Rails/JavaScript onclick send value through helper method, Ajax Request

Question

I have a Rails method that is converting a date input and returning a number. I spent a bit of time creating it so I'd like to keep using it. The data is not being stored. What I'd like to do is create a simple JS input to take the data and send it through the method.

So in essence my method is something like:

def date_converter(user_number)
 blah blah blah
 if blah < 2069
  error
 els if blah > 2069
  convert user_number.year
 else
  this number
 end
end

Then in my HTML I have a basic JS input:

<p> Enter in Date </p>
<input id="check_number">
<button type="button" onclick="numberFunction()">Submit</button>
<p id="demo"></p>

<script>
 function numberFunction() {
  var x, dispay_value;
  x = document.getElementById('check_number').value;
  document.getElementById('demo').innerHTML = display_value;
 }
</script>

So I would need to send x through the method and then send the result to the innerHTML. Using Ajax I updated my PostsController with the method but taking off the argument. I created a route:

post 'posts/date_converter' => 'posts#date_converter'

Then in my Post > Show I updated the script to have:

function numberFunction() {
 user_number = $('check_number').val();
 $.ajax({
     url: 'week_date',
     type: 'GET',
     dataType: 'html',
     data: {
         number: user_number,
     }
 }).done(function(res) {
     $('#demo').html(res);
 });
}

I end up with

ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound (Couldn't find Post with 'id'=date_converter):

I thought it might be a route issue using Post so I tried with Get. Same issue. Attempted putting it in it's own partial and rendering the partial on the Post > Show and same issue.

Edit: So I made some additional changes. I kept the route as a get. Added to the ajax request:

beforeSend: function(xhr) {xhr.setRequestHeader('X-CSRF-Token', $('meta[name="csrf-token"]').attr('content'))}

I updated the controller to pull in the current post (@post = Post.find(params[:id])), even though I'd rather not tie it to a current post, and then updated the route to be:

get '/posts/:id/week_date' => 'posts#week_date'

So when I run it I get:

ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound (Couldn't find Post with 'id'=posts)

If I change it the ajax request to a specific url like:

url: '1/date_converter'

Which is not what I want, I end up with

NameError (undefined local variable or method `user_number'

So to sum up, if I use a specific ID in my ajax request - which is against what I'm wanting, then it's not even passing the value into the local variable.

Answer 1

You should be use ajax

Move function 'date_converter' to your controller

def date_converter
  number = params[:number]
  blah blah blah
  if blah < 2069
   error
  els if blah > 2069
   convert
  else
   this number
  end
end

Then, define date_converter path and get action from rails routes(example equal: users/date_converter) and create ajax to your js

function numberFunction() {
  dispay_value = $('check_number').val();
  $.ajax({
      url: 'users/date_converter',
      type: 'GET',
      dataType: 'html',
      data: {
          number: dispay_value,
      }
  }).done(function(res) {
      $('#demo').html(res);
  });
}