reactjs · garbles · Nov 20, 2014 · Dec 28, 2014 · Dec 28, 2014 · Dec 28, 2014
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -109,6 +109,18 @@ react_component('HelloMessage', {name: 'John'}, {id: 'hello', class: 'foo', tag:
 # <span class="foo" id="hello" data-...></span>
 ```
 
+### Controller helper
+
+There is also a controller helper `render_react_component` which is included so that you can specify a component as your view instead of an extra view file that only uses the `react_component` view helper.
+
+```ruby
+class TodoController < ApplicationController
+  def show
+    todos = Todos.all
+    render_react_component 'TodoList', { todos: todos }, prerender: true
+  end
+```
+
 #### With JSON and Jbuilder
 
 You can pass prepared JSON directly to the helper, as well.

diff --git a/lib/react/rails.rb b/lib/react/rails.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 require 'react/rails/railtie'
 require 'react/rails/engine'
+require 'react/rails/controller_helper'
 require 'react/rails/view_helper'
diff --git a/lib/react/rails/controller_helper.rb b/lib/react/rails/controller_helper.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+module React
+  module Rails
+    module ControllerHelper
+
+      # Render a React component as the view instead of
+      # a template from the app/views folder.
+      #
+      def render_react_component(name, args = {}, options = {}, &block)
+        __render_react_component_args = {
+          inline: '<%= react_component(*@__react_component_args, &@__react_component_block) %>',
+          layout: options.delete(:layout) || _layout.virtual_path
+        }
+
+        if status = options.delete(:status)
+          __render_react_component_args.merge!(status: status)
+        end
+
+        @__react_component_args = [name, args, options]
+        @__react_component_block = block
+
+        render __render_react_component_args
+      end
+
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/react/rails/railtie.rb b/lib/react/rails/railtie.rb
@@ -26,6 +26,13 @@ class Railtie < ::Rails::Railtie
         end
       end
 
+      # Include the react-rails controller helper lazily
+      initializer "react_rails.setup_controller_helpers" do
+        ActiveSupport.on_load(:action_controller) do
+          include ::React::Rails::ControllerHelper
+        end
+      end
+
       # run after all initializers to allow sprockets to pick up react.js and
       # jsxtransformer.js from end-user to override ours if needed
       initializer "react_rails.setup_vendor", :after => "sprockets.environment", group: :all do |app|

diff --git a/test/controller_helper_test.rb b/test/controller_helper_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+require 'test_helper'
+require 'support/setup_capybara'
+
+class ControllerHelperTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
+  include Capybara::DSL
+
+  setup do
+    @helper = ActionView::Base.new.extend(React::Rails::ViewHelper)
+    Capybara.current_driver = Capybara.javascript_driver
+  end
+
+  test 'uses a custom layout and status' do
+    get '/helper/1'
+
+    assert response.status == 218
+    assert response.body.include?('This is a different layout')
+  end
+
+  test 'renders the React component' do
+    get '/helper/1'
+
+    %w(data-react-class="Foo" data-react-props="{&quot;bar&quot;:&quot;value&quot;}").each do |segment|
+      assert response.body.include?(segment)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/dummy/app/controllers/helper_controller.rb b/test/dummy/app/controllers/helper_controller.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+class HelperController < ApplicationController
+  def show
+    @todos = %w{todo1 todo2 todo3}
+    render_react_component "Foo", {:bar => 'value'}, layout: 'custom', status: 218
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/dummy/app/views/layouts/custom.html.erb b/test/dummy/app/views/layouts/custom.html.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html>
+<head>
+  <title>Dummy</title>
+  <%= stylesheet_link_tag    "application", media: "all", "data-turbolinks-track" => true %>
+  <%= javascript_include_tag "application", "data-turbolinks-track" => true %>
+  <%= csrf_meta_tags %>
+</head>
+<body>
+
+This is a different layout
+<%= yield %>
+
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/test/dummy/config/routes.rb b/test/dummy/config/routes.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 Dummy::Application.routes.draw do
   resources :pages, :only => [:show]
   resources :server, :only => [:show]
+  resources :helper, :only => [:show]
 end
diff --git a/test/support/setup_capybara.rb b/test/support/setup_capybara.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+require 'capybara/rails'
+require 'capybara/poltergeist'
+
+Capybara.javascript_driver = :poltergeist
+Capybara.app = Rails.application
+
+# Useful for debugging.
+# Just put page.driver.debug in your test and it will
+# pause and throw up a browser
+Capybara.register_driver :poltergeist_debug do |app|
+  Capybara::Poltergeist::Driver.new(app, :inspector => true)
+end
+Capybara.javascript_driver = :poltergeist_debug
diff --git a/test/view_helper_test.rb b/test/view_helper_test.rb
@@ -1,18 +1,5 @@
 require 'test_helper'
-
-require 'capybara/rails'
-require 'capybara/poltergeist'
-
-Capybara.javascript_driver = :poltergeist
-Capybara.app = Rails.application
-
-# Useful for debugging.
-# Just put page.driver.debug in your test and it will
-# pause and throw up a browser
-Capybara.register_driver :poltergeist_debug do |app|
-  Capybara::Poltergeist::Driver.new(app, :inspector => true)
-end
-Capybara.javascript_driver = :poltergeist_debug
+require 'support/setup_capybara'
 
 class ViewHelperTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
   include Capybara::DSL