Message Block

Implements the common view pattern by which a list of messages are shown at the top, often a combination of flash messages and ActiveRecord validation issues on one or more models.

This allows for a nice, stylized block of messages at the top of the page with icons indicating what type of message it is (error, confirmation, warning, etc.)

This view helper acts as a replacement for error_messages_for by taking error messages from your models and combing them with flash messages (multiple types such as error, confirm, etc.) and outputting them to your view. This plugin comes with an example stylesheet and images.

Usage

Once you install this, you should now have a set of images at public/images/message_block and a basic stylesheet installed at public/stylesheets/message_block.css. First you’ll want to either reference this in your layout or copy the declarations to your main layout. Then you can use the helper <%= message_block %> as described below:

The first argument specifies a hash options:

• :on - specifies one or many model names for which to check error messages.

• :model_error_type - specifies the message type to use for validation errors; defaults to ‘error’

• :flash_types - specifies the keys to check in the flash hash. Messages will be grouped in ul lists according to this type. Defaults to: %w(back confirm error info warn)

• :html - Specifies HTML options for the containing div

• :id - Specifies ID of the containing div; defaults to ‘message_block’

• :class - Specifies class name of the containing div; defaults to nothing.

Example

Imagine you have a form for entering a user and a comment:

<%= message_block :on => [:user, :comment] %>

Imagine also you set these flash variables in the controller:

class CommentsController
  def create
    flash.now[:error] = "Error A"
    flash.now[:confirm] = "Confirmation A"  # Note you can use different types
    flash.now[:warn] = ["Warn A", "Warn B"]  # Can set to an array for multiple messages
  end
end

And let’s say that you want to show these messages but also show the validation issues given that both user and comment fail ActiveRecord validation:

<div id="message_block">
  <ul class="error">
    <li>Error A</li>
    <li>User first name is required.</li>
    <li>Comment contents is required.</li>
  </ul>
  <ul class="confirm">
    <li>Confirmation A</li>
  </ul>
  <ul class="warn">
    <li>Warn A</li>
    <li>Warn B</li>
  </ul>
</div>