improved action_view_helper integration through new detached to_s rendering helper, specs will be added later

Author: jonasjabari

docs/html-rendering/integrating-action-view-helpers.md

@@ -1,29 +1,71 @@
----
-description: Still WIP --> 3.0 and future 3.1 changes needs to be added here
----
-
 # Integrating Action View Helpers
 
-Using Rails view helpers ([https://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers.html](https://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers.html)) in components, pages and apps is supported with some limitations currently. 
+Using Rails view helpers ([https://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers.html](https://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers.html)) in components, pages and layouts is supported when using the approaches shown below;
 
 ## Helpers without a block
 
-You just have to put a `plain` before a view helper, if this view helper is rendering a HTML string, for example:
+Simple Action View helpers working without a block, can easily be integrated in a Matestack class response by calling `plain`:
 
 ```ruby
-plain link_to "Show", post_path(@post)
+def response
+  plain t("my.locale")
+  # ...
+  plain link_to "Show", post_path(@post)
+  # ...
+  plain my_own_view_helper_method
+  # ...
+  plain any_method_returning_a_string
+end
+```
+
+## Helpers yielding a block
+
+If you want to use a helper like `form_for` you have to follow following approach:
+
+```ruby
+def response
+  # ...
+  plain do # <-- add this
+    form_with url: "/some_path" do |f|
+      matestack_to_s do # <-- add this, which converst following block to a string
+        plain f.text_field :foo # <-- call plain here again
+        br
+        div class: "some-input-wrapper" do
+          plain f.text_field :bar
+        end
+        br
+        plain f.submit
+      end
+    end
+  end
+  # ...
+  plain do
+    link_to root_path do
+      matestack_to_s do
+        div class: "some-link-wrapper" do
+          plain "foo from block"
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+  # ...
+  # Code below will not work!
+  plain link_to root_path do
+    matestack_to_s do
+      div class: "some-link-wrapper" do
+        plain "foo from block"
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
 ```
 
 {% hint style="info" %}
 A component needs to be called in context of a controller (with included `Matestack::Ui::Core::Helper`), which is true when you're calling components from Rails views or on Matestack Pages/Layouts (which are themselves called by a controller normally).
 
-When calling a component in isolation (which is possible), the view helpers might not work properly!
+When calling a component in isolation (which is possible), the view helpers might not work properly, especially when (implicitly) requiring a request object!
 {% endhint %}
 
-## Helpers yielding a block
-
-{% hint style="danger" %}
-It's currently not possible to use view helpers requiring a block, such as the `form_for`. We're working on supporting them soon!
+{% hint style="info" %}
+We're currently working on an improved way to integrate ActionView Helpers which will enable removing the `plain` calls from your code.
 {% endhint %}
-
-If you want to use a helper like `form_for` please bypass the current limitation by integrating a Rails partials as describe in the next section.

docs/migrate-from-2.x-to-3.0.md

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ class DemoController < ActionController::Base
 end
 ```
 
-# `Matestack::Ui::Layout` `Matestack::Ui::Page` wrapping DOM structures
+## `Matestack::Ui::Layout` `Matestack::Ui::Page` wrapping DOM structures
 
 - previously, `Matestack::Ui::App` added some wrapping DOM structure around the whole layout and around it's `yield`
 - this enabled dynamic page transition and loading state animations

lib/matestack/ui/core/base.rb

@@ -14,7 +14,11 @@ class Base
         def initialize(html_tag = nil, text = nil, options = {}, &block)
           return unless render?
 
-          self.bind_to_parent = ([:without_parent].include?(html_tag) ? false : true)
+          if options && options[:detach_from_parent] == true
+            self.bind_to_parent = false
+          else
+            self.bind_to_parent = ([:without_parent].include?(html_tag) ? false : true)
+          end
           self.slots = self.options.delete(:slots) if self.options
           # extract_options(text, options) is called in properties
           self.html_tag = html_tag if self.bind_to_parent
@@ -101,17 +105,25 @@ def view_context
         end
 
         def method_missing(name, *args, &block)
-          return view_context.send(name, *args, &block) if view_context && view_context.respond_to?(name, true)
-          return Rails.application.routes.url_helpers.send(name, *args, &block) if Rails.application.routes.url_helpers.respond_to?(name, true)
+          if view_context && view_context.respond_to?(name, true)
+            if block_given?
+              view_context_response = view_context.send(name, *args, &Proc.new)
+              return view_context_response
+            else
+              view_context_response = view_context.send(name, *args)
+              return view_context_response
+            end
+          end
+          if Rails.application.routes.url_helpers.respond_to?(name, true)
+            return Rails.application.routes.url_helpers.send(name, *args, &block)
+          end
           return raise NameError, "#{name} is not defined for #{self.class}", caller
         end
 
-        # MOVED TO VUE MODULE
-        #
-        # # give easy access to vue data attributes
-        # def vue
-        #   Matestack::Ui::Core::VueAttributes
-        # end
+        def to_str
+          render_content
+        end
+        alias to_s to_str
 
       end
     end

lib/matestack/ui/core/tag_helper.rb

@@ -24,8 +24,9 @@ module TagHelper
           end
         end
 
-        def plain(text)
-          Matestack::Ui::Core::Base.new(nil, text, nil)
+        def plain(text=nil, options=nil, &block)
+          raise "please specify an argument or block when using plain" if text.nil? && !block_given?
+          Matestack::Ui::Core::Base.new(nil, text||yield, options)
         end
 
         def unescape(text)
@@ -90,6 +91,17 @@ def rails_render(options = {})
           plain render options
         end
 
+        def detached(text=nil, options=nil, &block)
+          options = {} if options.nil?
+          options[:detach_from_parent] = true
+          Matestack::Ui::Core::Base.new(nil, text, options, &block)
+        end
+
+        def detached_to_s(text=nil, options=nil, &block)
+          detached(text, options, &block).to_str
+        end
+        alias matestack_to_s detached_to_s
+
       end
     end
   end