Handle ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound More Elegantly

Most of us usually handle the Active Record Not Found error in ApplicationController and then redirect it to a generic view page. I found a different and more efficient way to handle it.

Instead of handling the error at ApplicationController level handle it at your Model Controller. Lets you have a controller called PostsController for the model post, then add the line rescue_from ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound, with: :handle_record_not_found in it and define the method implementation in your controller.

class PostsController < ApplicationController
  before_action goes_here
  rescue_from ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound, with: :handle_record_not_found
  def index
  end
  
  def show
  end
...
  def handle_record_not_found
    # Send it to the view that is specific for Post not found
    render :not_found
  end
end

The key benefit here is you can have a specific view for every Model you have and you can show customised not found message.