book

Rails: Novice to Ninja, 3rd Edition

by Glenn Goodrich, Patrick Lenz

October 2016

Beginner

542 pages

9h 29m

English

SitePoint

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Notice of RightsNotice of LiabilityTrademark NoticeAbout Glenn GoodrichAbout SitePoint
Who Should Read This BookConventions UsedCode SamplesTips, Notes, and WarningsSupplementary Materials
HistoryDevelopment PrinciplesOptimize for Programmer HappinessConvention Over ConfigurationThe Menu is OmakaseNo One ParadigmExalt Beautiful CodeValue-integrated SystemsProgress Over StabilityPush Up a Big TentBuilding the Example Web ApplicationFeatures of the Example ApplicationSummary
What does all this cost?Installing on WindowsInstall RubyInstalling on Mac OS XInstalling HomebrewInstalling on Linux (Ubuntu)Additional Installation OptionsAnd Now the Fun BeginsOne Directory Structure to Rule Them AllCreating the Standard Directory StructureStarting Our ApplicationVersion Control and GitGit BasicsWhich Text Editor?Windows and Cross-platform Text EditorsLinux and Mac OS X EditorsIDEsSummary
Ruby is a Scripting LanguageCompiled LanguagesScripting LanguagesThe Great Performance DebateChoose What WorksRuby is an Object Oriented LanguageReading and Writing Ruby CodeThe Interactive Ruby Shell (irb)Interacting with Ruby ObjectsLiteral ObjectsVariables and ConstantsBasic Punctuation in RubyDot NotationChaining Statements TogetherUse of ParenthesesMethod NotationObject-oriented Programming in RubyClasses and ObjectsObject-level FunctionalityInstance VariablesInstance MethodsAccessor MethodsClass-level FunctionalityInheritanceModules and CompositionReturn ValuesStandard OutputRuby Core ClassesStringsNumericsSymbolsArraysHashesnil ValuesRunning Ruby FilesControl StructuresConditionalsLoopsBlocks, Procs, and Lambdas. Oh my!Summary
Three EnvironmentsApplication DependenciesBundlerDatabase ConfigurationThe Database Configuration FileThe Model-View-Controller ArchitectureMVC in TheoryMVC the Rails WayThe ActiveRecord ModuleThe ActionPack LibraryActionController (the Controller)ActionView (the View)RESTful-styleIn TheoryREST and the WebREST in RailsCode GenerationThe ActionMailer ComponentTesting and DebuggingTestingDebuggingSummary
Generating a ModelThe Model GeneratorModifying the Schema Using MigrationsCreating a Skeleton Migration FileCreating the stories TableRunning the MigrationManaging Data Using the Rails ConsoleCreating RecordsRetrieving RecordsUpdating RecordsDeleting RecordsGenerating a ControllerRunning the generate CommandUnderstanding the OutputStarting Our Application … AgainCreating a ViewGenerating Views with ScaffoldingCreating Static PagesCreating Dynamic PagesPassing Data Back and ForthPulling in a ModelSummary
Calling upon Our Trusty HelpersEnabling Story SubmissionCreating a FormSaving Data to the DatabaseRedirecting with URL helpersCreating a LayoutEstablishing StructureAdding Some StyleEnabling User Feedback with the FlashAdding to the FlashRetrieving Data from the FlashApplying ValidationsTweaking the Redirection LogicImproving the User ExperienceTesting the FormTesting the ModelAnalyzing the Skeleton FileUsing AssertionsWriting a Unit TestRunning Model TestsTesting the ControllerAnalyzing the Skeleton FileWriting a Controller TestRunning a Controller TestWriting More Controller TestsRunning the Complete Test SuiteVisiting the LogsSummary
Generating a Vote ModelCreating the ModelExamining the Vote MigrationApplying the MigrationIntroducing RelationshipsIntroducing the has_many ClauseIntroducing the belongs_to ClauseHow's our schema looking?Making a Home for Each StoryDetermining Where a Story LivesDisplaying Our StoriesImproving the Story RandomizerImplementing Clean URLsConverting from StringsInvestigating Link GenerationAjax, Pjax, and TurbolinksIntroducing AjaxMaking StoriesControlling Where the Votes GoThe Asset PipelineWhy do we need an asset pipeline?Multiple Source FilesAsset PreprocessorsAsset Compression and MinificationAsset DigestsGet Out the VoteStyling the ScoreboardResponse FormatsIntroducing PartialsAdding Voting HistoryCreating the PartialStyling the Voting HistoryTweaking the Voting HistoryTesting the Voting FunctionalityTesting the ModelPreparing the FixturesTesting a Story's Relationship to a VoteTesting the Voting History OrderRunning the Unit TestsTesting the ControllerTesting Page RenderingTesting Vote StorageTesting Ajax VotingTesting Regular HTTP VotingRunning the Full Test SuiteSummary
Introducing Sessions and CookiesIdentifying Individual UsersWhat's a cookie?What's a session?Sessions in RailsModeling the UserGenerating a User ModelHas Secure PasswordAdding Relationships for the User ClassCreating a UserDeveloping Login FunctionalityCreating the ControllerCreating the ViewAdding Functionality to the ControllerIntroducing FiltersBefore FiltersAfter FilterAround FiltersManaging User LoginsRetrieving the Current UserDisplaying the Name of the Current UserAllowing Users to Log OutAdding a Navigation MenuRestricting the ApplicationProtecting the FormRestricting Access to Story SubmissionAssociating Stories with UsersOne Last Thing: Associate Votes to UsersTesting User AuthenticationTesting the ModelTesting the ControllersFixing VotesController TestsRunning the Full Test SuiteSummary

Promoting Popular StoriesUsing a Counter CacheIntroducing the Counter CacheMaking Room for the CacheApplying the MigrationImplementing the Front PageModifying the ControllerModifying the ViewCreating the PartialStyling the Front PageSetting the Default PageImplementing the Voting BinAdding Custom Actions to RESTful RoutesAbstracting Presentation LogicAvoiding Presentation Logic SpaghettiIntroducing ActionView HelpersWriting an ActionView HelperExpanding the Navigation MenuRequiring a Login to VoteAuto-votingIntroducing Model CallbackAdding a CallbackAdding a Description to StoriesAdding a Model AttributeExpanding the Submission FormWhitelisting the New AttributeAdding User PagesIntroducing the Join Model RelationshipIntroducing the has_many :through AssociationAdding Another ControllerCreating the ViewTesting the New FunctionalityTesting the ModelTesting the StoriesControllerTesting the VotesControllerTesting the UsersControllerRunning the Complete Test SuiteSummary
What is a plugin?Adding Tagging to ReaditIntroducing the acts-as-taggable-on GemInstalling the acts-as-taggable-on GemCreating a Migration for the PluginUnderstanding Polymorphic AssociationsMaking a Model TaggableEnabling Tag SubmissionModifying the ViewModifying the ControllerEnabling Tag DisplayModifying the ViewUpdating the story PartialAssigning Our First TagsViewing StoriesCreating the ControllerFilling in the View TemplateDisplaying Tagged StoriesCreating a tag PartialUpdating the StylesheetTesting the Tagging FunctionalityTesting the ModelTesting the ControllerRunning the Test Suite ... Again!Summary
Debugging Your ApplicationDebugging within TemplatesWeb ConsoleDebugging A Slightly Trickier BugUsing the Rails Logging ToolOvercoming Problems in DebuggingTesting Your Application Using Integration TestsUsing Breakpoints in a TestRevisiting the Rails ConsoleA Brief Introduction to PryBenchmarking Your ApplicationTaking Benchmarks from Log FilesManual BenchmarkingSummary
The Implications of “Production”Choosing a Production EnvironmentWeb ServersApacheNginxApplication ServersRackTerminologyApplication Servers for RailsProxying RequestsSoftware as a ServiceHerokuAlternatives for Session StorageThe ActiveRecord Store Session ContainerFurther ReadingCachingActionCableRails APIPerformanceSummary

Content preview from Rails: Novice to Ninja, 3rd Edition

Chapter 1: Introducing Ruby on Rails

Since Ruby on Rails was first released, it has become a household name (well, in developers' households, anyway). Hundreds of thousands of developers the world over have adopted—and adored—this framework. I hope that, through the course of this book, you'll come to understand the reasons why. Before we jump into writing any code, let's take a stroll down memory lane and explore a little of the history of Ruby on Rails.

First, what exactly is Ruby on Rails?

The short-and fairly technical—answer is that Ruby on Rails (often abbreviated to “Rails”) is a full-stack web application framework written in Ruby. That is a distinction worth emphasizing. Ruby is a language and Rails is a framework. Say that last sentence ...