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[engines guide] Credit where credit is due + explaning directory stru…
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radar committed Oct 10, 2011
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Expand Up @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ endprologue.


h3. What are engines? h3. What are engines?


Engines can be considered miniature applications that provide functionality to their host applications. A Rails application is actually just a "supercharged" engine, with the +Rails::Application+ class inheriting from +Rails::Engine+. Therefore, engines and applications share common functionality but are at the same time two separate beasts. Engines and applications also share a common structure, as you'll see later in this guide. Engines can be considered miniature applications that provide functionality to their host applications. A Rails application is actually just a "supercharged" engine, with the +Rails::Application+ class inheriting from +Rails::Engine+. Therefore, engines and applications share common functionality but are at the same time two separate beasts. Engines and applications also share a common structure, as you'll see througout this guide.


Engines are also closely related to plugins where the two share a common +lib+ directory structure and are both generated using the +rails plugin new+ generator. Engines are also closely related to plugins where the two share a common +lib+ directory structure and are both generated using the +rails plugin new+ generator.


Expand All @@ -34,7 +34,9 @@ $ rails plugin new blorgh --mountable


The +--mountable+ option tells the plugin generator that you want to create an engine (which is a mountable plugin, hence the option name), creating the basic directory structure of an engine by providing things such as the foundations of an +app+ folder, as well a +config/routes.rb+ file. This generator also provides a file at +lib/blorgh/engine.rb+ which is identical in function to an application's +config/application.rb+ file. The +--mountable+ option tells the plugin generator that you want to create an engine (which is a mountable plugin, hence the option name), creating the basic directory structure of an engine by providing things such as the foundations of an +app+ folder, as well a +config/routes.rb+ file. This generator also provides a file at +lib/blorgh/engine.rb+ which is identical in function to an application's +config/application.rb+ file.


Inside the +app+ directory there lives the standard +assets+, +controllers+, +helpers+, +mailers+, +models+ and +views+ directories that you should be familiar with from an application. h4. Inside an engine

h5. Critical files


At the root of the engine's directory, lives a +blorgh.gemspec+ file. When you include the engine into the application later on, you will do so with this line in a Rails application's +Gemfile+: At the root of the engine's directory, lives a +blorgh.gemspec+ file. When you include the engine into the application later on, you will do so with this line in a Rails application's +Gemfile+:


Expand All @@ -54,11 +56,46 @@ end
Within +lib/blorgh/engine.rb+ is the base class for the engine: Within +lib/blorgh/engine.rb+ is the base class for the engine:


<ruby> <ruby>
TODO: lib/blorgh/engine.rb module Blorgh
class Engine < Rails::Engine
isolate_namespace Blorgh
end
end
</ruby> </ruby>


By inheriting from the +Rails::Engine+ class, this engine gains all the functionality it needs, such as being able to serve requests to its controllers.

The +isolate_namespace+ method here deserves special notice. This call is responsible for isolating the controllers, models, routes and other things into their own namespace. Without this, there is a possibility that the engine's components could "leak" into the application, causing unwanted disruption. It is recommended that this line be left within this file.

h5. +app+ directory

Inside the +app+ directory there lives the standard +assets+, +controllers+, +helpers+, +mailers+, +models+ and +views+ directories that you should be familiar with from an application. The +helpers+, +mailers+ and +models+ directories are empty and so aren't described in this section. We'll look more into models in a future section.

Within the +app/assets+ directory, there is the +images+, +javascripts+ and +stylesheets+ directories which, again, you should be familiar with due to their similarities of an application. One difference here however is that each directory contains a sub-directory with the engine name. Because this engine is going to be namespaced, its assets should be too.

Within the +app/controllers+ directory there is a +blorgh+ directory and inside that a file called +application_controller.rb+. This file will provide any common functionality for the controllers of the engine. The +blorgh+ directory is where the other controllers for the engine will go. By placing them within this namespaced directory, you prevent them from possibly clashing with identically-named controllers within other engines or even within the application. Within the +app/controllers+ directory there is a +blorgh+ directory and inside that a file called +application_controller.rb+. This file will provide any common functionality for the controllers of the engine. The +blorgh+ directory is where the other controllers for the engine will go. By placing them within this namespaced directory, you prevent them from possibly clashing with identically-named controllers within other engines or even within the application.


Lastly, the +app/views+ directory contains a +layouts+ folder which contains file at +blorgh/application.html.erb+ which allows you to specify a layout for the engine. If this engine is to be used as a stand-alone engine, then we would add any customization to its layout in this file, rather than the applications +app/views/layouts/application.html.erb+ file.

h5. +script+ directory

This directory contains one file, +script/rails+, which allows you to use the +rails+ sub-commands and generators just like you would within an application. This means that you will very easily be able to generate new controllers and models for this engine.

h5. +test+ directory

The +test+ directory is where tests for the engine will go. To test the engine, there is a cut-down version of a Rails application embedded within it at +test/dummy+. This application will mount the engine in the +test/dummy/config/routes.rb+ file:

<ruby>
Rails.application.routes.draw do

mount Blorgh::Engine => "/blorgh"
end
</ruby>

This line mounts the engine at the path of +/blorgh+, which will make it accessible through the application only at that path. We will look more into mounting an engine after we have developed some features.

Also in the test directory is the +test/integration+ directory, where integration tests for the engine should be placed.

h3. Providing engine functionality h3. Providing engine functionality


TODO: Brief explanation of what this engine is going to be doing and what we will have once we are done. TODO: Brief explanation of what this engine is going to be doing and what we will have once we are done.
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