Using Helpers

Earlier we said it’s OK to put code in templates. Now we’re going to modify that statement. It’s perfectly acceptable to put some code in templates—that’s what makes them dynamic. However, it’s poor style to put too much code in templates.

Three main reasons for this stand out. First, the more code you put in the view side of your application, the easier it is to let discipline slip and start adding application-level functionality to the template code. This is definitely poor form; you want to put application stuff in the controller and model layers so that it’s available everywhere. This will pay off when you add new ways of viewing the application.

The second reason is that html.erb is basically HTML. When you edit it, you’re ...

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