# Drawing plugin

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/drawing-plugin/183908>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [February 22, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/drawing-plugin/183908 "2010-02-22T15:31:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/drawing-plugin/183908/1 "2010-02-22T15:31:52Z")

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Hello,

I’m working on a site that needs to allow a user to draw something using  
their mouse. I’m looking for something similar to MS-Paint, but in  
browser.  
I need the app to be able to use the image after they are done.

Lightweight and simple are the most important things; can anyone  
recommend  
something that will work well with Rails?

-Jer

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/drawing-plugin/183908/2 "2010-02-22T16:12:15Z")

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On Feb 22, 12:38 pm, Jeremy C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I’m working on a site that needs to allow a user to draw something using  
> their mouse. I’m looking for something similar to MS-Paint, but in browser.  
> I need the app to be able to use the image after they are done.
> 
> Lightweight and simple are the most important things; can anyone recommend  
> something that will work well with Rails?

Could you use a canvas element? You’d have to write some javascript to  
allow people to draw on it obviously.

Fred

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/drawing-plugin/183908/3 "2010-02-22T17:11:22Z")

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On 22 Feb 2010, at 16:10, Frederick C. wrote:

> Could you use a canvas element? You’d have to write some javascript to  
> allow people to draw on it obviously.

And you’ll have no Internet Exploder support whatsoever. Simply said,  
at the moment, I know of no capable inbrowser drawing application.  
Maybe there’s some Flash component out there that can do it, that’s  
your best best to be honest.

Best regards

Peter De Berdt

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@jcanady](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/jcanady)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/drawing-plugin/183908/4 "2010-02-22T18:27:28Z")

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On Feb 22, 4:07 pm, Peter De Berdt [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> On 22 Feb 2010, at 16:10, Frederick C. wrote:
> 
> > Could you use a canvas element? You’d have to write some javascript to  
> > allow people to draw on it obviously.
> 
> And you’ll have no Internet Exploder support whatsoever. Simply said,  
> at the moment, I know of no capable inbrowser drawing application.

excanvas ([http://excanvas.sourceforge.net/](http://excanvas.sourceforge.net/)) purports to add internet  
explorer support, though I don’t know how well.

Fred