Ruby on Rails Tutorial, 2nd Edition

09/29/2012 · No Responses

Using Rails, developers can build web applications of exceptional elegance and power. Although its remarkable capabilities have made Ruby on Rails one of the world’s most popular web development frameworks, it can be challenging to learn and use. Ruby on Rails™ Tutorial, Second Edition, is the solution. Best-selling author and leading Rails developer Michael Hartl teaches Rails by guiding you through the development of your own complete sample application using the latest techniques in Rails web development. The updates to this edition include all-new site design using Twitter’s Bootstrap; coverage of the new asset pipeline, including Sprockets and Sass; behavior-driven development (BDD) with Capybara and RSpec; better automated testing with Guard and Spork; roll your own authentication with has_secure_password; and an introduction to Gherkin and Cucumber.

You’ll find integrated tutorials not only for Rails, but also for the essential Ruby, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL skills you’ll need when developing web applications. Hartl explains how each new technique solves a real-world problem, and he demonstrates this with bite-sized code that’s simple enough to understand, yet novel enough to be useful. Whatever your previous web development experience, this book will guide you to true Rails mastery.

This book will help you

Install and set up your Rails development environment
Go beyond generated code to truly understand how to build Rails applications from scratch
Learn test-driven development (TDD) with RSpec
Effectively use the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern
Structure applications using the REST architecture
Build static pages and transform them into dynamic ones
Master the Ruby programming skills all Rails developers need
Define high-quality site layouts and data models
Implement registration and authentication systems, including validation and secure passwords
Update, display, and delete users
Add social features and microblogging, including an introduction to Ajax
Record version changes with Git and share code at GitHub
Simplify application deployment with Heroku

Review
“My former company (CD Baby) was one of the first to loudly switch to Ruby on Rails, and then even more loudly switch back to PHP (Google me to read about the drama). This book by Michael Hartl came so highly recommended that I had to try it, and the Ruby on Rails™ Tutorial is what I used to switch back to Rails again.”
—From the Foreword by Derek Sivers (sivers.org), formerly, Founder, CD Baby; currently, Founder, Thoughts Ltd.

“Michael Hartl’s Rails Tutorial book is the #1 (and only, in my opinion) place to start when it comes to books about learning Rails. . . . It’s an amazing piece of work and, unusually, walks you through building a Rails app from start to finish with testing. If you want to read just one book and feel like a Rails master by the end of it, pick the Ruby on Rails™ Tutorial.”
—Peter Cooper, editor, Ruby Inside

“Grounded in the real world.”
—I Programmer (www.i-programmer.info), by Ian Elliot

“The book gives you the theory and practice, while the videos focus on showing you in person how it’s done. Highly recommended combo.”
—Antonio Cangiano, Software Engineer, IBM

“The author is clearly an expert at the Ruby language and the Rails framework, but more than that, he is a working software engineer who introduces best practices throughout the text.”
—Greg Charles, Senior Software Developer, Fairway Technologies

“Overall, these video tutorials should be a great resource for anyone new to Rails.”
—Michael Morin, ruby.about.com

“Hands-down, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get into Ruby on Rails development.”
—Michael Crump, Microsoft MVP

Table of Contents
Chapter 1. From Zero to Deploy
Chapter 2. A Demo App
Chapter 3. Mostly Static Pages
Chapter 4. Rails-Flavored Ruby
Chapter 5. Filling in the Layout
Chapter 6. Modeling Users
Chapter 7. Sign Up
Chapter 8. Sign In, Sign Out
Chapter 9. Updating, Showing, and Deleting Users
Chapter 10. User Microposts
Chapter 11. Following Users