Non-database data infrastructure

I’ve just completed my first exercise of RoR.

Now I need to decide if this is the right tool for the application I
have in mind.
The problem is that as far as I can tell, RoR relies on the underlying
data coming from a relational database. A lot of code is provided to
deal with the creation/migration/selection/modification of database
records.

However, my application will deal with configuration files - things
like /etc type config files.
If I was using SuSE, I would develop a yast applet, but I want
something generic and web based (webmin like if you will).

Is there an infrastructure to deal with arbitrary data format? XML?
unstructured files?

If not, how difficult do you think it will be to develop such an
infrastructure?

Are there projects out there, already doing rails based webmin-like
tools?

Thanks,
Dan

On 9/3/07, Pat M. [email protected] wrote:

deal with the creation/migration/selection/modification of database
If not, how difficult do you think it will be to develop such an

I don’t know of any projects off the top of my head, but you could
certainly use general config files. You’d just need to write the code
that handles the reading, validation, and writing. Basically you
could use the entire Rails stack except for AR.

Pat

I understand. Don’t know how hard it is, I mean to stick the new code
into
the framework, but conceptually this is what I though.

BTW, What do you mean by AR?

Dan

On 9/3/07, dbbd [email protected] wrote:

However, my application will deal with configuration files - things
Are there projects out there, already doing rails based webmin-like
tools?

Thanks,
Dan

I don’t know of any projects off the top of my head, but you could
certainly use general config files. You’d just need to write the code
that handles the reading, validation, and writing. Basically you
could use the entire Rails stack except for AR.

Pat

Arti (http://arti-ar.cfcl.com/) currently pulls all of its data
from a set of YAML files that are generated by batch-mode scripts.
The source code is available for online inspection; alternatively,
you can simply download the package.

-r

http://www.cfcl.com/rdm Rich M.
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/resume [email protected]
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/weblog +1 650-873-7841

Technical editing and writing, programming, and web development

At 08:38 +0000 9/4/07, dbbd wrote:

I have no idea how this is relevant to my question.

Arti is an example of a program that uses a “non-database data
infrastructure”:

Arti (http://arti-ar.cfcl.com/) currently pulls all of its data
from a set of YAML files that are generated by batch-mode scripts.

That is, Arti’s data infrastructure is based on a set of YAML files.

I still have no idea what AR is.

ActiveRecord is the de facto standard for accessing databases under
Rails. AR is a common abbreviation for this.

Nor do I understand to what “package” you refer.

I was referring to the Arti package.

-r

http://www.cfcl.com/rdm Rich M.
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/resume [email protected]
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/weblog +1 650-873-7841

Technical editing and writing, programming, and web development

dbbd wrote:

[You’re into Technical writing, no? I would have expected a somewhat
clearer answer. No offense please]

Dan

If I remember your original question, AR is ActiveRecord and is the
basic class in Rails that does the Object-Relational Mapping (from Ruby
objects <->a relational DB record such as one in a table in MySQL)
therefore providing your application with the data that it needs. If
you want to move to a non-DB structure, I believe this is the best you’d
need to do without (I think that’s what one of the replies to your
question was).

Cheers,
Mohit.
9/4/2007 | 4:41 PM.

On Sep 3, 7:11 pm, Rich M. [email protected] wrote:

Arti (http://arti-ar.cfcl.com/) currently pulls all of its data
from a set of YAML files that are generated by batch-mode scripts.
The source code is available for online inspection; alternatively,
you can simply download the package.

-r
http://www.cfcl.com/rdm Rich M.http://www.cfcl.com/rdm/resume [email protected]://www.cfcl.com/rdm/weblog +1 650-873-7841

Technical editing and writing, programming, and web development

From the web site you refer to:
“Arti is an attempt to improve the documentation infrastructure for
Ruby in general and Rails in particular”
I have no idea how this is relevant to my question.

I still have no idea what AR is. Nor do I understand to what “package”
you refer.
[You’re into Technical writing, no? I would have expected a somewhat
clearer answer. No offense please]

Dan