This book is a comprehensive guide to utilizing and creating Ruby Gems. Coverage provides an enormous code library that will help developers improve their projects. It details 34 of the best and most useful Gems, including ones to speed up web applications, process credit card payments, produce PDF documents, read and update RSS feeds, and acquire real-time shipping prices from FedEx and UPS. Each of these also comes complete with actual use cases and code examples that readers can immediately use in their own projects. In addition, the book describes how readers can package and distribute their own Ruby Gems.

Within the pages of Practical Ruby for System Administration, you'll learn the Ruby way to construct files, tap into clouds of data, build domain-specific languages, perform network traffic analysis, and more. Coverage places equal emphasis on fundamental Ruby concepts as well as practical how-tos. Based on author André Ben Hamou's own experiences working as a system administrator, this book will help you pick up practical tips on Ruby coding style, learn how to analyze and improve script performance, and make use of no-nonsense advice on scripting workflow, including testing, documentation, and version control.

Business intelligence and real-time reporting mechanisms play a major role in any of today’s forward-looking business plans. With many of these solutions being moved to the Web, the popular Rails framework and its underlying Ruby language are playing a major role alongside web services in building the reporting solutions of tomorrow. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to this popular framework. It shows you how the Ruby language and Rails framework can create truly compelling reporting services by plugging into popular third-party applications and services such as Google AdWords, UPS.com, iTunes, and SalesForce.com.

This book will provide you with all of the tools you need to be a professional Ruby developer. Starting with the core principles, such as syntax and best practices, and up to advanced topics like metaprogramming and big data analysis. About This Book Provides the core skills required to become a Ruby programmer Covers how to use the most popular Ruby Gem libraries Includes details on regular expressions Who This Book Is For This is a complete course written from the ground up for beginners wanting to gain a solid understanding of the Ruby language. It starts at the beginning with how to install Ruby and work with it on multiple machines, so simply have a computer that's connected to the Internet and you'll be ready. What You Will Learn Learn how to use Ruby code effectively, picking the right tool for the job and not duplicating built-in functionality Gain best software development practices, and how to identify and fix common errors Absorb core programming skills, such as variables, strings, loops, conditionals, and much more Explore object-oriented programming and learn to create modular, reusable code that you can use across projects Build 10 practical Ruby programs as you work through the book on topics such as big data analysis and solving Euler equations In Detail Ruby is a powerful, general-purpose programming language that can be applied to any task. Whether you are an experienced developer who wants to learn a new language or you are new to programming, this book is your comprehensive Ruby coding guide. Starting with the foundational principles, such as syntax, and scaling up to advanced topics such as big data analysis, this book will give you all of the tools you need to be a professional Ruby developer. A few of the key topics are: object-oriented programming, built-in Ruby methods, core programming skills, and an introduction to the Ruby on Rails and Sinatra web frameworks. You will also build 10 practical Ruby programs. Created by an experienced Ruby developer, this book has been written to ensure it focuses on the skills you will need to be a professional Ruby developer. After you have read this book, you will be ready to start building real-world Ruby projects. Style and approach This is a comprehensive course for learning the Ruby programming language that works methodically through everything that you need to know. It begins with the basics of the language and then works through some complete projects to apply your skills and ensure that you have fully absorbed them and can use them in the real world.

Revitalized by Ruby on Rails, the Ruby language continues to grow in popularity. Books like this are necessary to fill the demand. Here is a classic of its kind; required reading for Ruby programmers who have already mastered the basics and want to learn higher level techniques. Practical Ruby Projects presents nine diverse projects that will teach new and innovative techniques in a learn-by-example fashion. They include a turn-based adventure game and a generative music creator. While there are many other Ruby titles, none of them take this unique project-based approach to teaching.

The Complete Guide to Writing More Maintainable, Manageable, Pleasing, and Powerful Ruby Applications Ruby's widely admired ease of use has a downside: Too many Ruby and Rails applications have been created without concern for their long-term maintenance or evolution. The Web is awash in Ruby code that is now virtually impossible to change or extend. This text helps you solve that problem by using powerful real-world object-oriented design techniques, which it thoroughly explains using simple and practical Ruby examples. This book focuses squarely on object-oriented Ruby application design. Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby will guide you to superior outcomes, whatever your previous Ruby experience. Novice Ruby programmers will find specific rules to live by; intermediate Ruby programmers will find valuable principles they can flexibly interpret and apply; and advanced Ruby programmers will find a common language they can use to lead development and guide their colleagues. This guide will help you Understand how object-oriented programming can help you craft Ruby code that is easier to maintain and upgrade Decide what belongs in a single Ruby class Avoid entangling objects that should be kept separate Define flexible interfaces among objects Reduce programming overhead costs with duck typing Successfully apply inheritance Build objects via composition Design cost-effective tests Solve common problems associated with poorly designed Ruby code

The Rails framework empowers developers with unprecedented levels of productivity by embracing principles such as “convention over configuration” and “don’t repeat yourself”. This paradigm is even apparent at the community level, where developers regularly share their custom framework extensions by way of Rails’ plugins feature. Plugins offer a way for developers to extend the core Rails framework with their own custom features, allowing for rapid integration of features such as authentication, user ratings, and search. Practical Rails Plugins shows you how to capitalize upon the wide variety of plugins at your disposal by guiding you through their integration into a number of interesting projects. You’ll learn how to rapidly augment projects involving asynchronous video transcoding, geocoding and mapping, content management, community ratings, and PDF generation. You’ll also learn how to create and distribute your own plugins. The ultimate guide to building powerful web sites faster using Rails plugins Demonstrates how to use popular plugins within a number of practical (and fully functional) projects and mini–applications Shows you how to create and distribute your own plugins