Rails provides various helpers to create HTML forms and buttons easily. One of these helpers is the button_to helper, which allows you to create a form with a single submit button. In this blog post, we will explore the button_to helper in detail and how to use it in your Rails applications.

Syntax

        The syntax for the button_to helper is as follows:

button_to(name = nil, options = nil, html_options = nil, &block)

  1. name: The label for the button. This can be a string or a block that returns a string.
  2. options: A hash of options that will be used to generate the form tag.
  3. html_options: A hash of HTML options that will be used to generate the button tag.
  4. &block: A block that will be evaluated to generate the button label.

Creating a Simple Button

        Let's start with a simple example of creating a button using the button_to helper. In this example, we will create a button that redirects the user to the home page of the application when clicked.

<%= button_to "Home", root_path %>

        This will create a form with a single submit button labeled "Home". When the button is clicked, the user will be redirected to the home page of the application.

Adding HTML Attributes

        You can also add HTML attributes to the button tag by passing them as a hash to the html_options argument. For example, if you want to add a CSS class to the button, you can do the following:

<%= button_to "Home", root_path, class: "btn btn-primary" %>

        This will create a button with the btn and btn-primary CSS classes.

Specifying HTTP Method

        By default, the button_to helper will generate a form with a POST HTTP method. However, you can specify a different HTTP method by passing it as an option. For example, if you want to use the GET method, you can do the following:

<%= button_to "Home", root_path, method: :get %>

        This will generate a form with a GET HTTP method.

Submitting Form Data

        The button_to helper can also be used to submit form data. To do this, you need to specify the form action and method using the options argument. For example, if you want to create a form that submits data to the create action of the users controller using the POST method, you can do the following:

<%= button_to "Create User", { controller: "users", action: "create" }, method: :post %>

        This will generate a form that submits data to the create action of the users controller.

Conclusion

        In this blog post, we have explored the button_to helper in Rails and how to use it to create a form with a single submit button. We have seen how to add HTML attributes, specify HTTP methods, and submit form data using the button_to helper. By using this helper, you can easily create forms and buttons in your Rails applications without writing complex HTML and JavaScript code.