After researching numerous articles on this topic, I find myself more confused than enlightened. The various approaches to the same task in Rails have left me feeling overwhelmed.
The traditional method of handling AJAX calls involves:
- JavaScript listening for a specific event.
- When the event occurs (e.g., a button click), JavaScript initiates an AJAX call, and the success or error response is managed within that call.
However, attempting to implement this in Rails 5 presents challenges, particularly when it comes to passing data from the controller to JavaScript.
Within the controller:
class SomeController < ApplicationController
def show
end
def foo
@result = 'Hello World'
respond_to do |format|
format.js {@result}
end
end
In the view, I have a form with remote: true, which triggers an AJAX request to the 'foo' action in the controller:
=form_tag url_for(action: 'foo'), remote: true, id: 'element-form' do
=some input ....
=some input ...
For the JavaScript in foo.js.erb located in /views/some/foo.js.erb:
$('#element-form').on ('ajax:complete', doSomething)
function doSomething(event, data) {
console.log(data) // prints undefined
}
$('#element-form').on ('ajax:error', doSomethingElse)
function doSomethingElse(event, data) {
console.log(data) // prints undefined
}
- I am struggling with accessing the data from the controller in the AJAX onsuccess function. What might I be doing wrong?
- I feel uneasy about using the *.js.erb file as it seems to blend views and JavaScript. Is there a better way to handle AJAX calls in Rails without relying on *.js.erb?
- Is there a way to pass controller data to JavaScript files for handling AJAX responses without using *.js.erb?
- How can I define separate success and error handlers for AJAX responses in Rails without resorting to manual code declarations?
When inspecting the AJAX call in the browser, I receive a valid response containing the JavaScript defined in the foo.js.erb file.
My primary issue lies not in specific code snippets but in grasping the interconnection of all components. I struggle to comprehend the data flow and request response cycle involved in making AJAX requests within a Rails 5 environment. Any recommended resources on this subject would be greatly appreciated.