render_csv

Rails CSV renderer for ActiveRecord collections

Rails & Ruby Versions Supported

Rails: 3.0.x - 4.0.x

Ruby: 1.8.7, 1.9.2, 1.9.3 and 2.0.0

Installation

The gem is hosted at rubygems.org

What is it?

The CSV renderer allows you to render any collection as CSV data.

class LocationsController < ApplicationController
  def index
    @locations = Location.all

    respond_to do |format|
      format.csv  { render csv: @locations }
    end
  end
end

Will render a CSV file similar to:

name	address	city	state	zip	created_at	updated_at
Pete's House	555 House Ln	Burlington	VT	05401	2011-07-26 03:12:44 UTC	2011-07-26 03:12:44 UTC
Sebastians's House	123 Pup St	Burlington	VT	05401	2011-07-26 03:30:44 UTC	2011-07-26 03:30:44 UTC
Someone Else	999 Herp Derp	Burlington	VT	05401	2011-07-26 03:30:44 UTC	2011-07-26 03:30:44 UTC

Usage Options

There are a few options you can use to customize which columns are included in the CSV file

Exclude columns

respond_to do |format|
  format.csv  { render csv: @locations, except: [:id] }
end

Limit columns

respond_to do |format|
  format.csv  { render csv: @locations, only: [:address, :zip] }
end

Add methods as columns

respond_to do |format|
  format.csv  { render csv: @locations, add_methods: [:method1, :method2] }
end

Add methods as columns and exclude columns

respond_to do |format|
  format.csv  { render csv: @locations, except: [:id], add_methods: [:method1, :method2] }
end