Workshop 1: Setting up the model railway

The Project

a. Login MySQL, create database and passenger_origin


b. Structure of the passenger_origin


c. Create table passenger_destination and list structure


To do:

1. I have subscribed the www.buildingwebapps.com for Learning Rails.

2. I have downloaded and installed the Ruby, RubyGems and Rails from www.rubyonrails.org


Figure 1. Screen Capture of the www.rubyonrails.org

3. Due to the portability of the RoR, I have chosen to use the pre-packaged solutions - Instant Rails for Windows platform instead of the install version of the RoR.

Challlenge Problems:

1. Make a list of all programming languages and Web development tools used by you in prior experiences. describe what you know about Web application frameworks before we begins.

Languages: VisualBASIC, VB.NET, C++, HTML, ASP, ASP.NET

The web application framework I knew is that It is a 2-tier based web application.
The first layer is the web interface interact with the users and the other layer is a server side application where the business logic and database systems are on the server(s).

2. Ruby is "an interpreted scripting language" for quick and easy object-oriented programming". Find out about the Ruby language and discover what this means.

Ruby is a language created by a Japanese - Yukihiro Matsumoto (matz). It is a object-oriented progarmming language with syntax like Perl and Smalltalk. Ruby is named because pearl is the birthstone for the month June and Ruby is the birthstone is July that means Ruby is powerful and as a successor of Perl language. (Wikipedia)

3. What is Rails and how does it work with Ruby?

Rails is a framework for programming web applications. It is developed with Ruby language. With its "Don't Repeat yourself (DRY)" philosohy, Rails allowing the developer to program less code for web application development. (Wikipedia)

4. What is meant by "convertion over configuration" in regards to the use of Rails in Web application development?

The convertion over configuration means the system applies assumption to the components to reduce the developer to change the settings that not involved with the web application. This reduces the developer to tweaking the unconventional parts of the application and architecture. (Jeremy)

5. When did Model-View-Controller begin and where is it used?

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) begins in 1978. It was used to support the
user's mental model to provide information for user checking and editing with its editor. (Trygve)

6. Describe the steps involved with the MVC design approach.

In Model-View-Controller design pattern, the web application is splitted into three seperate parts - Model, View and Controller.

Model is used to handle data and logic where the representation of the data for business are handled.

The View is used to handle the output to users. It retrieves information from model to output for users.

The Controller is used to hand input from users. The input can effect to the model and/or view in order to response to user input.

The relationship of the MVC and it structure is shown as follow:


Figure 2. Model-View-Controller pattern (java.sun.com 2002)

Reference:
About Ruby, Retrived 12 April 2009 from http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/about/

Wikipedia (n.d.), Ruby (programming language), Retrived 12 April 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_(programming_language)

Improving designs with the MVC design pattern (2004), Retrived 12 April 2009 from http://java.sun.com/developer/EJTechTips/2004/tt0324.html

Java BluePrints: Model-View-Controller (2002), Retrived 12 April 2009 from http://java.sun.com/blueprints/patterns/MVC-detailed.html

Trygve, M. H. R. (n.d.), MVC XEROX PARC 1978-79, Retrived 12 April 2009 from http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~trygver/themes/mvc/mvc-index.html

Jeremy M. (February 2009), Patterns in Practice: Convention Over Configuration, Retrived 12 April 2009 from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd419655.aspx