Adding an onclick option to link_to method in rails? - ruby-on-rails

Question

I want to add an onclick option to link_to method for loading an modal dialog box...i am using rails version 2.3.8 and i searched on google and could not do it. Plz anybody help me?
My link_to method as follows.
<%= link_to 'All countries',{:controller=>'countries', :action=>'new'}, :remote => true %>

Answer 1

If you are using 2.3.8, you don't have :remote => true. You need to use link_to_remote if you are try to do an ajax action.
So it would look something like:
<%= link_to_remote 'All countries', :url => {:controller => 'countries', :action => 'new'}%>
<div id="populate_me"></div>
and your new method would have to handle the ajax request with something like
countries_controller.rb
def new
<do something>
render :update do |page|
page.replace_html 'populate_me', :partial => 'whatever'
end
end
UPDATED
If you want the onclick in addition to the ajax action, you can just pass it into the html options:
<%= link_to_remote 'All countries', :url => {:controller => 'countries', :action => 'new'}, :html => {:onclick => 'alert("some javascript executed before ajax")'} %>

Answer 2

You can add this to the link:
, :class => "pop light", :id => "modal_link"
Then, your JS shows something ilke this:
<script type="text/javascript">
$(document).ready(function() {
$('a.poplight[href^=#]').click(function() {
var popID = $(this).attr('rel'); //Get Popup Name
var popURL = $(this).attr('href'); //Get Popup href to define size
var query= popURL.split('?');
var dim= query[1].split('&');
var popWidth = dim[0].split('=')[1]; //Gets the first query string value
$('#' + popID).fadeIn().css({ 'width': Number( popWidth ) }).prepend('');
$('a.close').hide();
var popMargTop = ($('#' + popID).height() + 80) / 2;
var popMargLeft = ($('#' + popID).width() + 80) / 2;
$('#' + popID).css({
'margin-top' : -popMargTop,
'margin-left' : -popMargLeft
});
$('body').append('<div id="fade"></div>');
$('#fade').css({'filter' : 'alpha(opacity=80)'}).fadeIn();
return false;
});
$('a.close').live('click', function() {
$('#fade , .popup_block').fadeOut(function() {
$('#fade, a.close').remove();
});
return false;
});
$('#modal_link').click();
});
</script>