----

-title: "Highlight link based on current page in rails"

-date: 2008-09-27T19:47:00Z

-comments: false

-url: /post/52081481/highlight-link-based-on-current-page-in-rails

-tags:

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-

-

-

-This is common pattern in website navigation, where it highlights the link (usually by setting `class=”active”`) that took you to the current page while you are on that page.

-<!--more-->

-First, define a helper:

-

-```ruby

-def is_active?(page_name)

- "active" if params[:action] == page_name

-end

-

-```

-

-Then call it in your link_to’s in your layout as such:

-

-```ruby

-link_to 'Home', '/', :class => is_active?("index")

-link_to 'About', '/about', :class => is_active?("about")

-link_to 'contact', '/contact', :class => is_active?("contact")

-```

-

-This effect is achieved due to how link_to handles being passed `nil` for its `:class`, so when `is_active?` returns `nil` (because its not the current page), `link_to` outputs nothing as its class (not `class=””` as you might expect).