Rails+Ajax how to auto update information with out user intervention?

Hi, all the examples I find of ajax on rails are mostly the same, user clicks on link or button and ajax runs.. but what about if ajax starts when the page loads the first time and keeps running? for example to have a clock in reality what I need is to check the number of online users I have in an application and to show this value on the page with out a need to reload..

Any place with a good example on how to do this? or a tip or something? Thanks

periodically_call_remote

http://api.rubyonrails.com/classes/ActionView/Helpers/PrototypeHelper.html#M000959

Greg Donald wrote:

  

Hi, all the examples I find of ajax on rails are mostly the same, user clicks on link or button and ajax runs.. but what about if ajax starts when the page loads the first time and keeps running? for example to have a clock in reality what I need is to check the number of online users I have in an application and to show this value on the page with out a need to reload..

Any place with a good example on how to do this? or a tip or something? Thanks      periodically_call_remote

Peak Obsession

Hi thanks for the link.. but there is calling a url I need to call the variable or a method now I have something like this in views: Current online users: <b>1<%= @online %></b> and my method in my controller:

class StatusController < ApplicationController def currently_online         @online = Status.count_by_sql "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM status WHERE status = 'online';" end

so I have the info I need auto updated on a variable @online

First off that method probably belongs in the Status class. Secondly I think you're making this more complicated than it is. All you need is a controller than can generated the appropriae bit of output (ie <b>1<%= @online %></b>). Make sure that that is easily indentifiable in your html (eg <div id="onlineusers">...</div>) then call periodically_update_remote, telling it to update the onlineusers div.

Fred

Frederick Cheung escribió:

  

Hi thanks for the link.. but there is calling a url I need to call the variable or a method now I have something like this in views: Current online users: <b>1<%= @online %></b> and my method in my controller:

class StatusController < ApplicationController def currently_online        @online = Status.count_by_sql "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM status WHERE status = 'online';" end

so I have the info I need auto updated on a variable @online      First off that method probably belongs in the Status class. Secondly I think you're making this more complicated than it is. All you need is a controller than can generated the appropriae bit of output (ie <b>1< %= @online %></b>). Make sure that that is easily indentifiable in your html (eg <div id="onlineusers">...</div>) then call periodically_update_remote, telling it to update the onlineusers div.

Fred

Hi Fred, I had it in the status class but then I had a problem because were in the view I have this is in the application layout view, someone told me to put it on this controller and to pass a before filter, that works fine at least as a non-ajax solution. yes yes of course I need to add divisions <div> etc and update that part is clear, but what do I call from periodically_update_remote in the action? the method? or the variable? as you saw before my method does not print anything just puts the right info into a variable.

Thanks. .

Hi Fred, I had it in the status class but then I had a problem because were in the view I have this is in the application layout view, someone told me to put it on this controller and to pass a before filter, that works fine at least as a non-ajax solution.

You need to set @online in the controller. What I mean was have a Status.count_online method, which a model thing ( and by the way I'd probably use Status.count :all, :conditions => ["status = 'online'"] rather than count by sql.

yes yes of course I need to add divisions <div> etc and update that part is clear, but what do I call from periodically_update_remote in the action? the method? or the variable? as you saw before my method does not print anything just puts the right info into a variable.

periodically_update_remote makes ajax requests. The only thing it can call is an action (which should output an appropriate bit of html).

Fred

I remember the dialog. What Fred is suggesting is what was recommended previously. I think the fragmented nature of the conversation jumbled the puzzle but all the pieces were there.