Build a Photo Blog with Ruby on Rails

Name: Build a Photo Blog with Ruby on Rails
Rating: 4.4 (61 reviews)

Learn how to build a robust Ruby on Rails photo uploading and management application in this project based course.

Created byJordan Hudgens

Last updated 3/2015

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Learn how to build a Ruby on Rails photo uploading application
Learn how to work with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) API
Fully scaffold a blog application
Learn skills such as dynamic image sizing
Build applications with a MVC (model, view, controller) structure
Gain an introductory level of experience with RSpec testing
Work with the Postgres database

Course content

5 sections • 21 lectures • 1h 33m total length

Creating the Rails Application3:26
Create the rails application with rails new, selecting the database equals postscripts sequel to mirror production. Run rake db:create and verify the app by opening the browser to port 3000.
Reviewing the File Setup in the Application5:45
Explore the Rails app structure, focusing on the app directory and its models, views, controllers, assets, helpers, and mailers, plus databases, migrations, seeds, lib, and gem management.
Setting up the application's Model, Views, and Controller5:41
Set up a Rails scaffold for posts with a model, views, and controller, including title, image URL, and description, using a CDN and migrations to create posts with timestamps.
Working with the Rails Console5:09
Explore the Rails console for the photo blog app: create, read, update, and delete posts, use variables and dot notation, and preview validations to prevent empty records.
Integrating Validations for Data Integrity4:28
Enforce data integrity in your photo blog by adding validations, such as presence checks for title, image, and description, and test via the Rails console.
Setting up the homepage in the route's file3:21
Set up the homepage by configuring routes in config/routes.rb, mapping root to posts#index, and explore how the posts controller's index action serves the home page in a Rails photo blog.

Gems for image uploading and connecting to the AWS API5:36
Learn to integrate image management in a Rails app by adding carrier wave, mini magick, fog, figaro, and the Unicode normalization form support, connect to AWS, and protect environment variables.
Creating the Carrierwave Upload Generator File2:23
Create a CarrierWave photo uploader with the generator, inspect the default uploader, and compare local file storage with AWS and CDN options for caching, performance, and security.
Configuring the file upload parameters with custom resize methods6:13
Configure a photo uploader in ruby on rails using carrierwave and mini_magick, switch storage to fog for remote awos, and set resize variants like tiny and profile with a waitlist.
Integrating the photo upload process into the model2:24
Mount the photo uploader on the image attribute in the model to wire CarrierWave into the database as a string; keep the uploader class in the uploader directory.
Setting up Figaro for secure environment variable management3:27
Learn to securely manage API keys and environment variables with the Figaro gem, install it, generate config/application.yml, and use environment-specific blocks for development and production.

Creating AWS Buckets on the CDN server2:43
Learn to create aws s3 buckets as a cdn for a photo blog by generating access keys, setting up development and production buckets, and preparing api access with fog.
Integrating a connector to the AWS API with Fog5:24
Integrate an AWS API connection with Fog in a Ruby on Rails photo blog by creating an initializer, configuring Fog credentials, and setting a private bucket.

Integrating the file upload field into the view form3:08
Add a file upload field to the post form by switching to f.file_field and uploading an image; verify the server response and AWS S3-hosted image URL.
Rendering images from the server onto the web application5:21
Learn to render images from the server by using image_tag with post.image and profile_size to produce a 500 by 500 image, inspect post data to understand carrier wave, CDN, AWS.
Integrating photo rendering on the homepage5:33
Learn how to upload images, render thumbnails, and display photo posts on the homepage in a Rails app, including switching from table layout to a clean image-based blog.
Making images clickable2:21
Learn how to make images clickable in a Ruby on Rails photo blog by wrapping images in a link tag with embedded Ruby linking to each post show page.

RSpec Setup and Installation3:30
Learn to install and configure rspec for a Ruby on Rails photo blog, add rspec-rails to the gemfile, then run bundle install and begin tests.
Creating the User Model2:14
Create a user model with name, email, and password, run migrations, and verify with rails console to lay groundwork for tests and relationships with photo blog posts.
Creating and Running User Validation Tests9:49
Practice test-driven development by creating and validating a user model with RSpec tests. See red-green-refactor workflow through validations for email and password.
Integrating Length Validations and Running in Documentation Mode5:17
Apply length validations to cap names at 50 characters, drive Rails app development with rspec tests, and run specs in documentation format to reveal creation, validation, and integration behavior.

Requirements

Basic understanding of the Ruby on Rails framework
Have Ruby on Rails setup on their systems

Description

In this intermediate Ruby on Rails development course you will learn how to create a rails application from scratch and implement all of the code necessary for creating a photo uploading feature for a blog. This includes: creating and scaffolding the rails application with full CRUD functionality, building out the upload configuration files and dynamic sizing methods, connecting to the Amazon S3 CDN server for both uploading and downloading files for the application, building out the view files in the application to render the images, and much more. At the end I've also included an introduction to RSpec testing and how to integrate it into the application.

The frameworks, systems, and libraries you will learn how to use in this course are:

Ruby on Rails, version 4.2
Carrierwave for file upload processing
Amazon Web Services (AWS) CDN API for storing and retrieving image files
Figaro for secure credential management
Fog for AWS API connections
Rspec for automated testing
MiniMagick for dynamically manipulating file sizes
ActiveRecord for managing database migrations and queries
And the processes associated with building a real Ruby on Rails web application!

By the end of this course you will be able to create a fully functional image uploading application, you can either extend it's functionality to turn it into something that fits your needs, or leverage the processes to include photo uploading and management into your own applications.

All of the source code for the working application is available for students to review and use.

Finally, it's my goal that all students are able to get through the course successfully, and I therefore check the course message board daily and assist students through any parts of the course.

Who this course is for:

This Ruby on Rails course is meant for developers with a basic level of Ruby on Rails experience, this is an intermediate level course.

Build a Photo Blog with Ruby on Rails

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Application Creation6 lectures • 28min

Integrate photo uploading processes5 lectures • 20min

Connecting to the AWS CDN2 lectures • 8min

Integrating photo uploading and rendering4 lectures • 16min

Introduction to Rspec Testing4 lectures • 21min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: