- See Your Current Git Branch In Your Shell Prompt – In Full, Glorious Color!
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February 15th, 2015
Here’s a cool bit of code that displays your current git branch in your shell prompt. Like this: Pretty handy. Here’s all you have to do to get this beauty working for you. In your .bash_profile (or .bashrc ) file, add this:
- Zero Downtime Rails Migrations with the Large Hadron Migrator Gem
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April 9th, 2013
Are you working on a mature or legacy Rails app? If so, you know migrations that change the structure of your tables (like adding indices) or update many rows can be troublesome. You might be ask yourself, “Wow. I have this big app in production with lots of users and I have to perform an […]
- How To Build a Product People Really Love
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May 27th, 2011
Eric Wahlforss, one of the founders of SoundCloud, recently said, “To make a product people really love, find those people and iterate together with them”. This puts the focus on customers and what they want. It’s democratization of development. Obviously, you can go too far in this direction and cede to every feature demand, but […]
- Introducing SoundCloud-Powered Multi-Track WebApp, “Sessian”
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April 16th, 2011
Here’s a quick look at something I’m building with the SoundCloud developer tools. Now, I’m sure this type of app has been done a thousand times…but I thought other devs might like to see what’s possible with the tools and phenomenal support SoundCloud provides. Sessian is a browser-based multi-track app that uses SoundCloud embedded tracks […]
- The Easy Way to Authenticate via SoundCloud
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April 14th, 2011
Here’s a quick video I shot to help you get started with SoundCloud’s API in a Rails app. I recommend viewing in 480p to see more detail (you can also watch it on YouTube.com).
- Rails 3 Bundler of Love
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November 6th, 2010
Are you on Rails 3 yet? If not, you’re in for a treat. The Rails core team has done a great job with Rails 3. While there are lots of nice improvements, the best of the bunch is bundler. In my opinion, this feature alone is worth the upgrade. So pay attention here. You’re going […]
- Steven Johnson’s New Book, Where Good Ideas Come From Inspires a New Site: SlowHunch.com
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October 13th, 2010
If you do anything with the web – or want to develop more creative ideas – you must rush out and buy Steven Johnson’s new book Where Good Ideas Come From. One of the central themes of the book is that an idea is a process, not an event. A great idea, Johnson explains, doesn’t […]
- Application Development Secret: Give a Toy Away
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September 14th, 2010
As your web application matures and your users request more and more features, your code can quickly get out of hand. This leads to hidden bugs, recursive crap and “skeletons” lurking in your code closet. But we both know it’s important to keep our code lean. But how do you do this when you’re adding […]
- Weekend Rails Development Project – Dj-Search.com
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June 24th, 2010
A couple weekends ago, I slammed out a new site, called dj search. The concept behind the site is obvious: find a dj for your upcoming event. We wanted the design and functionality to be “as simple as simple can be”. Constructed with the help of a friend who is a professional dj, we cranked […]
- Rails Paperclip Plugin Validation If No Attachment Present
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June 19th, 2010
On a martial arts marketing website, Through the Ranks, I use ThoughtBot’s excellent file upload plugin, Paperclip, the defacto standard for managing Rails file uploads. However, one problem has been vexing me since day one. And that is validating only when an attachment exists. For example, in my Rails application, I give users the option […]
- RailsRankings.com: 500 Errors
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June 19th, 2010
What is going on with RailsRankings.com lately? Seems like every time I visit the site it looks like this: At least it’s good to know the site IS Rails, however.
- Rails and jQuery: How to Integrate jQuery UI into Your Rails App
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June 9th, 2010
Ahhhh….jQuery UI. Lucious. It’s the quickest way to get your app looking slick in no time. It’s also highly flexible. jQuery UI’s themeroller feature allows you to tweak your css settings (and the look of your jQuery ui elements) right in a web browser (Wow! We must be living in the 21st century!)
- Will Paginate Page_Entries_Info Hide/Show
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June 1st, 2010
The old standby Rails pagination plugin, Will Paginate has an excellent built-in method for showing the records found in a collection: What this does is returns a count of the model objects in your collection. This sometimes helpful, for example, if you want to show your users how many comments a blog post has. Or […]
- The Hungry Beast
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May 22nd, 2010
- Developing the 9elements Way
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May 22nd, 2010
For years, I’ve used my MBP hooked up to a 24″ external monitor, with my laptop closed and an extension keyboard. However, I recently went back to the amazing site run by German web development firm, 9elements. After watching their cool looped video (yes, in Flash!) I noticed something surprising: most of them code directly […]
- Rails and Cucumber – The Benefits of Using Cucumber in Your Next Ruby on Rails Application
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May 21st, 2010
Ever wonder what the appeal of Cucumber is? Wonder if you should employ Cucumber to help develop your next Rails apps? Is it worth the time, effort and extra steps involved? My vote is a hearty “yes”. And here’s why: First, Cucumber forces you to SLOW DOWN. It forces you to stop and think. To […]
- New to Rails? Here Are Nine Tips for Beginning Developers
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May 21st, 2010
If you’re a designer who is just encountering Ruby on Rails…congrats! You’re going to love working the “agile way”. Rails is efficient, fast and a joy to work with. However, Rails can have a steep learning curve, especially for designers. But once you grasp the fundamentals, you’ll never look back.
Here are my top ten tips (and resources) for wrapping your head around Ruby on Rails as a designer: