_shared_item.html.erb

<%# this partial here is called from within a partial itself %>

<% items.each do |item| %>
        <li>
          <%= image_tag(item.user.avatar(:nag_tag), :class => "avatar") %>

          <div class="activity <%= item.type.to_s.downcase %> bubble">
            <%= image_tag('bg/speech_bubble_corner.png', :class => "speech_bubble") %>

            <%# debugger %>

            <%# this is where I'm getting nil returned when I call both normlised_title and normalised_path in the link_to method %>
            <p><%= link_to truncate(h(normalised_title(item)), :length => 60), normalised_path(item) %></p>
            <div class="item_icon_<%= item.class.to_s.downcase %> item_icon"></div>
            <div class="bottom"></div>
          </div>
        </li>
<% end %>

application_helper.rb

## this returns a useful path for the link_to helper

  def commentable_path(comment)
    case comment.commentable
      when Suggestion
        thought_path(comment.commentable.thought, :anchor => dom_id(comment))
      when Action
        action_path(comment.commentable, :anchor => dom_id(comment))
      when Thought
        thought_path(comment.commentable, :anchor => dom_id(comment))
      when Feedback
        feedback_path(comment.commentable, :anchor => dom_id(comment))
      when Story
        thought_action_path(comment.commentable.thought, comment.commentable, :anchor => dom_id(comment))
    end
  end

## these both return nil but they seem to use the same structure

  # this method is used on on the main shared/items partial, for give the correct title
  # I'm calling from within a partial
  def normalised_title(item)
     case item.type
       when Action
         truncate(h(item.title), :length => 60)
       when Comment
         truncate(h(strip_tags(item.comment)))
       when Feedback
         truncate(h(item.title), :length => 60)
       when Intent
         truncate(h(item.action.title), :length => 60)
       when Thought
         truncate(h(item.title), :length => 60)
       when Suggestion
         truncate(h(item.title), :length => 60)
       when Story
         truncate(h(item.story), :length => 60)
     end
   end


   def normalised_path(item)
     case item.type
       when Action
         suggestion_path(item.suggestion, :anchor => "action_#{item.id}")
       when Comment
         commentable_path(item)
       when Feedback
         item
       when Intent
         suggestion_action_path(item.action.suggestion, item.action)
       when Thought
         item
       when Suggestion
         item
       when Story
         suggestion_action_path(item.action.suggestion, item.action)
     end
  end

debugging_session_output.log

## Calling the method manually for a Thought works here already

(rdb:426) item

#<Thought id: 81, user_id: 3, thought_type: nil, locality: "1", title: "Write the problem title here", description: "Explain the problem here", created_at: "2009-11-11 14:58:26", updated_at: "2009-11-11 14:58:26", hotness: nil, flagged_as_inappropriate: false, removed_as_inappropriate: false, attachment_file_name: nil, attachment_content_type: nil, attachment_file_size: nil>

(rdb:426) link_to truncate(h(item.title), :length => 60), item

  "<a href=\"/problems/81\">Write the problem title here</a>"

(rdb:426) normalised_title(item)
  nil