Redirect user after log in only if it's on root_path

Question

I have a root_path on my Rails application that is not user-protected i.e. it\'s a simple portal homepage, with a login form.

After the users log in, I\

Answer 1

The login form is on every pages (top/sidebar) or you have a login page?

If is on every pages, you can use request.referrer to know where the user came from.

Answer 2

You can override the after_sign_in_path_for method without losing the desired behavior.

 def after_sign_in_path_for(resource_or_scope)
   stored_location_for(resource_or_scope) || dashboard_path
 end

I would also put a condition in the root_path action that redirects if current_user exists.

RootController.rb

def index
  if current_user
     redirect_to dashboard_path
  else
    super #or whatever
  end
end

You could also use a before_filter, if you wanted to add the redirect to many unprotected actions.