Acknowledgments -- About the Author -- Table of Contents -- CHAPTER 1 Getting Started -- Ruby on Rails Fundamental Concepts -- The Model View Controller Paradigm -- Installing Ruby, Rails, and MySQL -- Installing Ruby -- Installing Ruby on Rails -- Installing MySQL -- Creating a Ruby on Rails Project -- Exploring the Ruby on Rails Directory Structure -- Using the Webrick Web Server -- Controllers, Actions, and Views -- Using Embedded Ruby (ERb) -- Linking to Actions -- Displaying Random Images -- Generating Your Own Ruby on Rails API Documentation -- Joining the Rails Community -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 2 Ruby Essentials -- Ruby Syntax -- Interactive Ruby: irb -- Using the Ruby Interpreter -- Variables, Constants, and Assignment -- Objects and Data Types -- Strings -- Mathematical Operations -- Generating Random Numbers -- Conditional Processing -- Loops -- Arrays -- Hashes -- Functions -- Reusing Code -- Classes and Methods -- Handling Exceptions -- Embedded Ruby -- Using Webrick to Serve ERb Templates -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 3 Prototyping Database-Driven Applications with Rails -- Creating a Contact List -- Creating an FAQ Manager -- Creating a Weblog -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 4 Active Record -- Migrations -- Adding and Removing Columns from a Table -- Altering Columns in a Table -- Creating, Renaming, and Dropping Tables -- Defining Indices -- Working with Active Record Models -- Using Active Record Without Rails -- Retrieving Records with find -- Using find_by_sql -- Dynamic Finders -- Column Statistics-Average, Max, Min, Sum, and Count -- Validation -- Mapping Relationships with Active Record -- One-to-One Relationships -- One-to-Many Relationships -- Many-to-Many Relationships -- Sorting with acts_as_list -- Hierarchies with acts_as_tree -- Timestamping Records -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 5 Action Controller -- Processing Form Elements.

Retrieving Environment Variables -- Exploring the Render Method -- Using an Action to Generate Files -- Redirection -- Cookies -- Sessions -- Using the Flash -- Routing -- Creating a Date-Based Routing Rule for a Weblog -- Changing an Application's Default Page -- Using the Rails Console to Test Routing Rules -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 6 Action View -- Embedded Ruby (ERb) and Templates -- Passing Objects and Variables to a Template -- Creating Helpers -- Sharing Helpers -- Rails Inbuilt Helpers -- Creating Links -- Layouts -- Including Template-Specific Content in a Layout -- Including Scripts and Style Sheets in a Layout -- Partials -- Partials and Collections -- Using Helpers to Create Forms -- Select Boxes -- Date and Time Fields -- Modeless Forms -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 7 Web Services and RESTful Applications -- Working with XML -- Validating XML -- Parsing an XML Document -- Generating XML -- Using Web Services -- REST-Style Web Services -- XML-RPC -- SOAP -- Using a WSDL File to Make SOAP Calls Easier -- Searching Google with WSDL -- Building RESTful Web Services with Rails -- Converting an Active Record Model to XML -- Using the scaffold_resource Generator -- Using ActionWebService to Expose SOAP and XML-RPC Web Services -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 8 AJAX and Rails -- What Is AJAX Anyway? -- The XMLHttpRequest Object -- Updating Multiple Page Elements with RJS -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 9 Flex on Rails -- Download and Install the Flex 2 SDK -- A Simple Flex Interface with MXML -- Interface Design with Flex -- Using a Slider Control to Resize an Image -- Displaying a Series of Images -- Creating a Drag-and-Drop Image Classifier -- Using the DataGrid Control to Display XML -- Building a Flex Interface for a Ruby on Rails Project -- Exposing an Active Record Model as XML -- Adding an Employee -- Deleting an Employee -- Updating an Employee.

Conclusion -- CHAPTER 10 E-Mail, Image Processing, and Graphing -- Sending and Receiving E-Mail -- Action Mailer Configuration -- Graphs -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 11 Rails Plug-Ins -- Plug-In Installation -- Versioning with acts_as_versioned -- Folksonomy with acts_as_taggable -- Commenting with acts_as_commentable -- Searching with acts_as_ferret -- Generating PDF Documents -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 12 Filters, Caching, and Active Support -- Filters -- Authentication with Filters -- Using a before_filter to Log Actions -- Using an around_filter to Time Actions -- Caching -- Active Support -- Useful String Extensions -- Date and Time Calculations -- Convert an Object to JSON or YAML -- Convert XML to a Hash -- Fun with Arrays -- Numeric Enhancements -- Pluralization -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 13 Testing and Debugging -- Using the Ruby Unit Testing Framework (Test::Unit) -- Setting Up the Test Database -- Testing in Rails -- Unit Testing Models -- Using Fixtures -- Functional Testing Controllers -- Posting Form Data -- Scaffolding and Functional Testing -- Authentication -- Integration Testing -- Code Coverage -- Debugging -- Using the debug Helper -- Using the Built-In Logger Class -- Checking Code for Syntax Errors -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER 14 Designing Rails Applications -- Designing a Wiki -- Features -- Layout -- Setup -- Creating the Model and Database -- The Controller and View -- Using the Wiki -- Enhancements -- Designing a Forum -- Features -- Setup -- Creating the Model and Database -- The Controller and View -- Enhancements -- Conclusion -- Appendix A: Ruby Quick Reference -- Command Line Ruby -- Ruby Code -- Strings -- Mathematical Operations -- Comparison Operators -- Conditional Constructs -- Loops -- Arrays -- Hashes -- Functions -- Classes -- Appendix B: Ruby on Rails Quick Reference -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I.

J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z.