Introduction to Ruby on Rails
A fantastical way to learn Rails.
Want to build a web application using a language that is optimized for developer happiness and a framework that is optimized for developer productivity? Are you interested in learning how to build a web application using test driven development techniques?
Drawing from the real world experience of Brilliant Fantastic's team, the Introduction to Ruby on Rails course will provide a solid understanding of the Ruby language, the Ruby on Rails web framework, and test driven development.
This course will provide a hands-on learning experience and one-on-one interactions with experienced web developers. You will learn how to build a web application from the ground up using test driven development techniques. The course will use agile project management principals and tools to help you build the web application.
So, whether you are an experienced developer in another language or platform, or you are brand new to web development, you will gain the practical knowledge and the confidence to create your own Ruby on Rails web applications.
Coming again to a town near you...
We are just about complete with our first Intro to Rails class in Toledo, OH and we are starting to plan our next installment.
We would like to hear from you if you would like to have this training available near your city. Please complete the survey below and we will try and make arrangements in that city to hold our next class. This survey will be open until June 30th so please spread the word and get your city backed.
What will I be able to do?
By the completion of this course, you will be able to build a web application using the Ruby programming language and the Ruby on Rails web application framework. The application will have a database backend and have a really well designed interface. You will be able to build features of the application using user stories and test driven development. You will be able to store your code using Git and deploy your web application live on the internet.
What will I learn?
- Week 1 : Environment Setup - Get your Mac, Linux, or Windows machine ready for development. This includes installing Ruby, RubyGems, a ruby versioning system, a database engine, and git. This can be rough your first time, but we'll guide and assist you through it.
- Week 2 : Introduction to Ruby - Learn the Ruby language. Everything from primatives and blocks to method passing will be covered. This will get you comfortable with the Ruby language before we jump into Rails.
- Week 3 : Testing - We will cover unit testing, assertions, and test doubles. You will learn what libraries are available and a little about Rake.
- Week 4 : Introduction to Rails - This week covers the MVC design pattern, and gives insight into how Rails works. We will also build a quick application together to get your feet wet.
- Week 5 : Testing Rails - Our second week on testing will dive a little deeper. We will learn about the different types of testing and how to use different types of tests to increase your code confidence. We will talk about top down design and how to create fast unit tests in Rails.
- Week 6 : Routing and Controllers - You will learn about RESTful patterns, HTTP Verbs, and the Rails routing engine. We will talk about Rails controllers and how to test them. Lastly, we will cover parameter passing, exception handling, and passing data to views.
- Week 7 : Views and the Asset Pipeline - We will discuss view engines, forms, view helpers, partials, and unobtrusive Javascript. We will also take a look at the Rails asset pipeline, how it works, and using SCSS and CoffeeScript in your apps.
- Weeks 8 & 9 : Models - We will need two weeks to cover models in Rails. This will include a deep dive into Active Record, it's query interface, finders, relationships, validations and business rules, callbacks, and database migrations.
- Week 10 : Rails Extras - This week will brush on stuff that Rails offers such as sending and receiving email, generators, and internationalization. We will also cover some useful Ruby Gems and how we could use them in our application.
- Week 11 : Building an API - The final week will consist of building an API on top of our application so we can integrate other systems such as mobile, and provide a platform for other developers to build on.
Q & A
In order to reserve your seat, you must pay when you register. The course is limited to 20 people.
You can be issued a full refund up until the day of the second class. No questions asked.
Yes. Dinner will be catered in each class. We have some delicious food waiting for you.
Yes. We have some delicious snacks waiting for you.
Yes. Each week you will be responsible for finishing a lesson. These lessons are expected to not take longer than 5-10 hours each week.
Yourself and your laptop. Feel free to bring a monitor if you wish or anything else you use during development. We will also have a refrigerator available for any snacks or drinks you would like to bring yourself.
It is not necessary. The first day will consist of setting up your environment. If you have your environment already setup, we will have some other activities for you to do. You can always get a head start on everyone by studying the Ruby language but it is definately not needed.
Yes. You should know basic concepts such as what a variable is, what loop constructs are, and boolean logic. This is an introductory class and we will accomodate any Rails and Ruby programming experience level. It will help however if you have some experience of knowledge of a web development/server side language such as PHP, Python (Django), or .NET (ASP.NET).
Yes. Each week, you will be able to download the source that the instructors have created for that week's lesson.
