Compile error question on a login.rhtml file (text included)

rubyonrails-talk
1

I am working my way through the January 2007 edition of "Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications" by Patrick Lenz. The application in the book is a clone of digg.com and I am halfway through the book with no problems.

I am now working on the user authentication portion, and I am getting a compile error with the following 12 line file (typed exactly as printed in the book):

<% form_tag do %>   <p>Please log in.</p>   <p>     <label>Username:</label>     <%= text_field_tag 'login' %>   </p>   <p>     <label>Password:</label>     <%= password_field_tag 'password' %>   </p>   <p><%= submit_tag 'login' %></p> <% end_form %>

The compile error is:

compile error C:/CONDUC~1/rails_apps/shovell/config/../app/views/account/login.rhtml: 13: parse error, unexpected $, expecting kEND

Extracted source (around line #13):

10: </p> 11: <p><%= submit_tag 'login' %></p> 12: <% end_form %>

My application's environment is:

Ruby version 1.8.5 (i386-mswin32) RubyGems version 0.9.2 Rails version 1.2.3 Active Record version 1.15.3 Action Pack version 1.13.3 Action Web Service version 1.2.3 Action Mailer version 1.3.3 Active Support version 1.4.2 Application root C:/CONDUC~1/rails_apps/shovell Environment development Database adapter mysql Database schema version 4

I suspect that I have a typo somewhere, but I need a fresh set of eyes to review what I have typed to uncover it. I realize that there might be a version differential between what I have installed on my laptop and the version used in the book (Ruby 1.8.4, Rails 1.2 Release Candidate 2, MySQL General Release 5.0.27).

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

John

2

You have two different approaches to building form mixed up here. If you’re starting a form with

<% form_tag do %>

then you need

<% end %>

to match the ‘do’. (everything between them is considered a block. So your form should be:

<% form_tag do %>

Please log in.

Username:

<%= text_field_tag ‘login’ %>

Password:

<%= password_field_tag ‘password’ %>

<%= submit_tag 'login' %>

<% end %>

For more, look at the form_tag API documentation at:

http://rails.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers/FormTagHelper.html#M000601

James.

3

You have two different approaches to building form mixed up here. If you're starting a form with

<% form_tag do %>

then you need

<% end %>

to match the 'do'. (everything between them is considered a block. So your form should be:

<% form_tag do %>    <p>Please log in.</p>    <p>      <label>Username:</label>      <%= text_field_tag 'login' %>    </p>    <p>      <label>Password:</label>      <%= password_field_tag 'password' %>    </p>    <p><%= submit_tag 'login' %></p> <% end %>

For more, look at the form_tag API documentation at:

http://rails.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers/ FormTagHelper.html#M000601

James.

-- James Stewart Play:http://james.anthropiccollective.org Work:Processing Greenbelt 2009 – James Stewart

James,

Thank you for clarifying that point and providing the online reference resource as well! I made the change and it worked instantly. This is my first efforts at Ruby on Rails (and programming in general) with a mountain of things to learn. I hope to arrive at a point of proficiency where I can contribute similar guidance to another newbie in the near future.

Thanks again!

John