Get absolute URL for paperclip attachment

Question

Is it possible to get the absolute URI for a Paperclip attachment? Right now, the problem is that the production environment is deployed in a sub-URI (on Passenger: RackBaseURI), but <paperclip attachment>.url returns the Rails-app relative URI (/system/images/...). Is there a way to get the absolute URI for Paperclip attachments?

I'm using Paperclip v2.7 and Rails 3.2.8.

Answer 1

try

URI.join(request.url, @model.attachment_name.url)

or

URI(request.url) + @model.attachment_name.url

It's safe if you use S3 or absolute url.

Update: this answer is better than mine ;) https://stackoverflow.com/a/21027839/683157

Answer 2

asset_url(model.attachment_name.url(:style))

Relevant github issue

Answer 3

According to this github issue, it is cleaner to use ActionController::Base.asset_host so it would result the helper:

  def add_host_prefix(url)
    URI.join(ActionController::Base.asset_host, url)
  end

This supposes you have in every /config/environments/<environment>.rb file the following:

Appname::Application.configure do

  # ....

  config.action_controller.asset_host = 'http://localhost:3000' # Locally

  # ....

end

Answer 4

The most widely applicable way of doing this is to first define your asset hosts in the relevant config/environment file:

config.action_controller.asset_host = "http://assethost.com"
config.action_mailer.asset_host = "http://assethost.com"

Then in views and mailers:

asset_url(model.attachment.url(:style))

In the console:

helper.asset_url(model.attachment.url(:style))

In a model:

ApplicationController.helpers.asset_url(model.attachment.url(:style))

Answer 5

You can do this:

<%= image_tag "#{request.protocol}#{request.host_with_port}#{@model.attachment_name.url(:attachment_style)}" %>

Or make a helper method to wrap it.

def absolute_attachment_url(attachment_name, attachment_style = :original)
  "#{request.protocol}#{request.host_with_port}#{attachment_name.url(attachment_style)}"
end

And use it like this:

<%= image_tag absolute_attachment_url(attachment_name, :attachment_style)}" %>

Ex: Model = Person (@person), attachment_name = avatar, style = :thumb

<%= image_tag absolute_attachment_url(@person.avatar, :thumb)}" %>

Answer 6

This doesn't solve the original poster's problem exactly (it operates in the view, not the model), but may be helpful for people who are trying to "get absolute URL for paperclip attachment" within their view: In the same way that

image_tag(user.avatar.url(:large))

puts the image itself into your view,

image_url(user.avatar.url(:large))

returns just the URL you'll need if you want to link to the asset directly (e.g. in a link_to call).

Answer 7

You can add to your application.rb (or for specific enviroment in config/environments/*):

config.paperclip_defaults = {
    url: "http://my.address.com/system/:class/:attachment/:id_partition/:style.:extension",
    path: ':rails_root/public/system/:class/:attachment/:id_partition/:style.:extension',
}

Restart and reimport your images.

PS: obviously you can replace http://my.address.com with an environment variable.