Partial doesn't yet have object

- I'm building an store app that include a product catalog, details page, and cart. - I'm attempting to put them in the same layout using partials. - Product catalog is the index action of the store controller - I can get the cart on the page by adding @cart = find_cart to the "def index" block. If there's not a cart already, find_cart creates one

I can't get the details view to be on the index page layout. I need @product for the details view but I can't just add "@product = Product.find(params[:id]) to the "def index" block because the I'll get a RecordNotFound as there's not a product selected intially.

What should I do to get around this problem?

And while I'm at it, whats a better way to say "the 'def index' block"?

Thanks!

I'm not sure I 100% understand the problem, but here is a couple of solutions

Conditionally check if you have params[:id] set before calling Product.find to avoid generating the error? @product= Product.find(params[:id]) unless params[:id].nil?

Or do a find(:all) so it returns an empty result set, that opens you up to having multiple products returned though which you probably wouldn't want: @products = Product.find(:all, :conditions=>['id=?,params[:id]])

As for def index, maybe just the index action? Not sure what the common practice is here myself.

Ok, that makes sense and what I was actually thinking initally, but it doesn't really help me because of this:

Clicking on the product in the catalog invokes the "view_details" action, which is fine if it not a partial (i.e. path in the browser is /store/view_details/5). The problem is, according to my understanding so far of partials, the action in "view_details" must "redirect_to :action => :index". Because of that redirect, it appears as though the selection doesn't persist and therefore my "view_details" (i.e. the currently selected item) never displays.

So I'm starting to think that I have to store the current product selected in the session by way of something like a "Basket" (more temporary than a cart? good names are welcome) model.

Does that makes sense? Or is there a better way to make my selection persist so I can display the catalog, deatails and cart all on the same page?

glenn wrote: