Pass id to new create form (but not through URL) - rails - ruby-on-rails

I used the following advice to set up new_invoice_path in my app:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/14570788
How can I (using the outlined scenario in the question/answer I linked to above) make it so that when a user clicks a link to create a new invoice for a specific account the account_id passes to the form but does not show up in the URL?
I view the current solution (pass account_id to form via URL) as problematic because...
Someone could easily modify the URL and start creating invoices in different accounts.
It looks sloppy (especially if you start trying to pass things other than just account_id)

Related

Rails 5 access profile data anywhere in session without querying database each time

I've a user profile (with name, logo, about_me) which is created after user creation(using Devise). Profile table uses user_id as Primary key.
Now I want that whenever the user creates/updates a post, while filling in form some details are taken from profile, so profile data or #profile be available in post form as I cannot expose my model in form.
To set post.myname attribute in create and #update I'm doing this:
#myprofile = Profile.find_by_user_id(current_user)
write_attribute(:myname, #myprofile.name)
I read from various sources but what's the best solution of the 4 given and if anyone can back with easy code as I do not want to do something extensive? Thanks in advance.
1)Form Hidden fields - Like get the profile data as above in hash in #edit and then pass through form and access fields in #update but that way we will pass each field separately. Can one #myprofile be passed?
2)Session - I feel if profile data is stored in a session and someone updates profile then updated data won't be available in that session.So not sure if it is plausible.
3)Caching - easy way to do that?
4)polymorphic profile---tried it but I didnot get relevant example. I was stuck with what to put as profileable id and type and how to use them in the code.
If your Profile and User models have a one-to-one relationship with each other, the simplest solution is to remove the Profile model altogether and move its fields into the User model.
Devise already queries the database to obtain the current_user object. So, your example would like this:
write_attribute(:myname, current_user.name)
Which wouldn't hit the database (after Devise has retrieved the current_user object).
If you're forced to keep the Profile model, in looking at your four scenarios ...
You could use a session variable. Something like:
session[:profile_name] ||= #myprofile.name
This would go in a controller action.
The trick here is that you will want to redefine the each relevant session variable if the profile gets updated. And because you don't have access to the session in the model, you'd be best to perform that action in the controller. So, not pretty, but it could work.
You could also use low-level caching, and save the profile relationship on the user. In general, you could have a method like this in your user model:
def profile_cached
Rails.cache.fetch(['Profile', profile.id]) do
profile
end
end
Here, too, you will have to know when to expire the cache. The benefit of this approach is that you can put this code in the model, which means you can hook its expiration in a callback.
Read more about this in Caching with Rails.
I would avoid hidden fields and I'm not sure how a polymorphic relationship would solve you not hitting the database. So, #2 and #3 are options, but if you can combine the two models into one, that should simplify it.

Generating secret URLs for a resource in rails

I've created a task management app that consists of lists and tasks. Users can only view their own lists and tasks. I would like to add the ability for a user to share a list if they like. Here are the steps I would like to accomplish:
User clicks a link from /list/show to share the list
User receives a secret URL to share: myapp.com/lists/1/23534512345234523 or whatever.
Secret URL redirects to a view other than /lists/show. Something like /lists/1/23534512345234523 which would be routed to /lists/secret_show or whatev.
Only users who have that url can see the information on that page.
Hope that is making sense. I imagine I would have to update the list record with a unique token to list.token. Then I would some how have to recieve the incoming URL and through a new action
lists#secret_share
def secret_share
...
end
Where I filtered for the list record by list.token and routed to secret_share. Then perhaps in the view I could simply restrict the view by the presence of the token in the URL.
Thoughts?
Whatever "secret URL" you hand out should not redirect to the real URL or you're going to create all kinds of opportunities for information leakage. It should be a strictly alternate URL.
Using routing for this seems like a good idea instead of using a separate controller. In your route you might want to pass an additional parameter to indicate this is a "secret" URL, like :secret => true where the value in question is something that cannot be submitted by the user to fake things out. User parameters are always strings, for instance, so using true should be a safe alternative.
This special parameter might disable access checking on your controller so that the page can be viewed by people that don't normally have access. You could also show a different layout using the layout method in your controller.

Ruby on Rails - Adding a second (extremely) simple Auth layer in app

Once a user logs into their account, they are presented with a list of 'Employees'.
As of right now, when you click an employee, it takes the user to the 'show' page of that specific employee, however I want to add a 'pin-protected' aspect to that list before it renders the show page.
I want to add a simple layer of authentication that would go like this:
When a user clicks their name on a list, a text-field appears that asks for the selected employee's pin.
The user types in the pin. On submit, it compares the inputted pin against the 'pin' column for that employees' record. If it's correct it grants access to the selected employee's show page.
Is this something that is easily done in RoR? This is the first real app I have worked on, so I am having trouble wrapping my mind around a couple concepts like these.
Thanks so much!
Take a look at devise, it's most definitely your best bet for Ruby on Rails 3 authentication layer.
You're best bet if you just want to add a little functionality to your existing model class would be to add a method along the lines of:
def validate_pin(pin_to_check)
self.pin == pin_to_check
end
And then you just need to modify your employee controller so that show method checks to see if the pin has been provided (ideally via a session variable), otherwise redirect and request the pin with an additional method and route Employee#request_pin in the controller which asks the user to enter the pin, on success redirecting to the Employee#show route.
Session handling in the controller
To write the session variable, you'd need an Employee#check_pin method (as a POST route) and you'd just use the code:
session[:pin_valid] = true
Then you'd check session[:pin_valid] in your Employee#show method

Referral program - cookies and more (Rails)

I'm building a referral program for my Ruby on Rails app, such that a user can share a link that contains their user ID (app.com/?r=ID). If a referrer ID is present when a visitor lands on app's homepage, the signup form on the homepage contains a hidden field that populates with the referrer's ID. The controller then detects the ID and creates a new referral in a referral table if the referred visitor signs up. It works, and here's that chunk of code:
#referrer = User.find(params[:r]) rescue nil
unless #referrer.nil?
#referral = Referral.new(:referrer_id=>#referrer.id)
end
Pretty simple stuff, but it's pretty easy to break (ex: if visitor navigates away from the homepage, referrer ID is lost). I feel like cookies could be a more robust method, where a cookie containing the referrer's ID is stored on the referred user's computer for x days. This is pretty commonplace, especially with affiliate programs like Groupon, but I have never worked with cookies and have no idea where to start.
Also, is there any good way to mask or change the URLs of the referral system? Instead of having app.com/?r=1842, I would prefer something like app.com/x39f3 <- a randomly generated sequence of numbers associated with a given user, without the ?r= portion.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
To answer the cookie question, it's quite easy to set them:
cookies['app-referrer-id'] = params[:r]
And then it's the same format to read them back (but without the assignment). I would suggest putting this code in a before_filter in your application controller. This way, the cookie will be set irrespective of the page on which your visitor first lands on your site.
With regards to changing the structure of the urls to the suggested format, you would need to have the referral codes match a specific pattern, otherwise you are likely to run into routing problems. If, for example, they matched the format of 3 letters followed by three numbers, you could put the following your routes file:
match '/:referrer_id' => 'app#index', :constraints => {:referrer_id => /[a-zA-Z]{3}[0-9]{3}/}
The reference to app#index should be changed to the controller in which you handle referrals and you can access the referrer_id through params[:referrer_id].
Hope this is of some use.
Robin

Braintree "shopping cart"-like implementation in rails app / finding previous params[:id]?

I'm trying to integrate Braintree into my rails app which already has a deposits controller, model, and view. Right now basically you can specify an amount but I have its status set to "Pending". I would like it so that the user can make such a deposit but then pay for it at any time using Braintree (ala shopping cart). Would I have to create another controller and/or model to do this? (For example all the Braintree examples I've seen want the payment immediately).
Specifically, I've been trying to just work with the 'deposits' I already have. I put the form for the user's name, credit card info, etc. on the deposits "show" page and a confirm button. This seems to work fine if all fields satisfy validation, however it doesn't when there is an error and renders the show page again.
In DepositsController.rb:
def confirm
#deposit = Deposit.find(params[:id])
#result = Braintree::TransparentRedirect.confirm(request.query_string)
if #result.success?
render :action => "confirm"
else
render :action => "show"
end
end
The problem is that :id now is the Braintree transaction ID, rather than the deposits id (primary key). So of course Deposit.find(params[:id]) can't be found.
What is the best way to implement this? Should I store the previous id somehow or get it another way? Should I be using another controller? Thanks!
Short answer is you should be using a Cart model, connected to this Deposit model from what i can gather here. Based on other questions, however, that feeling could change.
So, solely based on what you wrote above:
If we follow a RESTful approach, you should be creating a Deposit#new for all new deposits.
In your Deposit#create, you would then put all of your logic into the deposit.rb model file. this logic includes, going to Braintree and such.
You say you are working with the deposits you already have, in that case, they should be handled in the Deposit#edit method.
Further questions I would ask of you in this regard, are you using ActiveMerchant? If not, why not?

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