CSC/ECE 517 Fall 2007/wiki2 1 rl

Assignment

Compare Ruby on Rails with Apache Struts. The Apache Struts framework in the Java world occupies a position similar to Ruby on Rails, except that it is not as universally used. Compare the two. Which are the advantages of each for the developer? For the finished application?

Introduction

Ruby on Rails and Apache Struts are both web application frameworks based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture.

MVC Architecture

MVC separates an application into three components: the model, the view, and the controller. The model maintains the application state; it consists of both the data used by the application as well as the rules surrounding the use of that data. The view generates the user interface, which allows the user to view and interact with the data in the model. The controller takes input from the outside world, interprets the input, and manipulates the model accordingly. Separating these three components, or concerns, makes the application code easier to understand, reuse, and maintain.

Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails, also known as "Rails" or "RoR", is the standard Web application framework for the Ruby programming language. It is an open source project that was released in 2004, and was created to make web application development quick and easy.

All Rails applications use the MVC architecture. Rails projects are created with a placeholder for each concern, and these concerns always interact in the same standard way. Models and controllers are Ruby classes, and views are rhtml files. The Ruby router directs requests to a particular controller and action based on the URL.

For more basic information on Ruby on Rails, visit the Ruby on Rails homepage.

Apache Struts

Apache Struts is a Web application framework for the Java programming language, used to create Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) applications. It is an open source project that was donated to Apache in 2000. Struts was introduced to encourage the use of the MVC architecture. Struts provides a controller in the way of request and response handlers, and provides a tag library that developers can use to develop views. The model is left up to the developer.

For more basic information on Apache Struts, visit the Apache Struts homepage.

Comparison of Ruby on Rails and Apache Struts

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Advantages

both have advantages of MVC

Example? advantage: the short and clear URLs, new so not playing catchup on standards (page 2 of book), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_over_Configuration (hibernate) http://www.javalobby.org/java/forums/t65305.html

Advantages for the Developer

Scaffolds: Rails applications can take advantage of scaffolds out of the box. Essentially, Rails will generate all of the code necessary to do basic database interactions, such as create, read, update, and delete entries. This allows developers to quickly and easily begin working with their data model, and replace the generated code with customized versions piece by piece.

Convention over Configuration: Rails uses sensible defaults, so as long as you follow convention, your application can be written with significantly less code and without the great number of configuration files seen in other web applications today. For example, if you create a model class called Product, Rails will also generate for you a controller class named ProductsController, and will assume that your model is using a database table called products. You only need to configure the table name if you are using a different value.

Don't Repeat Yourself: Information about the system should be expressed in only one place. For example, the names of the columns of a database table need only be contained in the table itself. Rails gathers this information through reflection and discovery.

References

1. Ruby on Rails and J2EE: Is there room for both?
2. Rolling with Ruby on Rails Revisited
3. Ruby on Rails
4. Model-view-controller
5. CSC517 Lecture 12: Ruby on Rails
6. Agile Web Development with Rails
7. Ruby on Rails Wikipedia entry
8. Apache Struts Wikipedia entry