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@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@ +== Welcome to Rails + +Rails is a web-application and persistence framework that includes everything +needed to create database-backed web-applications according to the +Model-View-Control pattern of separation. This pattern splits the view (also +called the presentation) into "dumb" templates that are primarily responsible +for inserting pre-built data in between HTML tags. The model contains the +"smart" domain objects (such as Account, Product, Person, Post) that holds all +the business logic and knows how to persist themselves to a database. The +controller handles the incoming requests (such as Save New Account, Update +Product, Show Post) by manipulating the model and directing data to the view. + +In Rails, the model is handled by what's called an object-relational mapping +layer entitled Active Record. This layer allows you to present the data from +database rows as objects and embellish these data objects with business logic +methods. You can read more about Active Record in +link:files/vendor/rails/activerecord/README.html. + +The controller and view are handled by the Action Pack, which handles both +layers by its two parts: Action View and Action Controller. These two layers +are bundled in a single package due to their heavy interdependence. This is +unlike the relationship between the Active Record and Action Pack that is much +more separate. Each of these packages can be used independently outside of +Rails. You can read more about Action Pack in +link:files/vendor/rails/actionpack/README.html. + + +== Getting started + +1. Start the web server: <tt>ruby script/server</tt> (run with --help for options) +2. Go to http://localhost:3000/ and get "Welcome aboard: You’re riding the Rails!" +3. Follow the guidelines to start developing your application + + +== Web servers + +Rails uses the built-in web server in Ruby called WEBrick by default, so you don't +have to install or configure anything to play around. + +If you have lighttpd installed, though, it'll be used instead when running script/server. +It's considerably faster than WEBrick and suited for production use, but requires additional +installation and currently only works well on OS X/Unix (Windows users are encouraged +to start with WEBrick). We recommend version 1.4.11 and higher. You can download it from +http://www.lighttpd.net. + +If you want something that's halfway between WEBrick and lighttpd, we heartily recommend +Mongrel. It's a Ruby-based web server with a C-component (so it requires compilation) that +also works very well with Windows. See more at http://mongrel.rubyforge.org/. + +But of course its also possible to run Rails with the premiere open source web server Apache. +To get decent performance, though, you'll need to install FastCGI. For Apache 1.3, you want +to use mod_fastcgi. For Apache 2.0+, you want to use mod_fcgid. + +See http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/FastCGI for more information on FastCGI. + +== Example for Apache conf + + <VirtualHost *:80> + ServerName rails + DocumentRoot /path/application/public/ + ErrorLog /path/application/log/server.log + + <Directory /path/application/public/> + Options ExecCGI FollowSymLinks + AllowOverride all + Allow from all + Order allow,deny + </Directory> + </VirtualHost> + +NOTE: Be sure that CGIs can be executed in that directory as well. So ExecCGI +should be on and ".cgi" should respond. All requests from 127.0.0.1 go +through CGI, so no Apache restart is necessary for changes. All other requests +go through FCGI (or mod_ruby), which requires a restart to show changes. + + +== Debugging Rails + +Have "tail -f" commands running on both the server.log, production.log, and +test.log files. Rails will automatically display debugging and runtime +information to these files. Debugging info will also be shown in the browser +on requests from 127.0.0.1. + + +== Breakpoints + +Breakpoint support is available through the script/breakpointer client. This +means that you can break out of execution at any point in the code, investigate +and change the model, AND then resume execution! Example: + + class WeblogController < ActionController::Base + def index + @posts = Post.find_all + breakpoint "Breaking out from the list" + end + end + +So the controller will accept the action, run the first line, then present you +with a IRB prompt in the breakpointer window. Here you can do things like: + +Executing breakpoint "Breaking out from the list" at .../webrick_server.rb:16 in 'breakpoint' + + >> @posts.inspect + => "[#<Post:0x14a6be8 @attributes={\"title\"=>nil, \"body\"=>nil, \"id\"=>\"1\"}>, + #<Post:0x14a6620 @attributes={\"title\"=>\"Rails you know!\", \"body\"=>\"Only ten..\", \"id\"=>\"2\"}>]" + >> @posts.first.title = "hello from a breakpoint" + => "hello from a breakpoint" + +...and even better is that you can examine how your runtime objects actually work: + + >> f = @posts.first + => #<Post:0x13630c4 @attributes={"title"=>nil, "body"=>nil, "id"=>"1"}> + >> f. + Display all 152 possibilities? (y or n) + +Finally, when you're ready to resume execution, you press CTRL-D + + +== Console + +You can interact with the domain model by starting the console through script/console. +Here you'll have all parts of the application configured, just like it is when the +application is running. You can inspect domain models, change values, and save to the +database. Starting the script without arguments will launch it in the development environment. +Passing an argument will specify a different environment, like <tt>script/console production</tt>. + +To reload your controllers and models after launching the console run <tt>reload!</tt> + + + +== Description of contents + +app + Holds all the code that's specific to this particular application. + +app/controllers + Holds controllers that should be named like weblog_controller.rb for + automated URL mapping. All controllers should descend from + ActionController::Base. + +app/models + Holds models that should be named like post.rb. + Most models will descend from ActiveRecord::Base. + +app/views + Holds the template files for the view that should be named like + weblog/index.rhtml for the WeblogController#index action. All views use eRuby + syntax. This directory can also be used to keep stylesheets, images, and so on + that can be symlinked to public. + +app/helpers + Holds view helpers that should be named like weblog_helper.rb. + +app/apis + Holds API classes for web services. + +config + Configuration files for the Rails environment, the routing map, the database, and other dependencies. + +components + Self-contained mini-applications that can bundle together controllers, models, and views. + +db + Contains the database schema in schema.rb. db/migrate contains all + the sequence of Migrations for your schema. + +lib + Application specific libraries. Basically, any kind of custom code that doesn't + belong under controllers, models, or helpers. This directory is in the load path. + +public + The directory available for the web server. Contains subdirectories for images, stylesheets, + and javascripts. Also contains the dispatchers and the default HTML files. + +script + Helper scripts for automation and generation. + +test + Unit and functional tests along with fixtures. + +vendor + External libraries that the application depends on. Also includes the plugins subdirectory. + This directory is in the load path. |