_message.html.haml

gistfile1.haml

%div{ :class => "message", :id => "message_#{message.id}" }
  %div{ :class => "message_checkbox"}
    = check_box_tag "message_checkbox_#{message.id}"
  %div{ :class => "message_user_avatar", :id => "message_user_avatar_#{message.id}" }
  %div{ :class => "message_and_body" }
    %div{ :class => "message_topic", :id => "message_topic_#{message.id}" }
      = link_to message.topic, message_path(message.id)
    %div{ :class => "message_body", :id => "message_body_#{message.id}" }
      = message.body
  %div{ :class => "message_destroy", :id => "message_destroy_#{message.id}" }
    = link_to "X", message_path(message.id), :method => :delete 

index.html.haml

= link_to t(:new_message), new_message_path
= render :partial => "message", :collection => @messages

new.html.haml

= form_for :message, :url => messages_path, :method => :post do |f|
  = f.label :to, t(:to)
  = f.text_field :to, :class => "text_field"
  = f.label :topic, t(:topic)
  = f.text_field :topic, :class => "text_field"
  = f.label :body, t(:body)
  = f.text_area :body, :class => "text_field"
  = f.submit t(:send)

show.html.haml

= render :partial => "message", :locals => { :message => @message }

any reason why the following wouldn't work. i'm trying to get the content of the message:

u=User.first
m=u.messages
m.body

NoMethodError: undefined method `body' for #<ActiveRecord::Relation:0x00000100c1d1e8>
    from /Users/fiatlux1977/RubymineProjects/tsf/vendor/ruby/1.9.1/gems/activerecord-3.0.3/lib/active_record/relation.rb:371:in `method_missing'
    from (irb):39
    from /Users/fiatlux1977/RubymineProjects/tsf/vendor/ruby/1.9.1/gems/railties-3.0.3/lib/rails/commands/console.rb:44:in `start'
    from /Users/fiatlux1977/RubymineProjects/tsf/vendor/ruby/1.9.1/gems/railties-3.0.3/lib/rails/commands/console.rb:8:in `start'
    from /Users/fiatlux1977/RubymineProjects/tsf/vendor/ruby/1.9.1/gems/railties-3.0.3/lib/rails/commands.rb:23:in `<top (required)>'
    from script/rails:6:in `require'
    from script/rails:6:in `<main>'

m varialble is ActiveRecord::Relation (kind of Array). Try

u = User.first
m = u.messages.first
m.body

That did it. Thanks. Do you do freelance work?

@fiatlux If you want to chat send me a private message ;-)