Hi
I can’t speak for anybody else, but this is how I do it.
Design the model that reflects the requirements - generate either DDL or
a migration file, create database tables.
Generate the app and the scaffold.
Populate the development database with test data, check CRUD
functionality and connections.
Create view(s) - .rhtml from the scaffold pages in the view directory -
test to ensure functionality
Replace the scaffold created actions with actions that suit the job
better. These iterative cycles are moved around depending upon customer
requirements and what makes sense at the time.
In the main, I use either VI (for small applications) or Komodo/Aptana
for larger ones. rhtml files are just normal html with some ruby code
embedded, much like PHP/ASP/JSP/Perl generate templates.
Quality assurance and control is created by using the built in testing
framework that is generated by the Generators - these tests can be made
to suit the application.
The only other tips that I can give are get hold of Agile Web
Development with Rails (2nd ed) by The Pragmatic Programmers, try it out
for yourself and have fun.
The book goes through a fairly comprehensive example that you can easily
complete in a day, with the rest of the book going into a great amount
of detail on all the features of the framework, including migrations,
AJAX helper and form helpers, it is an indispensable reference for this
development platform.
HTH
Clive