\_file but it didn’t work. I thought the problem lay in the fact that there was no extension. We played around with it a bit more and tried send\_file and the Flash player could read it just fine. Thanks Rimantas! On 3/2/07, Ramon Miguel M. Tayag [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Great, that sounds like it’ll do the job. > > Thanks - I’ll try it when I wake up tom! Will post here my progress. – Ramon Miguel M. Tayag ---
**Author:** ![ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ramontayag](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ramontayag)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/variables-in-routes-rb/87267/4 "2007-03-01T17:28:57Z")
Great, that sounds like it’ll do the job. Thanks - I’ll try it when I wake up tom! Will post here my progress. Thanks! On 3/1/07, Rimantas L. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > ## which should take care of your case - request to flv/get/30.flv will Rimantas > > [http://rimantas.com/](http://rimantas.com/) – Ramon Miguel M. Tayag