title: How to Display a Flash Message Immediately from Within a Controller Method
body: <p><strong>flash.now[:class]</strong> is supposed to work differently from, e.g. <strong>flash.keep[:class]</strong> but doesn't seem to for me.  I've got <strong>flash.keep</strong> messages working all over my jRuby/Rails app but now I want to display a message immediately to assure the user that I'm working to fulfill the request <em>BEFORE</em> my controller method redirects.  Why doesn't <strong>flash.now</strong> work this way?  I've already followed it with a <strong>render</strong> instruction but that's not allowed if you also have a <strong>redirect_to</strong> elsewhere in your controller method, which I need in order to return to the main view.  If not <strong>flash.now</strong> then what should I use, or is what I'm trying to do just not possible in Rails?</p>
  
  <p>The controller code isn't much more than what's shown above:</p>
  
  <pre><code> flash.now[:info] = '* * * Working hard to fulfill your request... * * *'
   render :action =&gt; 'index'
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I added the <strong>render</strong> instruction in an attempt to make <strong>flash.now</strong> flash <strong><em>now</em></strong> but the preprocessor didn't like my having both a <strong>render</strong> and a <strong>redirect_to</strong> in the same method.  I need the <strong>redirect_to</strong> further down as part of the normal and typical design of my RESTful application.</p>
  
  <p>But the main point is that <strong>flash.now</strong> does <em>not</em> flash now.  So how is it different from, e.g. <strong>flash.keep</strong> or just <strong>flash</strong>?</p>