====== The Concepts : View Step ======

A View Step is mainly used to render a view to the user. It's default behavior facilitates this process. But it can do much more than that. Read the [[http://actionflow.devdonkey.org/rdoc-head/classes/ActionFlow/ViewStep.html|View Step API]] for more details.

Here are examples of view steps. More are included in the [[demo application]].

<code ruby>
class MyController < ActionFlow::Base

  def initialize

    # Basic step mapping.
    # This step would only try to render a file named ''minimalist_step.rhtml''
    # and then return the ''render'' event to the controller to show it's rendering
    # result.
    view_step :minimalist_step

    # Simple step mapping.
    # This step would only try to render a file named ''minimalist_step.rhtml''
    # and then return the ''render'' event to the controller to show it's rendering
    # result. If the view then sends either of the 'next' or 'cancel' event,
    # the correct step name associated to the event would be called.
    view_step :simple_step do

      on :next => :some_other_step
      on :cancel => :quit_step

    end

    # Complex step mapping.
    # This step maps events the same way the 'simple_step' does but adds two things.
    # It uses the Flow Step 'method' instruction to tell the controller to execute
    # a method named 'my_step_definition' instead of 'complex_step'.
    # It also tells the controller to execute a given block of code right after the
    # execution of the implementation via the 'to_render' instruction.
    view_step :complex_step do

      on :next => :some_other_step
      on :cancel => :quit_step

      # Use this step implementation method instead of 'complex_step'
      method :my_step_definition
    
      # Define a block to execute after the step definition
      to_render :next do
        render :partial => true, :action => :some_action_name
        event :render
      end

    end

  end

end

</code>

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