Rails instantiation of a controller's object...

[Skyblaze]

Is a controller's object instantiated by rails on every page/action request (so on every action that old controller's object is deleted form memory) or there is one instance of that controller only once in the first request of any page/action of that particular controller?
If it is the latter we can place code that set any particular variable that we want to use on any action in a before filter right? So that variable isn't lost on subsequent different action requests. Is that right?

That is also why in the sitepoint's rails book on chapter 8 in the login system when the user logs out it is deleted the session variable associated with the user_id with also the instance variable setted in a before filter with a user object.

[Fenrir2]

You cannot do this. The web server can run many Rails requests at once, (possibly spread across multiple computers). The session is different: it's stored in the database or in a file (or somewhere else), and it's reloaded on every request. It's also user-specific.

[Skyblaze]

You cannot do this. The web server can run many Rails requests at once, (possibly spread across multiple computers). The session is different: it's stored in the database or in a file (or somewhere else), and it's reloaded on every request. It's also user-specific.

i'm not talking about sessions ...where did i mention sessions?

anyway the controller's object is instantied on every request right? so when it is reinstantied all variables are reset so why in the login system we manually need to assign nil to a variable that has been set to the user object in a before method in application.rb?

[Fenrir2]

i'm not talking about sessions ...where did i mention sessions?

...

That is also why in the sitepoint's rails book on chapter 8 in the login system when the user logs out it is deleted the session variable associated with the user_id with also the instance variable setted in a before filter with a user object.

;-)

anyway the controller's object is instantied on every request right? so when it is reinstantied all variables are reset so why in the login system we manually need to assign nil to a variable that has been set to the user object in a before method in application.rb?

True. If it's an @var variable you don't need to assign nil to it. BUT, maybe there is an after filter that stores the @user object in the session?

[Skyblaze]

...


;-)



True. If it's an @var variable you don't need to assign nil to it. BUT, maybe there is an after filter that stores the @user object in the session?

no, it is an instance variable declared and assigned in a before method in application.rb and it is assigned only if it is found a session variable that contains the user id logged in so any next request of a user not logged in (or the same user that logged out) doesn't have that instance variable 'cause the session variable isn't found.....so i don't understand wht to bother to assign it a nil value when the user logs out and the session variable is set to nil.

here is the code with the instance variable @current_user:

def fetch_logged_in_user
    return if session[:user_id].blank?
    @current_user = User.find_by_id(session[:user_id])
  end

...and when the user logs out the session variable session[:user_id] is set to nil:

def logout
    session[:user_id] = @current_user = nil    
  end

[Fenrir2]

Well, if the method doesn't redirect, maybe @current_user should be nil for the template?

Try to remove @current_user from the logout method and run your unit tests (if you have any) or test the application trough your browser. I think you can safely remove this variable, but you have to test to be sure.

[Skyblaze]

Well, if the method doesn't redirect, maybe @current_user should be nil for the template?

Try to remove @current_user from the logout method and run your unit tests (if you have any) or test the application trough your browser. I think you can safely remove this variable, but you have to test to be sure.

yes maybe it is so 'cause the before filter above is executed also before the logout action and sets that user instance variable so for the logout template we need to reset it to nil.....