diff --git a/app/controllers/messages_controller.rb b/app/controllers/messages_controller.rb
--- a/app/controllers/messages_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/messages_controller.rb
@@ -1,54 +1,50 @@
 class MessagesController < ApplicationController
 
-  before_action :authenticate
+  before_action :check_valid_login
 
+  before_action :set_message, only: ['show', 'reply']
 
-  before_filter :admin_authorization, :only => ['console','show',
+  before_action :admin_authorization, :only => ['console','show',
                                                 'reply','hide','list_all']
 
-  def list
-    @user = User.find(session[:user_id])
-    @messages = Message.find_all_sent_by_user(@user)
+  def index
+    @messages = Message.find_all_sent_by_user(@current_user)
   end
 
   def console
-    @user = User.find(session[:user_id])
     @messages = Message.find_all_system_unreplied_messages
   end
 
   def show
-    @message = Message.find(params[:id])
   end
 
   def list_all
-    @user = User.find(session[:user_id])
     @messages = Message.where(receiver_id: nil).order(:created_at)
   end
 
   def create
-    user = User.find(session[:user_id])
-    @message = Message.new(params[:message])
-    @message.sender = user
+    @message = Message.new(message_params)
+    @message.sender = @current_user
     if @message.body == '' or !@message.save
       flash[:notice] = 'An error occurred'
     else
       flash[:notice] = 'New message posted'
     end
-    redirect_to :action => 'list'
+    redirect_to action: 'index'
   end
 
   def reply
-    user = User.find(session[:user_id])
-    @message = Message.new(params[:r_message])
-    @message.sender = user
+    @r_message = Message.new(message_params)
+    @r_message.receiver = @message.sender
+    @r_message.sender = @current_user
     if @message.body == '' or !@message.save
       flash[:notice] = 'An error occurred'
       redirect_to :action => 'show', :id => @message.replying_message_id
     else
       flash[:notice] = 'Message replied'
-      rep_msg = @message.replying_message
-      rep_msg.replied = true
-      rep_msg.save
+      @message.replied = true
+      @message.replying_message = @r_message
+      @message.save
       redirect_to :action => 'console'
     end
   end
@@ -62,23 +58,31 @@
   end
 
   protected
-  def build_replying_message_hierarchy(user)
-    @all_messages = {}
+    def build_replying_message_hierarchy(user)
+      @all_messages = {}
 
 
-    # manually build replies hierarchy (to improve efficiency)
-    [@messages, @replied_messages].each do |collection|
-      collection.each do |m| 
-        @all_messages[m.id] = {:msg => m, :replies => []}
+      # manually build replies hierarchy (to improve efficiency)
+      [@messages, @replied_messages].each do |collection|
+        collection.each do |m| 
+          @all_messages[m.id] = {:msg => m, :replies => []}
+        end
+      end
+
+      @all_messages.each do |m|
+        rep_id = m.replying_message_id
+        if @all_messages[rep_id]!=nil
+          @all_messages[rep_id][:replies] << m
+        end
       end
     end
 
-    @all_messages.each do |m|
-      rep_id = m.replying_message_id
-      if @all_messages[rep_id]!=nil
-        @all_messages[rep_id][:replies] << m
-      end
+    def set_message
+      @message = Message.find(params[:id])
     end
-  end
+
+    def message_params
+      params.require(:message).permit(:body)
+    end
 
 end
diff --git a/app/views/messages/console.html.haml b/app/views/messages/console.html.haml
--- a/app/views/messages/console.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/messages/console.html.haml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-= user_title_bar(@user)
 
 %h1 Console: active messages
 
diff --git a/app/views/messages/index.html.haml b/app/views/messages/index.html.haml
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/messages/index.html.haml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+.announcementbox
+  %span{:class => 'title'}
+    How to submit clarification requests
+  .announcement
+    %p
+      :markdown
+        The clarification requests should be phrased as yes/no questions.  
+        The answers will be one of the following:
+        (1) **YES**,
+        (2) <b>NO</b>,
+        (3) **ANSWERED IN TASK DESCRIPTION (EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY)**,
+        (4) **INVALID QUESTION**, and
+        (5) **NO COMMENT**.
+
+= form_for 'message', :url => { :action => 'create'} do |f|
+  %p 
+    %b New clarification request
+    = submit_tag "Post"
+    %br/
+    = f.text_area :body, :rows => 5, :cols => 100
+
+%hr/
+
+= render :partial => 'message', :collection => @messages, :locals => {:reply => false}
diff --git a/app/views/messages/list.html.haml b/app/views/messages/list.html.haml
deleted file mode 100644
--- a/app/views/messages/list.html.haml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,26 +0,0 @@
-= user_title_bar(@user)
-
-.announcementbox
-  %span{:class => 'title'}
-    How to submit clarification requests
-  .announcement
-    %p
-      :markdown
-        The clarification requests should be phrased as yes/no questions.  
-        The answers will be one of the following:
-        (1) **YES**,
-        (2) <b>NO</b>,
-        (3) **ANSWERED IN TASK DESCRIPTION (EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY)**,
-        (4) **INVALID QUESTION**, and
-        (5) **NO COMMENT**.
-
-= form_for 'message', :url => { :action => 'create'} do |f|
-  %p 
-    %b New clarification request
-    = submit_tag "Post"
-    %br/
-    = f.text_area :body, :rows => 5, :cols => 100
-
-%hr/
-
-= render :partial => 'message', :collection => @messages, :locals => {:reply => false}
diff --git a/app/views/messages/list_all.html.haml b/app/views/messages/list_all.html.haml
--- a/app/views/messages/list_all.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/messages/list_all.html.haml
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-= user_title_bar(@user)
-
 %h1 Console: all messages
 
 = link_to '[active messages]', :action => 'list_all'
diff --git a/app/views/messages/show.html.haml b/app/views/messages/show.html.haml
--- a/app/views/messages/show.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/messages/show.html.haml
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
   .body= simple_format(@message.body)
 
 %h3 Your reply:
-= form_for 'r_message', :url => { :action => 'reply'} do |f|
+= form_for 'message', url: reply_message_path(@message) do |f|
   = f.text_area :body, :rows => 5, :cols => 100
-  = f.hidden_field :receiver_id, {:value => @message.sender_id }
-  = f.hidden_field :replying_message_id, {:value => @message.id }
+  -#= f.hidden_field :receiver_id, {:value => @message.sender_id }
+  -#= f.hidden_field :replying_message_id, {:value => @message.id }
   = submit_tag "Post"
 
 %p
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -12,8 +12,13 @@
   resources :test
 
   resources :messages do
+    member do
+      get 'hide'
+      post 'reply'
+    end
     collection do
       get 'console'
+      get 'list_all'
     end
   end