How to fix a missing template error?

Question

I am making a website that has a user page that is supposed to allow users to create announcement posts.

When I try to create a new announcement post through the website, an error pops up as follows:

Template is missing
Missing template announcements/create, application/create with {:locale=>[:en],     :formats=>[:html], :handlers=>[:erb, :builder, :raw, :ruby, :jbuilder, :coffee]}. Searched in: * ".../app/views"

If I create the create.html.erb at the location, the form will return false as always.

The user page (/app/view/users/show.html.erb):

<% provide(:title, 'Admin Page') %>

<% if signed_in? %>
  <div class="container">
    <%= link_to "Sign out", signout_path, method: "delete" %>
    <br />

     <% if @announcements.any? %>
      <h3>Announcements (<%= @announcements.count %>)</h3>
      <ol>
        <%= render @announcements %>
      </ol>
      <%= will_paginate @announcements %>
    <% end %>

      <%= render 'shared/announcement_form' %>
  </div>

<% else %>
<script type="text/javascript"> window.location.href= '<%= signin_path %>' </script>
<% end %>

shared/_announcement_form.html.erb:

<%= form_for(@announcement) do |f| %>
  <%= render 'shared/error_messages', object: f.object %>

   <div class="field">
    <%= f.text_area :title, placeholder: "Compose new title..." %>
  </div>
  <div class="field">
    <%= f.text_area :content, placeholder: "Compose new announcement..." %>
  </div>
  <%= f.submit "Post", class: "btn btn-large btn-primary" %>
<% end %>

UsersController:

class UsersController < ApplicationController
  def new
  end

  def show
    @user = User.find(params[:id])
    @announcement = current_user.announcements.build if signed_in?
    @announcements = @user.announcements.paginate(:page => params[:a_page], :per_page  => 10)
  end
end

AnnouncementsController:

class AnnouncementsController < ApplicationController
  before_action :signed_in_user, only: [:create, :destroy]

  def create
    @announcement = current_user.announcements.build(announcement_params)

    if @announcement.save
      flash[:success] = "Announcement created!"
      redirect_to root_url
    else
      flash[:error] = "Failed to create announcement!"
    end
  end

  def destroy
  end

  private

  def announcement_params
    params.require(:announcement).permit(:content)
    params.require(:announcement).permit(:title)
  end
end

I have checked that I can create the announcement manually in the console. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

If @announcement fails to save in AnnouncementsController#create, you render the default view for the action - in this case create.html.erb which doesn't exist. Thus, you get the error you're seeing.

Usually, the create action would re-render the template with the form. Usually that's the new action, which would mean adding render "new" to the else part of your create action.

In your case however, it seems like it's in the "shared/announcements_form" partial, which would mean adding

render "shared/announcements_form"

to your create action.

Answer 2

Putting a redirect_to or render "shared/announcements_form" in that else block like you're doing when the announcement is successfully saved will solve the problem.

The announcement you're trying to create fails to save, so the else block is executed and this is what tries to render announcements/create.html.erb. By convention, if there isn't any explicit render in an action, Rails tries to renders whatever view corresponds to that action.