Workshop 1

1.  Download iTunes from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

2.  Start iTunes

3.  Press Next and accept the License Agreement

4.  Define the Destination Folder and start the installation of iTunes 

1.  Subscribe to the “Leraning Rails” Podcasts from http://www.buildingwebapps.com/podcasts

2.  Install Ruby on Rails on your computer by using the material and downloads from http://www.rubyonrails.org/

3.  Click on Windows Installer

4.  Finally click on ruby186-27_rc2.exe

Challenge Problems
 

1.  Make a list of all programming languages and Web development tools used by you in prior experiences. Describe what you know about Web application frameworks before we begin.

Nowadays, knowledge of programming and web development is highly requested by the market. In my prior experiences I gained basic skill of programming using Perl and Python, and of web development using HTML and XHTML, both in an academic environment.

Web application frameworks are software tools that are commonly used to support in the design and management of dynamic websites, Web applications and Web Services. They are usually used to lighten up the web applications including all the elements needed to accomplish the desired tasks, therefore eliminating the need to secure the necessary tools from different sources.

2.  Ruby is “an interpreted scripting language for quick and easy object-oriented programming”. Find out about the Ruby language and discover what this means.

Ruby is an object-oriented programming language based on previous languages such as Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, Ada and Lisp. The creator Yukihiro Matsumoto said about Ruby “I wanted a scripting language that was more powerful than Perl, and more object-oriented than Python” (Ruby A Programmer’s Best Friend, n.d.) to describe the goal he reached.

Ruby as “an interpreted scripting language” defines:

• ability to make operating system calls directly
• powerful string operations and regular expressions
• immediate feedback during development

“quick and easy” defines:

• variable declarations are unnecessary
• variables are not typed
• syntax is simple and consistent
• memory management is automatic

“object oriented programming”:

• everything is an object
• classes, methods, inheritance, etc.
• singleton methods
• "mixin" functionality by module
• iterators and closures

3.  What is Rails and how does it work with Ruby?

Rails is a web-application framework written in Ruby language. It is used to create and host database-backed web applications. Rails is defined to be opinionated. This means it encourages accomplishing tasks in a web development in determined way. Embedded in the software there are many assumptions to help programmers making their work easier. Rails comes with a considerable number of components for creating web applications. Ruby is a powerful programming language and, with the assistance of Rails, it becomes fast and accurate. Ruby uses all the applications Rails offers to resolve tasks in the creation of a web site that were used to be done manually.

4.  What is meant by “convention over configuration” in regards to the use of Rails in Web application development?

Convention over configuration connotes the importance of applying conventions to the structure of the code instead of dwelling on precise codes. Defining conventions help programmers to identify the structure of the code faster and with less effort. This idea was built up to make life easier for developers who will need to worry only about the unconventional parts of the program. Ruby on Rails uses this technique to improve understanding of the language. In Ruby and Rails code convention can be personalized to accelerate the scanning process of a developer on his program.

5.  When did Model-View-Controller begin and where is it used?

Model-View-Controller (MVC) was first designed in 1979 by Trygve Reenskaug. It was then implemented on Smalltalk at Xerox Parc where he was working. Thirty years after its deployment, MVC is still widely used in Web development. Some examples of Web development tools where MVC were used as web-based framework are: Java, .Net, C++, Coldfusion, Flex, JvaScript, Informix 4GL, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby and, of course, Smalltalk.

6.  Describe the steps involved with the MVC design approach

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern separates the modeling of the domain, the presentation, and the actions based on user input into three separate classes (Burbeck S., 1992):
·  Model. The model manages the behavior and data of the application domain, responds to requests for information about its state (usually from the view), and responds to instructions to change state (usually from the controller).
·  View. The view manages the display of information.
·  Controller. The controller interprets the mouse and keyboard inputs from the user, informing the model and/or the view to change as appropriate.

References

Ruby A Programmer’s Best Friend. (n.d.). Retrieved September 4, 2009, from http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/about/

Wikipedia. Retrieved September 4, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_%28programming_language%29

CodeCrunch Staff, (2009). Introduction to Ruby on Rails. Retrieved September 4, 2009, from

http://www.codecrunch.com/programming-tutorials/ruby-on-rails-tutorials/189-introduction-to-ruby-on-rails.html

Miller J., (2009). Patterns in Practice. Retrieved September 4, 2009, from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd419655.aspx#id0080100

Burbeck, S. (2009) Application Programming in Smalltalk-80: How to use Model-View-Controller (MVC). Retrieved September 4, 2009, from

http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/smarch/st-docs/mvc.html.