What's the flow?

Rails
1

Hello,
I’m new to web programming. I want to learn about the process while
developing web applications. What must come first? design, database or
model?

I think the order must be design->database->model.

What’s the best approach?

2

Hi Bahadir

it depends on what you want to do, what size of your ideas have.

Get a pen, a paper write your ideas down.
Then start with a design or your business model

I think the design (rough) should come out of your business model,
where your application design should come out of your rough design
sketch.
In Rails, many Ideas may come also later while you are programming,
because you discover nice features in ruby and/or rails, which helps
you to integrate nice-to-have features.

But as I said, try starting with pen and paper write your ideas down
and make a sketch, of what you have in mind.

best regards and have fun!

Rafael

On 23 Jun., 12:37, “Bahadır DoÄŸan” [email protected]

3

Bahadir Dogan wrote:

I’m new to web programming. I want to learn about the process while
developing web applications. What must come first? design, database or
model?

In traditional development, you must write the database first, then the
design. That’s because changing a traditional program - especially
changing
the database schema - runs incredible risk of bugs.

Rails is a member of a category of programming styles called “Agile”,
meaning Rails uses tests and database migrations to help reduce the
impact
of early design mistakes. This, in turn, allows you to start a program
as
“lean” as possible. Just enough data tables, models, and controllers to
pass
some test, and produce some output.

So the flow should be to write unit tests and functional tests, get them
to
fail, then write enough code to pass the test. And repeat, adding a test
for
each new bit of code you need. Keep your program as simple as possible
at
all times.

Some programming environments make that technique very hard. HTML
development makes it especially hard. Rails is unique in the industry
for
making test-driven development for HTML easier than most other
platforms.

–
Phlip
Test Driven Ajax (on Rails) [Book]
“Test Driven Ajax (on Rails)”
assert_xpath, assert_javascript, & assert_ajax

4

Bahadır Doğan wrote:

I’m new to web programming. I want to learn about the process while
developing web applications. What must come first? design, database or
model?

I think the order must be design->database->model.

What’s the best approach?

Focus on the user experience: views => models => database
=> controllers

–
We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore.

5

Hi –

On Sat, 23 Jun 2007, Bahadır DoÄ~_an wrote:

Hello,
I’m new to web programming. I want to learn about the process while
developing web applications. What must come first? design, database or
model?

I think the order must be design->database->model.

What’s the best approach?

It depends so much on the project. When I’m working on something
alone, at least, I always seem to work on the domain modeling and
database design first, and then layer the program logic (the
controllers) and design (to the extent that what I do can be called
design :slight_smile: on top. But that’s just how I work; it’s not necessarily a
recommendation that you proceed the same way.

David

–

6

Hi,

In my opinion it should start and end with the user interface. This is
the
only part of the entire system that the user will see and will use so
the
user interface should drive everything else. Now, this doesn’t mean that
the
UI needs to be nailed down and signed off before you start working on
the
model or the DB, but it means that in any iteration, the work being done
should be driven by the state of the UI for that iteration and should be
ultimately verified according to the UI.

So, to put this more simply, create a screen(s) and then work to make
the
screen(s) function. Then go back to the screen(s) and ensure that what
is
happening and the data you are getting back based on what you are
entering
is correct.

As much as the rest of the application is important, your users don’t
care
if there is a database or you are using comma separated flat files.

Cheers,
Chris

On 6/23/07, Bahadır DoÄŸan [email protected] wrote:

–
Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.

–
www.fuzzylizard.com

You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, Not when you have nothing
more to add, But when you have nothing more to take away.
– Antoine de Saint-Exupery

7

Agile doesn’t change the order of the traditional process of software
development it shortens the cycles of releases.

More like this:
analysis->design->develop->deploy->anlysis->design->develop->deploy-

analysis->design->develop->deploy->anlysis->design->develop->deploy-
analysis->design->develop->deploy->anlysis->design->develop->deploy-
analysis->design->develop->deploy->anlysis->design->develop->deploy-
analysis->design->develop->deploy->anlysis->design->develop->deploy-
analysis->design->develop->deploy->anlysis->design->develop->deploy

This increases transparency of status of the project, mitigates

risks, and reveals scope and resource usage (velocity)…

~)o
gustin

http://www.entryway.net

8

It depends so much on the project. When I’m working on something
alone, at least, I always seem to work on the domain modeling and
database design first, and then layer the program logic (the
controllers) and design (to the extent that what I do can be called
design :slight_smile: on top. But that’s just how I work; it’s not necessarily a
recommendation that you proceed the same way.

I’m the same way, but neither of us are designers :slight_smile:

I think it’s a good idea to go straight to the source though. Rails
was created out of a 37signals application, so it’s tailored to the
way they work. Getting Real is their PDF book talking about it:
Getting Real.

–
Rick O.
http://lighthouseapp.com
http://weblog.techno-weenie.net
http://mephistoblog.com