As most of our participants are not familiar with Ruby, we have created
some exercises to learn and practice Ruby syntax - covering conditional
statements (if, else, elsif), different ways of iteration (each,
select and map) and basic object oriented code (defining and using
class and instance functions).
The first session is all about getting started with Rails.
We talk about MVC Architecture and different components that make a Rails application.
In the assignment, we will learn how to install Ruby and Rails, create a new Rails project and build a simple "About Me" webiste with two pages.
In the second session, we take a closer look at Model of the MVC Architecture and talk about databases, migrations and working with records.
In the third session, we take a closer look at Controller of the MVC Architecture and talk about controllers, routing, authentication and authorization. In the assignment, we will build a simple blogging website.
To wrap up the Award-Winning trilogy of abstraction layers, we take a closer at View of the MVC architecture.
We will take up BlogSpot, our blogging website where we left off in the third session and improve the design.
After learning about about MVC architecture and implementing different layers in Rails code, we will take a look at some of useful concepts in practical web development - associations and validations.
Asynchronous JavaScript and XML is an apporach to build web applications that are able to make quick, incremental updates to the user interface without reloading the entire browser page.
We will be using JavaScript and AJAX to improve the user experience of BlogSpot, our blogging website by implementing features like autocomplete, form validation and more.
By the end of the bootcamp, you have learnt the useful day-to-day skills of a Rails developer and you should be able to hold your own as a entry-level programmer.
However, Rails is a rich framework that rewards greater study. I would in particular recommend the Advanced Rails - 5 Day - Jumpstart Lab Curriculum to explore more advanced topics.
Select important, advanced topics are:
- Testing Rails Application: Writing tests is absolutely neccesary to be confident about the code you implement.
- Working with JavaScript in Rails: Using JavaScript and Ajax smoothens the user experience.
- Active Storage Overview: Learn to attach files to your Active Record models.
- Active Job Basics: Execute long running jobs in the background and improve user experience.
- Polymorphism: Use generic, flexible relations to reuse code more often.