xhtml_content_type plugin for Rails

xhtml_content_type allows you to set the default MIME type for rendered .rhtml views to application/xhtml+xml if the client supports it, and only falling back to text/html for older clients.

For more information as to why this is good behavior, read this: http://hixie.ch/advocacy/xhtml

Installation

If your project is source-controlled by Subversion (which it should be, really), the easiest way to install this is via Rails’ plugin script:

  ./script/plugin install -x http://svn.codahale.com/xhtml_content_type

If you’re not using Subversion, or if you don’t want it adding svn:externals in your project, remove the -x switch:

  ./script/plugin install http://svn.codahale.com/xhtml_content_type

Alternatively, you can just check the trunk out from the repository, if you’re super-DIY.

  cd path_to_rails_app
  cd vendor/plugins
  svn co http://svn.codahale.com/xhtml_content_type

Usage

xhtml_content_type is super easy to use. Add the method sends_xhtml_with_correct_content_type to a specific controller, or to ApplicationController to make all controllers send XHTML properly:

  class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
    sends_xhtml_with_correct_content_type
  end

sends_xhtml_with_correct_content_type also accepts standard filter-style conditions, if you need them:

  class MySpecialController < ApplicationController
    sends_xhtml_with_correct_content_type :except => [:seriously_weird_action]
  end

  class MyOtherSpecialController < ApplicationController
    sends_xhtml_with_correct_content_type :only => [:the_only_regular_action]
  end

You can also explicitly specify an XHTML content type using this plugin:

  def xhtml_only_action
        render :content_type => :xhtml
  end

Owner: Coda Hale

Home: http://blog.codahale.com/2006/05/23/rails-plugin-xhtml_content_type/

Repository: http://svn.codahale.com/xhtml_content_type/

License: Rails' (MIT)

Category: View Extensions