Ruby on Rails: Render.com is not picking up my stylesheet from application.html.erb?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Many developers have stumbled upon this frustrating issue, and we’re here to help you troubleshoot and resolve it once and for all.

What’s going on?

When you’re working on a Ruby on Rails project and deploying it to Render.com, you expect your stylesheet to be picked up and applied to your application, right? But sometimes, it just doesn’t seem to work as expected. The good news is that it’s not a Render.com issue; it’s simply a matter of understanding how Rails and Render.com work together.

Let’s dive deeper into the problem and explore the possible causes and solutions.

Causes of the issue

There are a few reasons why Render.com might not be picking up your stylesheet from application.html.erb:

• Incorrect stylesheet location: Make sure your stylesheet is located in the correct directory. In Rails, the convention is to place stylesheets in the `app/assets/stylesheets` directory.
• Incorrect stylesheet naming convention: Ensure that your stylesheet is named correctly. Rails looks for stylesheets with a `.css` extension, and the filename should match the name of the controller or action.
• Not including the stylesheet in the application layout: Double-check that you’ve included the stylesheet in the `application.html.erb` file.
• CSS syntax errors: A single syntax error in your stylesheet can prevent it from being applied. Check your CSS file for any errors or typos.
• Render.com configuration: Render.com has its own set of configuration options. Make sure you’ve set it up correctly to serve static assets.

Solutions

Now that we’ve covered the possible causes, let’s go through the solutions step-by-step:

1. Check the stylesheet location and naming convention

Verify that your stylesheet is located in the `app/assets/stylesheets` directory and has the correct name. For example, if you have a controller named `users`, your stylesheet should be named `users.css`.

app/
assets/
stylesheets/
users.css

2. Include the stylesheet in the application layout

In the `application.html.erb` file, add the following line of code to include your stylesheet:

<%= stylesheet_link_tag 'application', media: 'all', 'data-turbolinks-track': 'reload' %>

This will include the `application.css` file, which should contain the following code:

*= require_tree .
*= require_self

The `require_tree .` directive tells Rails to include all stylesheets in the `app/assets/stylesheets` directory, while `require_self` includes the `application.css` file itself.

3. Check for CSS syntax errors

Use a tool like the W3C CSS Validator or a code editor with CSS syntax highlighting to check for any errors in your stylesheet.

4. Configure Render.com

In your `render.yaml` file, add the following configuration option:

static_assets:
  enabled: true
  public_path: /public

This tells Render.com to serve static assets from the `public` directory.

5. Verify the stylesheet is being served

Use the Rails console or a tool like Chrome DevTools to verify that the stylesheet is being served correctly. Check the network requests to ensure that the stylesheet is being loaded.

Method	Check
Rails Console	`rails s` and visit `http://localhost:3000/users.css` in your browser
Chrome DevTools	Open Chrome DevTools, navigate to the Network tab, and reload the page

Common gotchas

Keep an eye out for these common mistakes:

• Not restarting the Rails server after making changes to the stylesheet
• Forgetting to include the stylesheet in the application layout
• Not setting up Render.com correctly

Conclusion

With these steps, you should be able to resolve the issue of Render.com not picking up your stylesheet from application.html.erb. Remember to double-check your stylesheet location, naming convention, and inclusion in the application layout. Don’t forget to configure Render.com correctly and verify that the stylesheet is being served.

By following these instructions, you’ll be able to get your Ruby on Rails application looking fabulous on Render.com in no time!

Happy coding!

Frequently Asked Question

Ruby on Rails developers, gather ’round! If you’re struggling to get Render.com to pick up your stylesheet from application.html.erb, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check out these frequently asked questions and answers to get your styling back on track!