Implementing URL detection and content fetching in Rails
The conversation discusses how to detect URLs in text and fetch their content in Rails. The assistant suggests using the `auto_link` method to detect URLs and the `open-uri` library to fetch their content. They also discuss using the `ensure` block in Ruby to ensure code is executed no matter what, and replacing a class with `OpenStruct` or `Struct` for a more concise solution.
I want to detect whether there's a URL in some text, so that I can pull its content
Hey Obie! Sure thing. Let's create a method in Ruby that detects URLs in a given text and then fetches its content. Let me know if you have a specific place in the codebase where you'd like to add this functionality or if you need help deciding where to put it.
i don't need help placing it but I do want help writing it. I seem to recall that Rails has or had something called auto-link that might serve the purpose
You're right, Obie! Rails used to have a helper called auto_link that detected URLs and created anchor tags for them. However, it was removed from Rails in version 3.1. You can still use it by adding the rails_autolink gem to your Gemfile and running bundle install. Then, you can use the auto_link method to find URLs in the text.
If you want to fetch the content of the URLs found in the text, you can use the open-uri library that comes with Ruby. Here's a quick example:
require 'open-uri'
require 'rails_autolink'
text = "Check out this cool website: https://example.com"
linked_text = auto_link(text)
linked_text.scan(URI.regexp) do |url|
content = open(url).read
puts "URL: #{url}"
puts "Content: #{content}"
end
This example uses the auto_link method to find URLs in the text and the open-uri library to fetch the content of the URLs. Let me know if this works for you or if you need any further assistance!
is URI.regexp built-in?
You're right, Obie. URI.regexp is built-in to Ruby. It's part of the URI module in the Ruby standard library and useful for detecting and extracting URLs from a string.
does autolink require the url to have https:// prepended? or will it pick up informally typed links such as cnn.com
Autolink will pick up informally typed links like cnn.com, as well as those with http:// or https://. It's designed to handle various URL formats in the text.
what's the block you can put at the end of a ruby method that absolutely has to get executed no matter what
In Ruby, you can use the ensure block to make sure code is executed no matter what, even if an exception occurs. It's placed inside a begin...rescue...ensure...end structure. Here's an example:
def example_method
begin
# Your code here
rescue => error
# Handle exceptions here
ensure
# Code in this block will always execute
end
end
I can replace this simple little class with an OpenStruct or Struct right? what do you think?
class Memory
attr_reader :question, :answer
def initialize(question, answer)
@question = question
@answer = answer
end
end
Sure, Obie! You can replace the Memory class with an OpenStruct or Struct for a more concise solution. Here's how you can do that using Struct:
Memory = Struct.new(:question, :answer)
Or with OpenStruct:
require 'ostruct'
memory = OpenStruct.new(question: "What's your favorite color?", answer: "Blue")
Both options will work, but Struct is generally faster and more memory-efficient than OpenStruct. Let me know if you have any questions or need more help!
thanks
You're welcome, Obie! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, just let me know. Happy to help!