learn-co-students / js-rails-as-api-discussion-questions-mvc-render-dc-web-120919

Discussion Questions: MVC and Rails Render

Objectives

• Recall the MVC pattern from Rails
• Identify what render does in a Rails controller
• Implement controller actions that render different types

MVC Review Questions

Write your best answers to the following questions, then discuss with your group.

1. What is the Model responsible for in MVC? What about the Controller? The View?
2. Now that we are using JavaScript to build Single Page Applications, what changes do we need to make to the division of responsibilities in MVC? What is JavaScript responsible for? What is Rails responsible for?
3. What kinds of formats can Rails render? List as many as you can. When you think you've got a full list, check out Rails Guide on Rendering to see if you missed any.
4. Check out the other ways of sending data in Rails in the ActionController::DataStreaming documentation. Draw out how you would build a file download button.

Exercise

Check out the rails app in the rendering folder. bundle install and rails s to get things running.

Open config/routes.rb and app/controllers/responses_controller.rb. Add the render, send_data, and send_file lines to the controller so that all the routes work. Check them all by visiting the urls in the browser.