learn-co-curriculum / phase-4-rails-api-lab-template

Rails API Lab Templates

A Rails Application Template for generating new Rails API labs with updated dependencies.

Usage:

rails new <lab-name> -BT --api --minimal -m=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/learn-co-curriculum/phase-4-rails-api-lab-template/main/template.rb

Notes

• -m uses the custom Flatiron lab template to provide some additional setup.
• -B skips bundle install, since we'll want to make some changes before bundling.
• -T skips test files, since we'll be using rspec.
• --api configures the app with a limited set of middleware, and skips views/helpers/assets on resource generation.
• --minimal excludes the following:
  • action_cable
  • action_mailbox
  • action_mailer
  • action_text
  • active_job
  • active_storage
  • bootsnap
  • jbuilder
  • spring
  • system_tests
  • turbolinks
  • webpack

Writing Tests

It's recommended to use Rails generators to add new code, since rspec will give you a template for models and controllers (requests) automatically when you use rails g.

In addition to rspec-rails, these gems provide some additional matchers:

• rspec-json_expectations gives a include_json matcher
• shoulda-matchers gives a bunch of model/controller matchers

Template Notes

The template.rb file takes care of a few extra things, documented below:

Remove Ruby Version

Since we don't want to update the labs every time a new Ruby version is released, and want them to work for as many versions of Ruby as possible, we need to remove references to the Ruby version in the project:

• Delete the .ruby-version file
• Remove the Ruby version at the top of the Gemfile

Setup RSPec

• Add rspec-rails gem to the development and test groups
• Add shoulda-matchers gem to test group
• Add rspec-json_expectations gem to test group
• Run rails generate rspec:install

Add Session/Cookie Middleware

To help with lessons on auth, this adds back in the session/cookie middleware.

• Update config/application.rb with middleware
• Update app/controllers/application_controller.rb with cookie helpers

Generate React Application

Optionally include a React client.

• Use npx create-react-app client --use-npm to generate a React app in the client directory
• Add "proxy": "http://localhost:3000" to package.json to proxy API requests
• Add rake install script

The foreman gem lets us run multiple processes from a Procfile. This means we can create a rails start script to run Rails and React together.

• Add Procfile.dev with process runner instructions
• Add rake start task

Note: foreman shouldn't be included in the Gemfile. Instruct users to install foreman globally:

gem install foreman

Resources

Templating

• Rails Docs on Templating
• Rails Templating Blog
• Thor Actions Wiki and Docs

Testing

• RSpec API Testing
• More RSpec API Testing
• let & let! explained
• Upcase Testing Videos