Rails 3.1: Asset pipeline with named routes

Question

Rails 3.1.0.rc5

I am having trouble getting named routes to work within an ERB-enabled Javascript file:

# app/assets/javascripts/items.js.erb
$('#start').click(function() {
  $.ajax({
    url : '<%= ajax_items_path %>',
    success : function(result) {
      $('#result').html(result);
    }
  });
});

The error message is as follows:

Error compiling asset items.js:
NameError: undefined local variable or method `ajax_items_path' for #<#<Class:0x007fbcb49a7630>:0x007fbcb4ee30b8>
  (in myproject/app/assets/javascripts/items.js.erb)

The ajax_items_path route works fine if I use it directly in a view.

It looks like named routes aren't available within the Asset Pipeline. If this is the case, what is the workaround? I really want to avoid hard-coding URLs in my Javascript.

Answer 1

A workaround is to use your route helpers from Rails.application.routes.url_helpers, e.g.

<%= Rails.application.routes.url_helpers.ajax_items_path %>