# What are these called?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-are-these-called/110091>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [July 23, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-are-these-called/110091 "2007-07-23T00:47:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xyzt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/839c29/32.png) [@xyzt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/xyzt)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-are-these-called/110091/1 "2007-07-23T00:47:49Z")

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Hello,

I’ve looking at a tutorial in a web page and i saw a sample:

def logout  
session[:user] = nil  
redirect\_to :controller =\> :user, :action =\> :index  
end

def register  
if request.post?  
@user = User.new(params[:user])  
if @user.save  
redirect\_to :action =\> :account\_creation\_success, :id =\> @user  
end  
end  
end

i want to learn the names of these to search and learn about them?

```
    ":index" and ":account_creation_success"

```

what are they called?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xyzt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/839c29/32.png) [@xyzt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/xyzt)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 9:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-are-these-called/110091/2 "2007-07-23T09:20:54Z")

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:index and :whatever are called symbols.

The Pickaxe book discusses there in depth.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xyzt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/839c29/32.png) [@xyzt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/xyzt)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/what-are-these-called/110091/3 "2007-07-26T00:46:22Z")

</div>

This code might not work. These are just symbols, but Rails has  
always insisted on strings for controller and action names.