Is it possible to update a Rails element using an AJAX request?

Question

Is it possible to update a Rails element using an AJAX request?

I've delved into a plethora of information regarding Rails, AJAX, and 5.1 Unobtrusive Javascript. It provides insight on how to handle AJAX calls in Rails with a .js file, for example.

However, my goal isn't to serve up an entire .js file; rather, I aim to update an element after a <% link_to %> POST request. As far as I understand, setting remote: true submits it as an AJAX request.

Essentially, I have a "Post" that users can like by clicking a Like button. This triggers a POST request to the "Post" controller, which then updates the post as liked and adds a like to it.

Unfortunately, to witness the effects of liking the post (which simply changes the color of the link and the font-awesome icon), one must refresh the page. My aim is to have these updates occur without requiring a page refresh.

After some research, I believe I need to use respond do and respond via a .js file to properly handle the request with a given view to be updated (for instance, if the controller action is named "like", maybe a like.js.erb file would be used for updating?). However, I wish to avoid serving an entirely new page or only run the .js file?

Subsequently, I could potentially utilize something like

$('i.fa-icon#id').style.color = "blue"

or similar? (I assume data can be transmitted from the controller to the .js.erb file?). I am uncertain about the best approach for this, as Rails elements often feature some sort of data-attribute or something akin to that (given my status as a beginner).

javascript ruby-on-rails ajax

Answer 1

Answer №1

Indeed, your explanation is spot on! Contrary to the previous response, an event listener is not necessary. However, if you prefer having a respond_to in the controller, then you can start with the following HTML snippet:

# post/index.html.erb
<div id="like-button">
  <%= button_to "Like this post", post_path(@post), remote: true %>
</div>

Remember that using the button_to helper will automatically create a POST request.

When this button is clicked, it will trigger the controller#update, which should be updated as follows:

#posts_controller.rb
...
def update
  @post.save
    respond_to do |format|
      format.html { redirect_to post_path(@post) } 
      format.js  # <-- will render `app/views/posts/update.js.erb`
    end
end

Note: If JavaScript is disabled, the format.html will be rendered. However, with JS enabled, the app/views/posts/update.js.erb file will execute. Here's an example of its content:

const likeButton = document.getElementById('like-button');
likeButton.innerHTML = '<%= j render "posts/liked-link", post: @post %>';

The last line replaces the inner HTML of the like button. Additionally, you can create a new partial to further customize the appearance:

# app/views/posts/liked_link.html.erb
<div id="like-button ">
 <p>"You liked this post!" </p>
</div>

In my modification, I changed the element from a link/button to a paragraph, but feel free to adjust it as needed.

I hope this clarifies things for you :)

Answer 2

Indeed, your explanation is spot on! Contrary to the previous response, an event listener is not necessary. However, if you prefer having a respond_to in the controller, then you can start with the following HTML snippet:

# post/index.html.erb
<div id="like-button">
  <%= button_to "Like this post", post_path(@post), remote: true %>
</div>

Remember that using the button_to helper will automatically create a POST request.

When this button is clicked, it will trigger the controller#update, which should be updated as follows:

#posts_controller.rb
...
def update
  @post.save
    respond_to do |format|
      format.html { redirect_to post_path(@post) } 
      format.js  # <-- will render `app/views/posts/update.js.erb`
    end
end

Note: If JavaScript is disabled, the format.html will be rendered. However, with JS enabled, the app/views/posts/update.js.erb file will execute. Here's an example of its content:

const likeButton = document.getElementById('like-button');
likeButton.innerHTML = '<%= j render "posts/liked-link", post: @post %>';

The last line replaces the inner HTML of the like button. Additionally, you can create a new partial to further customize the appearance:

# app/views/posts/liked_link.html.erb
<div id="like-button ">
 <p>"You liked this post!" </p>
</div>

In my modification, I changed the element from a link/button to a paragraph, but feel free to adjust it as needed.

I hope this clarifies things for you :)

Answer 3

Answer №2

Not quite sure if I grasp the query, but in case you aim to modify the like button:

To achieve this, you need to attach an event listener to the button. When it's clicked, a POST request should be sent to the appropriate route that deals with likes (along with the necessary parameters). Your controller should then respond by returning the like object (or data stored in the database). Upon successful post request, use the 'success' method to retrieve the like button and alter its appearance as desired.

$(“#like-btn”).click(function(){ 
Rails.ajax({
  url: "/some/url/to/like/controller",
  type: "post",
  data: [your post data],
  success: function(data) { $(`#${ data[“btn-name”] }`).attr(“color”, “blue”; }
})    
}

You can insert this script directly at the bottom of your HTML page.

You're not obligated to follow these exact steps, they are just meant to give you a general idea on how to structure the process using JavaScript and Ajax for handling post requests and updating the frontend, rather than relying solely on HTML buttons.

Answer 4

Not quite sure if I grasp the query, but in case you aim to modify the like button:

To achieve this, you need to attach an event listener to the button. When it's clicked, a POST request should be sent to the appropriate route that deals with likes (along with the necessary parameters). Your controller should then respond by returning the like object (or data stored in the database). Upon successful post request, use the 'success' method to retrieve the like button and alter its appearance as desired.

$(“#like-btn”).click(function(){ 
Rails.ajax({
  url: "/some/url/to/like/controller",
  type: "post",
  data: [your post data],
  success: function(data) { $(`#${ data[“btn-name”] }`).attr(“color”, “blue”; }
})    
}

You can insert this script directly at the bottom of your HTML page.

You're not obligated to follow these exact steps, they are just meant to give you a general idea on how to structure the process using JavaScript and Ajax for handling post requests and updating the frontend, rather than relying solely on HTML buttons.

Is it possible to update a Rails element using an AJAX request?

Answer №1

Answer №2

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