Ajax on Rails

Build Dynamic Web Applications with Ruby

Larger Cover

Ajax on Rails

Build Dynamic Web Applications with Ruby

By Scott Raymond

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Released: January 2007

Pages: 352

Learn to build dynamic, interactive web applications using the two most important approaches to web development today: Ajax and the phenomenally efficient Ruby on Rails platform. This book teaches intermediate to advanced web developers how to use both Ajax and Rails to quickly build high-performance, scalable applications without being overwhelmed with thousands of lines of JavaScript code. More than just recipes, you also get a thorough, low-level understanding of what's happening under the hood.

Ajax on Rails includes three fully worked out Rails/Ajax applications, and quick reference sections for Prototype and script.aculo.us.
Testing lessons show you how to eliminate cross-browser JavaScript errors and DOM debugging nightmares using a combination of Firebug, and Venkman.
Advanced material explains the most current design practices for Ajax usability. You'll learn to avoid user experience mistakes with proven design patterns.

Beyond the how-to, Ajax on Rails helps you consider when Ajax is (and isn't) appropriate, and the trade-offs associated with it. For those new to Rails, this book provides a quick introduction, the big picture, a walk through the installation process, and some tips on getting started. If you've already started working with Rails and seek to deepen your skill set, you'll find dozens of examples drawn from real-world projects, exhaustive reference for every relevant feature, and expert advice on how to "Ajaxify" your applications.

Chapter 1 Introduction
1. Who This Book Is For
2. What Ajax Is
3. What Rails Is
4. ‘You Got Your Ajax in My Rails!’
5. Getting Up to Speed
6. Summary
Chapter 2 Getting Our Feet Wet
1. The Old-Fashioned Way
2. JavaScript Libraries and Prototype
3. Bringing Rails into the Picture
4. Summary
Chapter 3 Introducing Prototype
1. Setting the Stage
2. Ajax Links
3. Forms
4. Ajax Forms
5. Buttons
6. Form Observers
7. Summary
Chapter 4 Introducing script.aculo.us
1. Visual Effects
2. Drag and Drop
3. Summary
Chapter 5 RJS
1. Instructions Instead of Data
2. Putting the R in RJS
3. A Real-World Example
4. Summary
Chapter 6 Ajax Usability
1. Principles of Usability
2. The Context of the Web
3. Usability on the Web
4. Cross-Platform Development
5. Summary
Chapter 7 Testing and Debugging
1. Debugging
2. Testing
3. Summary
Chapter 8 Security
1. Healthy Skepticism: Don’t Trust User Input
2. Hashing Passwords
3. Silencing Logs
4. The Same-Origin Policy
5. The Use and Abuse of HTTP Methods
6. Encryption and Secure Certificates
7. The Rails Security Mailing List
8. Summary
Chapter 9 Performance
1. Development and Production Environments
2. Session Stores
3. Output Caching
4. Asset Packaging
5. Dealing with Long-Running Tasks
6. Summary
Chapter 10 Prototype Reference
1. Ajax Support
2. DOM Manipulation
3. Core Extensions
Chapter 11 script.aculo.us Reference
1. Visual Effects
2. Drag and Drop
3. Controls
4. Element Extensions
5. DOM Builder
6. JavaScript Unit Testing
7. Utility Methods
Chapter 12 Review Quiz
Chapter 13 Photo Gallery
Chapter 14 Intranet Workgroup Collaboration

Colophon

Title:

Ajax on Rails

By:

Scott Raymond

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Ebook
Safari Books Online

Print:

January 2007

Ebook:

December 2008

Pages:

352

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-52744-0

| ISBN 10:

0-596-52744-6

Ebook ISBN:

978-0-596-15838-5

| ISBN 10:

0-596-15838-6

Description

Table of Contents

Product Details

About the Author

Colophon

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Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

oreilly Ajax on Rails

3.9

(based on 7 reviews)

Reviews

Reviewed by 7 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-7

9/24/2007

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Balanced AJAX Discussion

By J. Pease

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Ajax on Rails:

Visuals:

Pretty standard layout. Good clear type. Page numbers, chapter titles, and section titles at bottom of page for easy skimming / searching. Screenshots are clearly printed.

Readability:

Overall the book is written in a instructive & readable format. There are also complete reference for Prototype & scriptaculous, which although you wouldn't necessarily "read" them provide explanation and examples of the various functionality provided.

Practicality:

This is a useful book for individuals looking to start adding AJAX features to their Rails application. Like most books, if you are already using the subject matter (AJAX) at a high level you will find much of the material to be a review of what you have perhaps already learned in the "trenches". Nevertheless, for beginners or experienced users alike, there is valuable information to be had. In addition to "how to do it" type material, there is also some theory about why and when to do it. For example, there are chapters covering "Usability", "Testing & Debugging", "Security" and "Performance".

Audience:

The book describes itself as written for individuals with existing web development experience. While Ruby / Rails specific experience in not necessarily required - those are fundamental topics which are beyond the scope of this book. If you are new to Ruby or Rails, it is best to acquire separate books for those topics.

Overall:

It's a keeper.

5/3/2007

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

excellent for short-attention span webslingers

By revieweronrails

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Ajax on Rails:

This is a very well written book on using the Rails MVC model and AJAX (or more precisely [AS]|[JFV] A [XHJ]) technology to quickly get cool websites up and running on rails. As a programmer, I felt it did a good job of showing you what's happening under the hood, why you wouldn't want to write it yourself for a big website, and how AJAX and Rails can help you get powerfully scripted content attached to the DB your boss likes with a minimum of typing and fuss.

1/23/2007

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Pleasantly surprised

By Terry Birch

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Ajax on Rails:

So many times when you purchase a book you don't know much about, you are disapointed. Maybe it is just where I am at with learning ajax and rails, but I have been pleasantly surprised so far with how the Ajax On Rails book has helped me to understand how to make them fit together.

1/19/2007

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

I would like to buy the buy, but what about the code ??

By Anonymous

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Ajax on Rails:

Based on the reviews, the author history and the resume of the book, I believed this could be a must have for anybody interested on Rails. Yet, I could not buy it until being sure the code is published.

1/15/2007

4.0

Excellent!

By Raymond Brigleb

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Ajax on Rails:

This is a really good book. I was pleasantly surprised... but not too much, because Mr. Raymond is the best person to write this book. I read his writeup in Linux Journal, and listened to him at RailsConf 2006 and on the Rails Podcast, and he's great. He really knows his stuff.

This book does a great job of covering the basics. It could stand to be a little longer, in my opinion, but it is quite thorough nevertheless. The three application samples in the back are excellent... of course, I came here looking for the code, too, as promised. It's not here.

And that's why the four stars. I'd give it five stars, but having to type in those non-trivial applications myself, just for the learning experience, is quite a frustrating proposition!

But all in all: great book. If you're interested in Ajax and Rails, you gotta pick it up.

1/13/2007

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Nice Reference

By Bill Eisenhauer

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Ajax on Rails:

This book does a nice job of introducing the basics of Ajax and then progressing into how Rails has baked helpers right into the framework.

There is some duplication of coverage found in other books, but this is not necessarily a negative since not everyone owns every book.

The book includes three non-trivial examples with the code listed in the back. Unfortunately, though there are references to the code being available on the O'Reilly site, the code has not been loaded as yet.

If you are looking for the most in-depth book on Ajax as it relates to Rails, this is your only option. Other books have chapters or sections, but this book is exclusively about this top. You could find information about this topic online, but not organized so well, and not written so well. As such, definitely worth the price (IMHO).

1/12/2007

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Ajax on Rails

By Jason

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Ajax on Rails:

I haven't finish reading this book. However, one thing REALLY disappoints and bugs me is that unobtrusive javascript topic is not included at all. Even though I haven't read through this book, it still isn't included in the Index list. I really wish the author of the book would've included it.

other than that, this book so far is a good reference book to learn how to use ajax on rails

Displaying reviews 1-7

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Chapter 1 Introduction

Who This Book Is For

What Ajax Is

What Rails Is

‘You Got Your Ajax in My Rails!’

Getting Up to Speed

Summary

Chapter 2 Getting Our Feet Wet

The Old-Fashioned Way

JavaScript Libraries and Prototype

Bringing Rails into the Picture

Summary

Chapter 3 Introducing Prototype

Setting the Stage

Ajax Links

Forms

Ajax Forms

Buttons

Form Observers

Summary

Chapter 4 Introducing script.aculo.us

Visual Effects

Drag and Drop

Summary

Chapter 5 RJS

Instructions Instead of Data

Putting the R in RJS

A Real-World Example

Summary

Chapter 6 Ajax Usability

Principles of Usability

The Context of the Web

Usability on the Web

Cross-Platform Development

Summary

Chapter 7 Testing and Debugging

Debugging

Testing

Summary

Chapter 8 Security

Healthy Skepticism: Don’t Trust User Input

Hashing Passwords

Silencing Logs

The Same-Origin Policy

The Use and Abuse of HTTP Methods

Encryption and Secure Certificates

The Rails Security Mailing List

Summary

Chapter 9 Performance

Development and Production Environments

Session Stores

Output Caching

Asset Packaging

Dealing with Long-Running Tasks

Summary

Chapter 10 Prototype Reference

Ajax Support

DOM Manipulation

Core Extensions

Chapter 11 script.aculo.us Reference

Visual Effects

Drag and Drop

Controls

Element Extensions

DOM Builder

JavaScript Unit Testing

Utility Methods

Chapter 12 Review Quiz

Chapter 13 Photo Gallery

Chapter 14 Intranet Workgroup Collaboration

Colophon

Scott Raymond

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