A collection of useful Rails generator scripts for scaffolding, layout files, authentication, and more.
gem install nifty-generators
Once you install the gem, the generators will be available to all Rails applications on your system. If you run script/generate without any additional arguments you should see the available generators listed.
To run the generator, go to your rails project directory and call it using the script/generate or script/destroy command.
script/generate nifty_scaffold Recipe name:string index new
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nifty_layout: generates generic layout, stylesheet, and helper files.
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nifty_scaffold: generates a controller and optional model/migration.
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nifty_config: generates a config YAML file and loader.
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nifty_authentication: generates user model with sign up and log in.
To view the README for each generator, run it with the help option.
script/generate nifty_layout --help
To use Nifty Generators with Rails 3 you will need to include it in your Gemfile.
gem "nifty-generators"
The generators use a colon as the separator instead of an underscore.
rails g nifty:layout
The Rails 3 support is still in early development, please report any issues you find.
What is the difference between nifty_scaffold and built-in scaffold?
One of the primary differences is that nifty_scaffold allows you to choose which controller actions to generate.
script/generate nifty_scaffold post name:string index new edit
There are a few changes to the generated code as well, such as no XML format by default.
It also offers support for HAML, Shoulda, and RSpec.
I get “undefined method ‘title’” error.
Try running nifty_layout, that will generate this helper method. Or you can just change the templates to whatever approach you prefer for setting the title.
I can’t set new attributes in my model.
Add the attribute to the attr_accessible line in the model.
I get “undefined method ‘root_url’” error.
Some generators default redirecting to the root_url. Set this in your routes.rb file like this (substituting your controller name).
map.root :controller => 'foo'
I get a missing database error.
Run rake db:migrate.
I get a routing error when I try to submit a form.
Try restarting your development server. Sometimes it doesn’t detect the change in the routing.
The tests/specs don’t work.
Make sure you have mocha installed and require it in your spec/test helper.
gem install mocha # in spec_helper.rb config.mock_with :mocha # in test_helper.rb require 'mocha'
Also, make sure you’re using Rails 2.1 or greater.
If you are having a problem with Nifty Generators, first look at the FAQs above. If you still cannot resolve it, please submit an issue here.