Rails: Check for cookie

Question

I can't really find the exact information that solves this quite common problem. I want to set a cookie and if it is not possible (cookies are disabled) I want to show an error page.

In my application controller I set the cookie with this:

  if (cookies[:user].blank?)
    cookies[:user] = {
      :value => (0...10).map{ ('a'..'z').to_a[rand(26)] }.join,
      :expires => 6.months.from_now,
      :domain => 'localhost'          
    }           
   end

and then in my other controller Booking controller:

if cookies[:user].blank?
  @publish_form = false
  @no_cookies = true
end

and in the view:

   <% if @no_cookies %>
You need to enable cookies
<% end %>

Now, this doesn't really work. It will create a cookie if cookies are enabled but if cookies are disabled it will still create a "cookie" so in my Booking Controller it will have a value and thus not be blank. If the page is reloaded it will create another cookie value. It seems like it is only creating a session or something. Using request.cookie doesn't work either.

What should I use in order to create a cookie whenever a user enters the page, check if a cookie exist and show different views depending on whether a cookie exist or not?

This answer might help http://stackoverflow.com/questions/531393/how-to-detect-if-cookies-are-disabled-is-it-possible — lulalala, Oct 25 '12 at 03:25

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered May 02 '12 at 16:59

0

I think you'll have to do a second request? Since there's no way to know in one request if you can actually set them.

Maybe you could use javascript to try to read the cookie instead?

answered May 02 '12 at 16:59

CambridgeMike

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That doesn't seem likely but maybe I have to go around it with a redirect or something to "fake" a new load page? – Christoffer May 02 '12 at 19:06
I ended up doing it like this but it doesn't feel like a great solution. It works though. – Christoffer May 08 '12 at 20:17

Rails: Check for cookie

1 Answers1