Rails form_for delete

Question

I've built a Rails 5 RESTful API, and I've been working on a consumer app that I'm using to test out the interface. CR of CRUD works great, but I'm stuck on Delete. Both apps are running locally.

I want to call: DELETE /users/:user_id/attendees/:id(.:format) attendees#destroy from my external consumer app. Ideally this would be done with conventional Rails view helpers calling the API directly, and wouldn't require custom JavaScript or wrapping the API (or its resources) in the consumer app.

I have it working in JavaScript:

$("#button").click(function(){
  resource_id = $("#button").data('resource-id');
  $.ajax({
    type: "DELETE",
    url: "http://localhost:3001/users/1/attendees/" + resource_id + "?user_email=EMAIL&user_token=TOKEN&",
    dataType: "json",
    data: {"_method":"delete"},
    complete: function(){
      alert("Deleted successfully");
  }
  });
});

What I'd like is something like:
= link_to "Delete", "http://localhost:3001/users/1/attendees/THE_RESOURCE_ID?user_email=EMAIL&user_token=TOKEN&", method: :delete
which render this HTML:
<a rel="nofollow" data-method="delete" href="http://localhost:3001/users/1/attendees/THE_RESOURCE_ID?user_email=EMAIL&user_token=TOKEN&">Delete</a>

Which doesn't work:

{
  "status":404,
  "error":"Not Found",
  "exception":"#\u003cActionController::RoutingError: No route matches [POST] \"/users/1/attendees/2\"\u003e",
  "traces":{
    "Application Trace":[],
    "Framework Trace":
      [{"id":0,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/debug_exceptions.rb:53:in `call'"},
      {"id":1,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/show_exceptions.rb:31:in `call'"},
      {"id":2,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:36:in `call_app'"},
      {"id":3,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:24:in `block in call'"},
      {"id":4,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/tagged_logging.rb:70:in `block in tagged'"},
      {"id":5,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/tagged_logging.rb:26:in `tagged'"},
      {"id":6,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/tagged_logging.rb:70:in `tagged'"},
      {"id":7,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:24:in `call'"},
      {"id":8,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/request_id.rb:24:in `call'"},
      {"id":9,"trace":"rack (2.0.0.alpha) lib/rack/runtime.rb:22:in `call'"},
      {"id":10,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/cache/strategy/local_cache_middleware.rb:28:in `call'"},
      {"id":11,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/executor.rb:12:in `call'"},
      {"id":12,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/static.rb:136:in `call'"},
      {"id":13,"trace":"rack (2.0.0.alpha) lib/rack/sendfile.rb:111:in `call'"},
      {"id":14,"trace":"rack-cors (0.4.0) lib/rack/cors.rb:80:in `call'"},
      {"id":15,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/engine.rb:522:in `call'"},
      {"id":16,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/configuration.rb:227:in `call'"},
      {"id":17,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/server.rb:561:in `handle_request'"},
      {"id":18,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/server.rb:406:in `process_client'"},
      {"id":19,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/server.rb:271:in `block in run'"},
      {"id":20,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/thread_pool.rb:111:in `call'"},
      {"id":21,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/thread_pool.rb:111:in `block in spawn_thread'"}],
    "Full Trace":[{"id":0,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/debug_exceptions.rb:53:in `call'"},
      {"id":1,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/show_exceptions.rb:31:in `call'"},
      {"id":2,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:36:in `call_app'"},
      {"id":3,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:24:in `block in call'"},
      {"id":4,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/tagged_logging.rb:70:in `block in tagged'"},
      {"id":5,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/tagged_logging.rb:26:in `tagged'"},
      {"id":6,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/tagged_logging.rb:70:in `tagged'"},
      {"id":7,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/rack/logger.rb:24:in `call'"},
      {"id":8,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/request_id.rb:24:in `call'"},
      {"id":9,"trace":"rack (2.0.0.alpha) lib/rack/runtime.rb:22:in `call'"},
      {"id":10,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/activesupport/lib/active_support/cache/strategy/local_cache_middleware.rb:28:in `call'"},
      {"id":11,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/executor.rb:12:in `call'"},
      {"id":12,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/actionpack/lib/action_dispatch/middleware/static.rb:136:in `call'"},
      {"id":13,"trace":"rack (2.0.0.alpha) lib/rack/sendfile.rb:111:in `call'"},
      {"id":14,"trace":"rack-cors (0.4.0) lib/rack/cors.rb:80:in `call'"},
      {"id":15,"trace":"/Users/MYUSER/.rbenv/versions/2.2.2/lib/ruby/gems/2.2.0/bundler/gems/rails-7b82e1c77b48/railties/lib/rails/engine.rb:522:in `call'"},
      {"id":16,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/configuration.rb:227:in `call'"},
      {"id":17,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/server.rb:561:in `handle_request'"},
      {"id":18,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/server.rb:406:in `process_client'"},
      {"id":19,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/server.rb:271:in `block in run'"},
      {"id":20,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/thread_pool.rb:111:in `call'"},
      {"id":21,"trace":"puma (3.2.0) lib/puma/thread_pool.rb:111:in `block in spawn_thread'"}]}}

I have the rack-cors gem installed and working.

(I realize there's other refactoring to do, but those are problems I think I know how to solve. :-))

Thanks for your help!

Here's the relevant existing routes for the API:

  user_attendees GET    /users/:user_id/attendees(.:format)     attendees#index
                 POST   /users/:user_id/attendees(.:format)     attendees#create
   user_attendee GET    /users/:user_id/attendees/:id(.:format) attendees#show
                 PATCH  /users/:user_id/attendees/:id(.:format) attendees#update
                 PUT    /users/:user_id/attendees/:id(.:format) attendees#update
                 DELETE /users/:user_id/attendees/:id(.:format) attendees#destroy

this external consumer app, is it a web browser? or something else — Doon, Apr 20 '16 at 19:02
@Doon Yes, it's another rails app accessible to the browser. It has a forms for creating, and links for viewing, now I'm trying to find a simple way to delete. — lostphilosopher, Apr 20 '16 at 19:04
It still looks correct. Can you include more of the error... — Carson Cole, Apr 20 '16 at 19:10
@CarsonCole it's all gem code, but I've added the full output. — lostphilosopher, Apr 20 '16 at 19:18
@CarsonCole `[POST] \"/users/1/attendees/2` seems like the crucial failure, since there is indeed no such route. — lostphilosopher, Apr 20 '16 at 19:20
just curious, but what is in your application.js file? mine worked fine without remote: true — Carson Cole, Apr 20 '16 at 19:45
@CarsonCole, did the JavaScript work fine, or the raw link? The JS works for me too. But to answer your question: require jquery, jquery_ujs, turbolinks, and require_tree . (I believe this is just default rails.) — lostphilosopher, Apr 20 '16 at 19:54
The raw link worked fine for me, and with the remote: true, the javascript will send the call, leaving the existing page intact, which may be what you want. So not sure why your link was making a [POST], when mine is correctly a [DELETE] — Carson Cole, Apr 20 '16 at 20:02
@CarsonCole, whoa... That's weird. This is Rails 5 running in API mode, maybe there's quirks there? — lostphilosopher, Apr 20 '16 at 20:13

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:44

Sigh...

I was missing remote: true.

= link_to "Delete", "http://localhost:3001/users/1/attendees/THE_RESOURCE_ID?user_email=EMAIL&user_token=TOKEN&", method: :delete, remote: true

For anyone interested this is how I enabled CORS: http://sourcey.com/building-the-prefect-rails-5-api-only-app/#enabling-cors. And this was the SO post the reminded me to use remote: true: Simple example of Rails 3 + UJS using Ajax to make a remote call, and rendering the resulting JSON object.

Rails form_for delete

1 Answers1