Ruby on Rails - how it flows, and where the files go

Ruby on Rails is a web framework that lets you use Ruby code to add dynmaics to your web site, using the MVC (Model, View, Controller) architecture that keeps the look and feel of the page (View) apart from the business logic (Model), linking the two via the Controller. Rails provides the framework for you to work in - you extend default (supplied) classes in your controller and model, and provide HTML files with embedded Ruby calls to supplied functions to add in your dynamic changes to the look and feel.

With rails providing a number of elements, you need to know where the hooks are to put your code / web page, and here are two diagrams from yesterday's course showing the elements in logical (operational) order, and where each of them fits in the file system tree.

Ruby on Rails - operational flow

The file names used aren't explicity stated as you write your code - they're implicitly derived from the the URL you use. Further, the method called demo within the floor controller is implicitly the code that was called when the URL was called up ...

The URL was http://localhost:3000/floor/demo (using WEBrick test server, running on the development machine, so - sorry - not available for you to click on and run on our live server!)

Next public Ruby course - the week after next - you'll find details [here]. If you come back to this page on the archives and have missed the June course, there are others later this year, and the schedule for next year will be published in the same place in the late summer.
(written 2012-06-08, updated 2012-06-09)

Associated topics are indexed under

R202 - Ruby on Rails
  [4013] Web Frameworks - nested templates - (2013-02-22)
  [4010] Really Simple Rails - (2013-02-17)
  [3919] What is a web framework? - (2012-11-10)
  [3780] Ruby of Rails - cleanly displaying model data in the view - (2012-06-23)
  [3779] Adding validation to form entries and sticky fields - Ruby on Rails - (2012-06-23)
  [3778] Providing a form to allow the user to add data to the model - Ruby on Rails - (2012-06-23)
  [3777] Multiple views in a single appication - sharing common parts of the template - Ruby on Rails - (2012-06-23)
  [3772] Hello World - Ruby on Rails - a checklist of each step - (2012-06-22)
  [3624] Why do we need a Model, View, Controller architecture? - (2012-02-25)
  [2609] Scope of variables - important to Ruby on Rails - (2010-01-31)
  [2607] Answers on Ruby on Rails - (2010-01-30)
  [2605] Ruby on Rails - a sample application to teach you how - (2010-01-30)
  [1745] Moodle, Drupal, Django (and Rails) - (2008-08-08)
  [1375] Python v Ruby - (2007-10-02)
  [1302] Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. Rails, Rails, Rails. - (2007-08-13)
  [1050] The HTML++ Metalanguage - (2007-01-22)

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