Ruby on Rails Beyond the Basics (2007)

Techniques for web developers who feel comfortable with the fundamentals of the Ruby on Rails MVC framework.In this sequel to the popular Ruby on Rails Essential Training, expert instructor Kevin Skoglund teaches comprehensive techniques for web developers who already feel comfortable with the fundamentals of Ruby and the Rails MVC framework. This training will help developers move toward creating full-featured Ruby on Rails applications. Kevin begins by explaining how to update software and projects to the latest versions. He then demonstrates alternative ways to interact with Ruby and your Rails applications and teaches the intermediate aspects of the Ruby language. Kevin provides step-by-step instructions for creating a custom blog and content management application. He uses this practical example to show how to work with database migrations, how to get more from ActiveRecord and avoid common pitfalls, how to create flexible controllers and views, and how to improve performance, security, and code management. Exercise files accompany the tutorials. NOTE: Several key features of Rails have changed since the release of Ruby on Rails Beyond the Basics in the lynda.com library. The following link details these changes: www.nullislove.com. Topics include: Updating software and projects Understanding code blocks Catching errors and raising exceptions Using migrations to manage database changes Improving performance with eager loading and cache counters Dealing with form validations and model callbacks Using partials and helpers to organize views Salting passwords for increased security Storing session data Understanding and defining custom and named routes Paginating and using plug-ins