-
Rails Forms and Request Parameters
Sometimes in our Rails applications we need to build forms that represent state stored in URL query parameters that is independent of any persisted object in our backend datastore, like in the case of a search form. In this post I offer a simple, flexible, generic helper for doing just that.
Continue reading … -
Basic RESTful Filtering with Rails
Filtering a collection of data objects into a subset is one of the most common tasks in data-management applications. While well-tread, this problem space provides rich opportunity for exploring and learning about how to implement RESTful, maintainable, flexible, and robust Rails applications. In this post I want to implement a simple filtering feature, walking through the various aspects at the model, controller, and view layers.
Continue reading … -
What is MVC?
As a part of a recent job application process, I was asked a few general questions pertaining to software development. I thought I would share the questions and my answers here on my blog.
The Question
Please describe in as much detail as you think is appropriate what the MVC design pattern is, what the responsibilities of the Model, View, and Controller are, both in general and in Rails specifically, and what the benefits of this separation are. Also touch on how the Concern and Service patterns fit into this.
Continue reading … -
The Lifecycle of a Web Request
As a part of a recent job application process, I was asked a few general questions pertaining to software development. I thought I would share the questions and my answers here on my blog.
The Question
A user browses to some URL in their browser. Please describe in as much detail as you think is appropriate the lifecycle of this request and what happens in the browser, over the network, on servers, and in the Rails application before the request completes.
Continue reading … -
Time in Ruby and ActiveRecord
How does the Ruby
Continue reading …Time
class relate to the ActiveRecordtime
column type? -
Typecasting in Ruby and Rails
I recently had the need to typecast string values passed as query parameters to a controller action to their appropriate type. In solving this problem, I've learned a lot about Rails' typecasting layer, Ruby's typecasting methods, as well as a handful of edge cases. The result was a typecasting function that I think has a lot to offer.
Continue reading … -
An Example of an ERB Component
An example of building an "ERB component", that is, an ERB partial that has ansome flexibility around their HTML output articulated via an interface in the
Continue reading …render
call. -
A function for generating HTML attribute values
How might I write a function that was as flexible as possible in its type signature, and yet still predictable and sane in its output of HTML attribute values?
Continue reading …