{"currentChapter":{"id":"pref","sections":[{"id":"preflvl1sec01","contentType":"text","title":"Preface","content":"

Preface

Coding has become one of the most critical skills you can have for furthering your career. Whether you are an experienced developer who wants to learn a new language or you are new to programming, this course can be your comprehensive Ruby coding guide. Starting with foundational principles, such as syntax and scaling up, to advanced topics, such as metaprogramming and big data analysis, I wanted to create a curriculum that will give you all the tools you need to be a professional Ruby developer. With over a decade of real-world development experience, I have engineered this book to ensure it focuses on the skills you will need to be a professional Ruby developer.

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"preface"},{"id":"preflvl1sec02","contentType":"text","title":"What this book covers","content":"

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Introduction to the Ruby Programming Language, gives a high-level view of the Ruby programming language, how to install it on your system, and getting it up and running so you can start building Ruby programs.

Chapter 2, Ruby Variables, teaches you how to work with variables in Ruby to store data and use the data throughout a program, because Ruby variables are the building blocks of just about every Ruby program.

Chapter 3, Ruby Strings, teaches about the Ruby string data type and walks you through how to integrate string data into a Ruby program. Working with words, sentences, and paragraphs are common requirements in many applications.

Chapter 4, Working with Numbers in Ruby, explains how to work with different number data types in a Ruby program, including the integer and float types. A key component in building programs is developing mathematical equations in order to implement various algorithms.

Chapter 5, Ruby Methods, teaches how to create and use methods in Ruby programs to store processes and reuse them throughout a program, including an overview of procs and lambdas. One of the most powerful tools available to developers is the ability to store functionality and share that behavior throughout a program.

Chapter 6, Ruby Iterators and Loops, works you through the powerful iteration tools that come with the Ruby programming language that allow you to traverse various collection types. When it comes to developing programs, one of the common tools utilized by programmers is the ability to loop through collections of data.

Chapter 7, Ruby Collections, shows that nearly every application that you will build will need to implement collections of data in some form or another. This could be anything from a database query that returns multiple records to a set of dates in a calendar.

Chapter 8, Ruby Conditionals, teaches how to integrate conditionals into a Ruby program, which will enable your programs to have dynamic behavior based on different input data. A key component for building dynamic behavior into Ruby applications requires conditional logic at some stage or another.

Chapter 9, Object-Oriented Programming in Ruby, teaches you Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) for Ruby, including creating classes, instantiating objects, working with inheritance, and polymorphism. In addition to readability, one of the defining attributes of the Ruby programming language is how it implements OOP techniques.

Chapter 10, Working with the Filesystem in Ruby, reveals various ways to work with files in Ruby, including the ability to create, open, edit, and delete files using built-in methods and classes.

Chapter 11, Error Handling in Ruby, explains how to work with errors in Ruby, including how to build practical tools such as an error logging program. Many new developers are intimidated when they come across errors and exceptions in a program. However, errors are Ruby's way of telling you how you can improve or alter your program to work properly.

Chapter 12, Regular Expressions in Ruby, enables you to work with regular expressions in Ruby, including the built in Regex class that allows you to build matchers and dynamically search through data. Pattern matching is a common requirement for building code libraries such as validations and basic search functionality.

Chapter 13, Searching with grep in Ruby, teaches how to use the powerful grep method in Ruby programs in order to search through data. Ruby offers a wide variety of options when it comes to searching through strings.

Chapter 14, Ruby Gems, walks you through and teaches what Ruby gems are, how to use them, and where you can find new gems to give your Ruby programs additional functionality. One of the reasons for Ruby's growth in popularity over the past decade is the open source community building code libraries that can be implemented in other applications. Typically, these code libraries are called Ruby gems.

Chapter 15, Ruby Metaprogramming, explains some of the basics of metaprogramming in Ruby, including how to open classes and add functionality to built-in Ruby classes. Writing code that writes code is one of the more challenging topics in any programming language. However, metaprogramming in Ruby offers such a powerful interface for building advanced features into an application. It is worth the effort to learn it.

Chapter 16, Ruby Web Frameworks, reveals the two most popular web frameworks for Ruby programs, Rails and Sinatra, including building applications for both frameworks.

Chapter 17, Working with APIs in Ruby, walks you through how to work with APIs and build a Ruby program that communicates with a third-party API and parses the JSON data. Working with outside services is a powerful mechanism for building data-driven applications.

Chapter 18, Ruby Algorithms, puts together all of the knowledge that we've compiled in the book in order to implement popular algorithms. Specifically, you'll learn how to build advanced algorithms in the Ruby programming language, including the sorting methods, such as quick sort and merge sort, along with a number of functional programming algorithms.

Chapter 19, Machine Learning, teaches how to integrate machine learning algorithms into a Ruby program, including how to build a decision tree, train it, and have it output dynamic results. One of the fastest growing sectors in development is machine learning.

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec02/what-this-book-covers","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"what-this-book-covers"},{"id":"preflvl1sec03","contentType":"text","title":"What you need for this book","content":"

What you need for this book

This course starts at the beginning with how to install Ruby and work with it on multiple machines, so simply have a computer that's connected to the internet and you'll be ready. I'll also show how to run Ruby programs in the browser, so you can work through this book on any operating system.

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec03/what-you-need-for-this-book","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"what-you-need-for-this-book","sectionIndex":3},{"id":"preflvl1sec04","contentType":"text","title":"Who this book is for","content":"

Who this book is for

This is a complete course written from the ground up for beginners wanting to gain a solid understanding of the Ruby language. It starts at the beginning with how to install Ruby and work with it on multiple machines, so simply have a computer that's connected to the Internet and you'll be ready.

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec04/who-this-book-is-for","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"who-this-book-is-for"},{"id":"preflvl1sec05","contentType":"text","title":"Conventions","content":"

Conventions

In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "Now if I always want a string to be in lower case letters, I can use the downcase method, like this."

A block of code is set as follows:

10.times do 
  x=10 
end

p x

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

10.times do 
  x=10 
end

p x

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

rvm install 2.3.0

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "When you click on the Download Ruby button, it will take you to the following page."

Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec05/conventions","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"conventions"},{"id":"preflvl1sec06","contentType":"text","title":"Reader feedback","content":"

Reader feedback

Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book-what you liked or disliked. Reader feedback is important for us as it helps us develop titles that you will really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply email feedback@packtpub.com, and mention the book's title in the subject of your message.

If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide at www.packtpub.com/authors.

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec06/reader-feedback","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"reader-feedback"},{"id":"preflvl1sec07","contentType":"text","title":"Customer support","content":"

Customer support

Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.

Downloading the example code

You can download the example code files for this book from your account at http://www.packtpub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you.

You can download the code files by following these steps:

Log in or register to our website using your email address and password.
Hover the mouse pointer on the SUPPORT tab at the top.
Click on Code Downloads & Errata.
Enter the name of the book in the Search box.
Select the book for which you're looking to download the code files.
Choose from the drop-down menu where you purchased this book from.
Click on Code Download.

Once the file is downloaded, please make sure that you unzip or extract the folder using the latest version of:

WinRAR / 7-Zip for Windows
Zipeg / iZip / UnRarX for Mac
7-Zip / PeaZip for Linux

The code bundle for the book is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Comprehensive-Ruby-Programming. We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

Downloading the color images of this book

We also provide you with a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots/diagrams used in this book. The color images will help you better understand the changes in the output. You can download this file from https://www.packtpub.com/sites/default/files/downloads/ComprehensiveRubyProgramming_ColorImages.pdf.

Errata

Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books-maybe a mistake in the text or the code-we would be grateful if you could report this to us. By doing so, you can save other readers from frustration and help us improve subsequent versions of this book. If you find any errata, please report them by visiting http://www.packtpub.com/submit-errata, selecting your book, clicking on the Errata Submission Form link, and entering the details of your errata. Once your errata are verified, your submission will be accepted and the errata will be uploaded to our website or added to any list of existing errata under the Errata section of that title.

To view the previously submitted errata, go to https://www.packtpub.com/books/content/support and enter the name of the book in the search field. The required information will appear under the Errata section.

Piracy

Piracy of copyrighted material on the Internet is an ongoing problem across all media. At Packt, we take the protection of our copyright and licenses very seriously. If you come across any illegal copies of our works in any form on the Internet, please provide us with the location address or website name immediately so that we can pursue a remedy.

Please contact us at copyright@packtpub.com with a link to the suspected pirated material.

We appreciate your help in protecting our authors and our ability to bring you valuable content.

Questions

If you have a problem with any aspect of this book, you can contact us at questions@packtpub.com, and we will do our best to address the problem.

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec07/customer-support","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"customer-support"}],"title":"Preface","sampleChapter":false,"isPreface":true},"currentSection":{"id":"preflvl1sec03","contentType":"text","title":"What you need for this book","content":"

What you need for this book

","url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec03/what-you-need-for-this-book","metaDescription":"","titleSlug":"what-you-need-for-this-book","sectionIndex":3},"isLastSection":false,"currentChapIndex":null,"isPreface":true,"prevChapter":{"url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec02/what-this-book-covers"},"nextChapter":{"url":"https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/programming/9781787280649/pref/preflvl1sec04/who-this-book-is-for"}}

Comprehensive Ruby Programming

By : Jordan Hudgens

Comprehensive Ruby Programming

By: Jordan Hudgens

Overview of this book

Related Content you might be interested in

Current Title:

Comprehensive Ruby Programming

The Ruby Workshop

From PHP to Ruby on Rails

Polished Ruby Programming