TLDR: I am not a pro, so please challenge me on everything. My code is wrong somewhere? Correct me. Got another way to implement a feature? Correct me. I am doing something completely wrong? Correct me. Help me help the rails community to have a better understanding of Rails. Thanks!
I started learning Ruby on Rails exactly one year ago, and what a journey has it been. When I first started learning Rails, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with it. All I knew was that I wanted to simply make something, regardless of what the end product end. I knew that I got into Computer Science not because I enjoy the theories and maths behind them, (although they are truly fascinating) but because I have always enjoyed the power of creation.
So one thing led to another, I somehow picked up Ruby on Rails and began to just make random stuff with it. At first I thought Rails was almost impossible to understand, with all the different conventions and strategies and all that. I made CRUD apps after CRUD apps, and after a while, I got pretty damn good at making just CRUD apps. But that was not enough.
In Fall of 2014, I attended my first College Hackathons, and I have never felt so insignificant and insecure about my knowledge until that day. From all across North America, students my age are already making some ridiculously awesome stuff that I cannot even begin to perceive (First place went to a guy who tweaked some hardware and software so he can play surgeon simulator with his actual hands). I’ve met a lot of ridiculously talented and skilled people, and it really hit me then just how much more I have to learn.
There are just so many more techniques and knowledge for me to learn about that rails. When I first started Rails, there were tons of beginner tutorials that would guide me through the basics. How to create a Rails folder. How to start the rails server. How to write a simple CRUD app. But what is lacking right now is anything beyond those basic skills. I’ve asked a lot of people about this, and it appears that most of them do agree - there is a lack of intermediate Rails tutorials right now.
And that’s where this blog (at least the idea) came in.
At least once a month, I will attempt to create something that I have absolutely no idea how to before. When I’m done making whatever it is, I will create a post on just how exactly I made it. To the best of my abilities, I will also include all possible resources and/or StackOverflow questions that helped me along the way. Because who knows? maybe you’ll learn more from those resources than my blog posts.
With that said, I am in no shape or form a rails expert. Hell, I honestly still consider myself a beginner honestly. So if you happen to stumble upon a bug when going through my code, please let me know. If you think I am implementing something wrong and there is a much better way to do it, please let me know. If you think one of my project is complete shit and I should just erase it forever to save myself any further embarrassment, please let me know (nicely). I would (mostly) appreciate it, and the rails community who’s reading the posts probably will too.
After all, this is not a tutorial blog. This is my attempt to learn with you all together.
PS: If you have an app in mind, but don’t know how to make it, let me know. I’ll take my best shot at it.
Resources I Used to Learn Rails
Michael Hartl’s tutorial is honestly a life saver. He went into a lot concept in pretty profound details, and by the end of the book you’ll have built a complete twitter-clone. It was my first ever tutorial at Ruby on Rails, and year later, I still reference it from time to time regarding some topics.
Mackenzie Child 12-in-12 Challenge
If you want to solidify your knowledge on how to make CRUD apps, the 12-in-12 challenge proposed by Mackenzie Child is fantastic. Each week for 12 weeks, he made a screen cast on how to make a simple CRUD app and explain the process in great details. I think it’s an absolute must if you’re thinking of practicing your rails foundation.
A free, once a week ruby email that covers topics ranging from gem discovery to jobs to tutorials. Although most of the topics presented require some fundamental understand of the rails framework, it is nonetheless an extremely valuable resource if you intend to keep up to date with ruby and rails.
Got a problem or just want to talk? The Reddit Rails community is incredibly patient and awesome. They will answer most of your questions/concerns.
DevWalks Last but not least, DevWalks is a seriously awesome resource if you are thinking of building another full-scale application like Hartl’s Twitter clone. In this series, you will build an instagram clone along with the necesserily testing specs. If you have any questions, the creator of this series is pretty active on the rails subreddit, so be sure to check it out!