Automatically include controller/action-specific javascript files

javascript_auto_include provides basic helper methods for automatically including javascript files into your Rails 3 templates, based on a controller/action pattern. I found this to be a convenient way of avoiding countless content_fors in your views when trying to keep your javascripts unobtrusive.

Install

Should be as easy as:

$ gem install javascript_auto_include

Or in your Gemfile:

$ gem 'javascript_auto_include' 

Usage

javascript_auto_include_tag

Basic

<%= javascript_auto_include_tag :defaults %>

... will insert the default javascripts (just like javascript_include_tag) and also look for an action-specifc javascript file at public/javascripts/:controller/:action.js. If it exists, it will be included as well.

Custom pattern

<%= javascript_auto_include_tag :defaults, :pattern => ':controller_:action.js' %>

... will work just like shown above but alter the search path according to the supplied pattern: public/javascripts/:controller_:action.js (e.g. public/javascripts/album_new.js)

javascript_auto_include

Basic

<%= javascript_auto_include :defaults %>

... will insert the default javascripts (just like javascript_include_tag) and also look for an action-specifc javascript file at public/javascripts/:controller/:action.js. If it exists, it will be included as well.

In addition to what +javascript_auto_include_tag+ does it will also scan the sourc files' header and include those files name there as well. For that to happen your js-file's header should look something like this:

/*
 * [...]
 *
 * Depends:
 *   jquery.ui.core.js
 *  jquery.ui.mouse.js
 *  jquery.ui.widget.js
 */

For erformance reasons all dependencies identified will be stored in the config/dependencies directory of your ::Rails.root. In production environments javascript_auto_include will automatically pick minified versions if they exist (e.g. use jquery.ui.core.min.js instead of jquery.ui.core.js)

Custom pattern

<%= javascript_auto_include :defaults, :pattern => ':controller_:action.js' %>

... will work just like shown above but alter the search path according to the supplied pattern: public/javascripts/:controller_:action.js (e.g. public/javascripts/album_new.js)

Forcing re-scan

<%= javascript_auto_include :defaults, :force => true %>

... will force +javascript_auto_include+ to parse the javascript headers again even if dependencies exists in config/depdencies/jquery.ui.core.yml)

Compatibility

Both use Rails' javascript_include_tag helper and pass on all options (:concat, :cache, ...) and keys (:defaults, :all, ...) supplied.

TODO

Right now it does what I want it to. But you decide. Go fork!

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2011 Ulf Möhring hello@ulfmoehring.net. See LICENSE.txt for further details.