README.txt

This allowed for automatic render overrides based on controller

An example:

  controller = UsersController
  action = show
  
  normal path = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/users/show.html.erb (or haml or rhtml or rjs or whatever)
  
  With this in place,
  first choice = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/general/_types/users/show.html.erb
  second choice = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/general/show.html.erb

Similarly, with a specific render call

  render :partial => 'form'
  normal path = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/users/_form.html.erb

  With this in place,
  first choice = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/general/_types/users/_form.html.erb
  second choice = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/general/_form.html.erb

Or with something more involved:

  render :partial => 'some/shared/view'
  normal path = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/some/shared/_view.html.erb

  With this in place,
  first choice = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/general/some/shared/_types/users/_view.html.erb
  second choice = RAILS_ROOT/app/views/general/some/shared/_view.html.erb

Good times.

render_type_override.rb

module ActionController
  class Base
  
    alias_method :type, :controller_path
    
    GENERAL_BASE = 'general'
    
    def transform_template_path_with_type_override(template_path)
      actual_template_path = template_path
      if template_path.include?('/') && template_path_includes_controller?(template_path)
        actual_template_path = strip_out_controller(template_path)
      end
      
      general_path = [GENERAL_BASE, actual_template_path].join('/')
      type_path    = general_path.split('/').insert(-2, '_types', type).join('/')
      
      if block_given?
        [type_path, general_path, template_path].each { |path|  yield path }
      else
        {
          :type     => type_path,
          :specific => type_path,
          :general  => general_path,
          :template => template_path,
          :original => template_path
        }
      end
    end
    
  end
end

module ActionView
  class Base
  
    GENERAL_BASE = 'general'
    
    private
    
    def template_exists_with_type_override?(template_path, extension)
      controller.transform_template_path_with_type_override(template_path) do |tmp_path|
        file_path = full_template_path(tmp_path, extension)
        if @@method_names.has_key?(file_path) || FileTest.exists?(file_path)
          template_path.replace tmp_path  # this is a nasty trick to replace the input template path with the one we're going to be using
          return true
        end
      end
      
      false
    end
    alias_method_chain :template_exists?, :type_override
  
  end
end