RailsBridge

Workshop for Beginning Rails

March 9th & 10th · Cleveland, OH

Get a name tag and a sticker. Talk to a human!

We'll break into small groups after a brief presentation.

Where are we?

CoverMyMeds

Today is open source.

This workshop is a community project built by MANY volunteers. All of the materials are open source!

What is open source?

"Generally, open source refers to a computer program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source


It makes the Internet run!

Why are we here?

To learn Ruby on Rails!

 

And what is that?

That is an excellent question.

But first, let's talk about the Internet.


…AND HOW IT WORKS

Web Application Plumbing

Diagram of a generalized web application.

Ruby is a programming language.

  • First released in 1995.
  • It's an object-oriented, general-purpose language.
  • <opinion>It's quite nice.</opinion>

 

# Outputs "I love Ruby"
say = "I love Ruby"
puts say

# Outputs "I *LOVE* RUBY"
say['love'] = "*love*"
puts say.upcase

# Outputs "I *love* Ruby" five times
5.times { puts say }

Rails is a framework.

A framework is a collection of scripts and utilities that simplify writing web applications, kind of like a template!

Why do we use it?

  • It's written in the Ruby language.
  • It's opinionated.
  • It emphasizes convention over configuration.
  • It encourages DRY — Don't Repeat Yourself — coding.
  • It's database-agnostic.
  • Open-sourced in 2004!

RAILS is a FRAMEWORK

for

WEB APPLICATIONS

written in the

RUBY PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE.

ruby-logo + rails_logo = ♥

What are we doing today?

We will learn Rails, Heroku, and Git.

Focus on tools and building a web application.

How will I learn it?

You have a colored dot on your nametag

We'll group together by that color! Your section will be folks that have a similar technical level as the one you rated yourself when you signed up.

In your section you'll have a presenter and TA's

The presenter will walk with you through the curriculumn, and TA's will be there to help with questions, and if you get stuck. Flag one down when you need help!

Oh no! I'm in the wrong section!


Ain't no thang.

If your section doesn't seem like a good fit, (i.e. you know the answers to all of the questions) it's TOTALLY OKAY to get up and move.

Find an organizer or TA and tell them where you're coming from, and what you're looking for in terms of level.

(Nobody will get offended, promise! We want you to be in the right place.)

Ask Questions!

If you're wondering something, there is a 90% chance someone else is wondering it, too. Help out & ask!

Don't be shy!

Or if you're a shy person, that's cool, too. TAs and teachers are here to help.

Ground Rules

As a community, RailsBridge works to make tech more accessible and more awesome. We have a Code of Conduct that is super important, and it includes an anti-harassment policy that we take very seriously.


If you are harassed or witness harassment, please let an organizer or volunteer know as soon as you comfortably can.


The complete text of our Code of Conduct can be found at http://bridgefoundry.org/code-of-conduct.

APPROXIMATE Schedule

  • 9 - 9:30am: Sign in, coffee, breakfast
  • 9:30 - 10:00am: Get settled & overview
  • 10:00 - 12:30: Session 1
  • 12:30 - 1:30pm: Lunch!
  • 1:30 - 4:15pm: Session 2
  • 4:15 - 5pm: Wrapup and final questions
  • 5pm - onward: Beer O'Clock. After party at Winking Lizard (25380 Miles Rd., Bedford Heights, OH 44146)

Ready? Break!

ready-break

You came.

You saw.

You Ruby'd.

You Rail'd.

How'd it go?

Help Us Level Up


What went great?

What could have been better?

Would you recommend this to a friend?

In the coming days

We'll email you an anonymous survey about the workshop. Be honest! We love your opinions.

Feel like helping? Fantastic!

  1. Volunteer!
    TA or teach at the next workshop. It's a great way to learn, and as a recent student you'll know what can be hard.
  2. Organize!
    Rails expertise not required. Cat-herding skills helpful.
  3. Help with the curriculum!
    The curriculum can always be improved. We'd love to help with your first or fiftieth pull request.
  4. Spread the word!
    Tell your friends about RailsBridge. <3!

How do I keep learning?

  • We've collected our favorite tutorials, books, and references at http://railsbridge.org/learn/resources.
  • If there's anyone you connected with today, exchange contact info with them and meet up to work on something!
  • Ask questions online in the Cleveland-Tech Slack channel (link will be emailed to you)
  • Ask a volunteer (or me) what their favorite local meetup is, or other favorite in-person resources.
  • Also: Come back again!

The End

Let's go chat and become super party friends!

(After we clean up CoverMyMeds!)

Winking Lizard

(25380 Miles Rd., Bedford Heights, OH 44146)

Beer pitcher