#
# PagesController
#
# This controller works differently than most normal rails controllers. The pages controller here is used
# as a traffic cop for static and semi-static pages in the rails site, with database information collected
# from the necessary classes.
class PagesController < PublicController
  layout 'public'
  caches_page :show, :index
  
  # Renders the home page for the site
  def index
    @page = Page.find_by_name("home")
  end
  
  # Attempts to render a page directly from the views/pages directory. If no page is found a 404 will be rendered
  def show
    action_name = params[:path].join('/')
    @page = Page.find_by_path("/" + action_name)
    
    # Check to see that the page exists in the database and has a corresponding template file
    if @page && page_exist?(action_name)
      load_restaurant_page_data if @page.in_dining?
      render :action => action_name, :layout => @page.view_layout
    else 
      render :action => "404", :layout => true, :status => 404
    end
  end
  
  private
  
  # Deterine if the page we're trying to access exists
  # <tt>path</tt> The name of the file we're trying to access, like "visit-telluride/index"
  def page_exist?(path)
    file_path = File.join(RAILS_ROOT, "app", "views", "pages", "#{path}.html.erb")
    return true if File.exists?(file_path)
  end


  # Returns a layout for special case pages. Currently, all views except the app/views/photos/index use the public layout
  def find_layout(page_name)
    action_name == ""
  end
  
end

Static pages controller

Rails