Understanding the Difference: rails_blob_path with Host and Only Path Parameters in Rails

Learn how to effectively use `rails_blob_path` with host and only_path parameters in Ruby on Rails, and understand why they yield the same outcome.
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Understanding the Difference: rails_blob_path with Host and Only Path Parameters in Rails

The Problem: Error When Using rails_blob_path

You might have tried to get a URL for an attached file as follows:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, you encountered this error:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This error suggests that you need to specify a host when generating a complete URL. You then attempted to use the host parameter to generate the URL:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

But the output looked just like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The Confusion: Similar Outputs

You were surprised to find that the outcome was the same when you used:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Thus, this raises the question: Why did both cases provide the same output?

The Explanation: Path vs. URL Helpers in Rails

To clarify what's happening, it's essential to understand the difference between path and URL helpers in Rails.

Types of URL Helpers

In Ruby on Rails, the URL helpers are divided into two main categories:

Path Helpers (_path):

These return a relative URL path without any host information.

For example:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

URL Helpers (_url):

These return an absolute URL, including the host.

For example:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Why They Seemed the Same

The key to understanding the similarity in output comes down to your use of parameters:

When you use the host parameter with rails_blob_path, it may seem like it should include the host, but what actually happens is it defaults to generating a path without the host if you are using _path.

Conversely, the only_path: true option instructs Rails to generate a path without the host, leading to the same relative output.

Conclusion

If you want to include a host in your generated URL, you need to use the _url method (like rails_blob_url) instead of _path (like rails_blob_path). Make sure to always distinguish between these two helper types to generate the intended URLs effectively.

Final Words

Understanding how to use rails_blob_path and rails_blob_url correctly is crucial for managing URLs in a Ruby on Rails application with Active Storage. Ensure to decide whether you need a relative path or an absolute URL as you implement these helpers in your code base. Happy coding!