From: Giles Bowkett <gilesb@...>
Date: 2006-11-01T15:45:10+09:00
Subject: Re: still more relentless non-repetition

OK. here's what I have.

  def index
    @term = params[:term] || ''
    @category = params[:category] || ''
    if not %w{ Track Beat User Profile }.include? @category
      redirect_to "/"
    else
      instance_variable_set("@#{@category.downcase.pluralize}",
                            (@category.constantize.find_by_contents @term))
    end
  end

index view:

<%= render_partial @category.downcase.pluralize %>

<%= render_partial "options" %>

options partial:

<% for word in %w{ tracks beats users profiles } %>

  <% if eval("@#{word}").nil? %>
    <%= link_to "search similar #{word}",
                :action => "index",
                :term => @term,
                :category => word.capitalize.singularize %>
    <br/>
  <% end %>

<% end %>





the code in the model-specific partials is design-specific, but it
picks up the instance vars, which is all that matters in this context.

obviously I am using eval and instance_variable_set in ways I'm not
supposed to, but in both cases they're filtered in such a way as to
prevent harm.

actually, if that still seems risky to anybody, I would like to know.
I think it's probably OK but I could easily be guilty of
overconfidence.

I don't like all the upcasing and downcasing. it's not as elegant as
it could be.

what I do like about it is that it generates a lot of HTML without
very much Ruby at all. that's pretty good bang for the buck. in one
short method and two quick partials, you have all the code necessary
to generate four different types of model-specific search pages, plus
links for searching different models with the same query.

obviously the array of words could be an instance var, and could be
aribtrarily large, but only if I fixed the upcasing and downcasing.

-- 
Giles Bowkett
http://www.gilesgoatboy.org