How to Use JavaScript in Rails

Can you have all three of them in one app? Yes, to the best of my knowledge. There's like an asset bundling gem now where it will do stuff to your JavaScript and put it in the asset pipeline. The fact that it's not really that simple or that low complexity anymore is a problem. It's a bit of a barrier for folks to get started, at least to me.

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This week the tables are turned on Ruby for All, as our friend of the show, Drew Bragg, interviews Julie J. This was originally on Code and the Coding Coders Who Code it Podcast. If you haven’t checked it out, please go smash the subscribe button. Today, Drew asks Julie J his 3 questions: What are you working on? What's blocking you? What's something cool you want to share? What are Julie’s answers? Guess you’ll have to listen to find out. Hint, they talk about her cool side project, Ruby for All, Rails upgrades, and some of the confusion that still exists around assets in Rails. Hit download now to find out more!

[00:01:21] Julie tells us she’s working on a work-related project and a side project. At work, she’s been struggling to keep track of her tasks and notes so she decided to build an app called, Today app, which is a Rails/ERB views app that consolidates all her tasks, questions, standup notes, meeting details on one page, and a note section for previous discussions.

[00:07:19] She started working on this project for a couple of months and has found Chat GPT helpful for quick syntax references and learning new concepts. She also uses it to quiz herself and simplify complex explanations.

[00:13:00] What does Julie work with right now at work? She primarily works with Rails but has a desire to focus more on front-end development to enhance her skills in both areas, and she’s been doing some React Typescript and React Native.

[00:14:07] Julie tells us Codecademy is set up with a mix of front-end, full stack, and back-end.

[00:14:41] Drew explains in his current work, they primarily use ERB templates and some Stimulus for their JavaScript sprinkles. His new project is transitioning to using Turbo and Hotwire for interactivity and reactivity.

[00:15:56] Drew’s been heavily involved in upgrading their Rails version at his job, starting from v4.1 and currently on v6.1. He’s gained experience and learned through trial and error during these upgrades.

[00:18:44] Julie expresses her interest in participating in Rails upgrades at her job, as her team is currently on Rails v6.0 and Ruby v2.7. Drew gained experience and learned through trial and error during these upgrades.

[00:22:21] We hear Drew’s approach of limiting his to-do list to three tasks, and Julie mentions how she further limits hers to just one task in her Today app. They discuss the value of limiting tasks and the mental health benefits it may provide.

[00:24:29] What kind of blockers does Julie run into? She shares how she used ChatGPT to overcome JavaScript related issues in her Today app and get unstuck. She mentions struggling with integrating JavaScript and explains how she received guidance from ChatGPT.

[00:28:00] Drew discusses the confusion and complexity surrounding asset management in Rails, particularly with JavaScript. Also, it can be overwhelming for junior or early career developers trying to learn Rails since there are three different ways to manage assets.

[00:32:25] RubyConf in San Diego is coming up and Julie and Drew will be attending.

[00:34:20] What is something cool Julie’s discovered? She tells us she spent two months learning about OAuth and OpenID connect. She also mentions using ngrok to solve the issue of testing Apple SSO locally by redirecting the local host to a ngrok URL.

[00:36:41] Drew explains that ngrok is commonly used to tunnel local development environments and allows testing over HTTPS.

[00:37:34] Julie and Drew briefly discuss the deprecated gem, Paperclip, which was used for file uploads before Active Storage became the preferred open in Rails.

Panelists:

Julie J.

Drew Bragg

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