Whiteboard Style Guide: Rails

Whiteboard-Rails-Style-Guide

Standard rules (suggestions) for Rails code at Whiteboard

Ruby

Methods

• Methods should be 5 lines long or less
• Method names should be clear, in english, what the method is doing
  • get_inv_cdt_lmt should be get_invoice_credit_limit
• If a method is checking for a truethy of falsey value, the method should end in a question mark, i.e. is_an_admin? group_is_active?
• Methods should be separate by a single blank line

# BAD
def method_one
  # ...
end
def method_two
  # ...
end

# GOOD
def method_one
  # ...
end

def method_two
  # ...
end

• Private methods under the private keyword can EITHER be indented or inline with public methods, just be consistent within your classes

iVars (Instance Variables)

Something to ponder ...

Models

Model File Structure

class User < ActiveRecord::Base
  
  # scopes
  
  # CONSTANTS
  
  # attr_ - whatevers
  
  # belongs_tos
  
  # has_manys
  
  # validations on fields
  
  # custom validations
  
  # callbacks
  
  # methods
  
end
  

Controllers

Controller File Structure

class PostsController < ApplicationController

  # includes Modules / Concerns
  
  # before / after filters

  # REST actions ... index, show, create etc

  # Non REST actions ... any custom controller methods / actions
  # ^^ Think hard about this, lots of times a new controller is warranted for
  #    non REST actions.

private

  # params, small methods to help application flow. KEEP CONTROLLER ACTIONS SMALL

  # helper methods for views. Define helper method directly under method declaration
  # That way you know immediately whether a method is defined as a helper method

  def post_owner
    post.user
  end
  helper_method :post_owner


end

Before/After/Around Filters

Before filters and others are great for Authentication ( authenticate_user! ) or Authorization ( current_user.admin? ). Filters should not be used to set instance variables, and especially should not depend on other filters.

Javascript in Rails Projects

External Libraries

If you need to include an external js library such as d3.js in your Rails project, and it does not come as a gem, put the minified library file in vender/assets/javascripts/ and within the sprokets directives at the top of your application.js file, before //=require_tree ., add //= require d3. This will import the external library file BEFORE any of your other javascript files within app/assets.

This has the added benefit of keeping your app/assets/javascripts/ clean with ONLY application specific javascript, AND within your application javascript you do not have to worry about whether on not a file has been loaded before you need it.