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path: root/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/capture_helper.rb
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module ActionView
  module Helpers
    # Capture lets you extract parts of code into instance variables which
    # can be used in other points of the template or even layout file.
    #
    # == Capturing a block into an instance variable
    #
    #   <% @script = capture do %>
    #     [some html...]
    #   <% end %>
    #  
    #
    # == Add javascript to header using content_for
    #
    # content_for("name") is a wrapper for capture which will store the 
    # fragment in a instance variable similar to @content_for_layout.
    #
    # layout.rhtml:
    #
    #   <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
    #   <head>
    #	    <title>layout with js</title>
    #	    <script type="text/javascript">
    #	    <%= @content_for_script %>
    #   	</script>
    #   </head>
    #   <body>
    #     <%= @content_for_layout %>
    #   </body>
    #   </html>
    #
    # view.rhtml
    #   
    #   This page shows an alert box!
    #
    #   <% content_for("script") do %>
    #     alert('hello world')
    #   <% end %>
    #
    #   Normal view text
    module CaptureHelper
      # Capture allows you to extract a part of the template into an 
      # instance variable. You can use this instance variable anywhere
      # in your templates and even in your layout. 
      # 
      # Example:
      # 
      #   <% @greeting = capture do %>
      #     Welcome To my shiny new web page!
      #   <% end %>      
      def capture(&block)
        # execute the block
        buffer = eval("_erbout", block.binding)
        pos = buffer.length
        block.call
        
        # extract the block 
        data = buffer[pos..-1]
        
        # replace it in the original with empty string
        buffer[pos..-1] = ''
        
        data
      end
      
      # Content_for will store the given block
      # in an instance variable for later use in another template
      # or in the layout. 
      # 
      # The name of the instance variable is content_for_<name> 
      # to stay consistent with @content_for_layout which is used 
      # by ActionView's layouts
      # 
      # Example:
      # 
      #   <% content_for("header") do %>
      #     alert('hello world')
      #   <% end %>
      #
      # You can use @content_for_header anywhere in your templates
      def content_for(name, &block)                      
        base = controller.instance_variable_get(instance_var_name(name)) || ""
        data = capture(&block)
        controller.instance_variable_set(instance_var_name(name), base + data)
        data
      end
      
      private
      
        def instance_var_name(name) #:nodoc#
          "@content_for_#{name}"
        end
    end
  end
end