I'm looking for something similar to the "echo" PHP function for ruby. in some situation I don't like to write code like this:
I'm not sure you can. Have a look at: ActionView::Base
This isn't really a huge problem though as most logic should be kept out of the templates. You can also use inline conditions for cleaner code:
<%= "My Stuff" if my_condition %>
This method can be used to render parts of the page based on controller determined logic:
<%= render(:partial => "user/dashboard") if @show_dashboard %>
Hope that helps,
Steve