I threw this post together with some notes that I took along the way when setting up the plugin for use.

Installation:

script/plugin install http://svn.viney.net.nz/things/rails/plugins/acts_as_taggable_on_steroids

Setup

Setup your migration by running the below:

ruby script/generate acts_as_taggable_migration
rake db:migrate

Add the acts_as_taggable to your model, in my case its the Events model…

class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
# acts as taggable on roids
acts_as_taggable

Now I needed to add a way to allow tags to be added to Events, in my form for my Event I added the following:

<p>
  <%= f.label 'Tag List (Delimiter = ,)' %><br />
  <%= f.text_field :tag_list %>
</p>

To view the tags associated this a Event on the Show page, along with linking to the actual tag to search for other events tagged with the same item, I added the following:

<p><strong>This event was tagged with</strong>: <% for tag in @event.tags %> 
<%= link_to tag.name, events_path(:view =>'tag', :tag => tag.name) %><% end %>
</p>

Tag Clouds

In order to use the plugin’s build in tag cloud functionality you need to add the helper to your application helper by doing the following:

  module ApplicationHelper
    include TagsHelper
  end

In your controller where you are planning on using your tag cloud add the below, this will grab the counts of all your tags so the helper can generate your cloud. Again in my case I am putting this in my Events controller.

@tags = Event.tag_counts

Now you use the following where you wish to show your views:

<% tag_cloud @tags, %w(tag1 tag2 tag3 tag4) do |tag, css_class| %>
    <%= link_to tag.name, { :action => :tag, :id => tag.name }, :class => css_class %>
  <% end %>

In your main CSS file you should add something to match the tags we specified above, this sets your font sizes for the cloud display generated by the helper…

  .tag1 { font-size: 1.0em; }
  .tag2 { font-size: 1.6em; }
  .tag3 { font-size: 2.7em; }
  .tag4 { font-size: 3.8em; }

Tag Clouds with Paginate Example

Here I am passing the page and tag to my events model to find all events tagged with that tag, and then use the results of that query and passing it onto paginate.

def self.tag_event_list(page, tag)
 
 options = Event.find_options_for_find_tagged_with(tag).merge :page => page, :per_page => 10, :order => 'date DESC' 
 paginate(options)
 
end

Other Notes:

I added the following to my environment.rb file so that the unused tags get destroyed if they are no longer in use by any events.

# automatically remove dead tags
Tag.destroy_unused = true

For more help check out the read me here: http://github.com/mattetti/acts_as_taggable_on_steroids/tree/master

Paperclip - Paperclip is intended as an easy file attachment library for ActiveRecord. The intent behind it was to keep setup as easy as possible and to treat files as much like other attributes as possible. http://github.com/thoughtbot/paperclip/tree/master

In my case, I wanted to allow an attachment to an Event, which will have one photo.

To install:

script/install git://github.com/thoughtbot/paperclip.git

Create your migration, again in my case I was adding the images to my Events model / DB, so I did the following:

script/generate migration AddPhotosToEvents

Open up your newly created migration with your favorite Text editor, and add the following:

class AddPhotoToEvent < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def self.up
    add_column :events, :photo_file_name, :string
    add_column :events, :photo_content_type, :string
    add_column :events, :photo_file_size, :integer
  end
 
  def self.down
    remove_column :events, :photo_file_name
    remove_column :events, :photo_content_type
    remove_column :events, :photo_file_size
  end
end

Then rake your migration so the new columns are added to your database:

rake db:migrate

Next you need to tell your model to use Paperclip, again I am using the Event model as an example, the #Paperclip and below is what you need to add. If you notice below I added 4 options to the :styles. I wanted to have a few different sizes generated when a image was uploaded, i named them appropriately (you can name them whatever you wish). Please note when you put a # on the end it signifies that you want that exact aspect ratio, it will crop your photo automatically. When you use > on the end it will make the largest side the size you specify and keep the aspect ratio uploaded. In addition note that because we specified has_attached_file :photo its going to look for that naming convention we created in the migration above. In addition it uses that name to store your photo in the public folder of your application. So our photo url is going to be as follows: /public/photos/(event#)/(size_name)/image_name

class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
belongs_to :user
validates_presence_of :title, :on => :create, :message => "can't be blank"
validates_presence_of :teaser, :on => :create, :message => "can't be blank"
validates_presence_of :subject, :on => :create, :message => "can't be blank"
# Paperclip
has_attached_file :photo,
  :styles => {
    :thumb=> "100x100#",
    :small  => "150x150>",
    :medium => "300x300>",
    :large =>   "400x400>" }

Next you need to make sure you put the html => { :multipart => true } in both your edit and new views for the model you are working with. Example in my case:

<% form_for(@event,:html => { :multipart => true }) do |f| %>
  <%= f.error_messages %>
  <%= render :partial => 'form', :locals => { :f => f } %>
<% end %>

You then need to add the file_field to your new and edit forms or your _form partial like in my case:

<p>
  <%= f.label 'Photo' %><br />
  <%= f.file_field :photo %>
</p>

Next up is deciding on how you are going to use / view your images. In my case I wanted to show a few different sizes in the Event view. I also wanted to make sure I am only going to show photo’s if one exists. In this example I am just showing the small and medium sizes we generated:

<% if @event.photo.exists? then %>
<p>Small:<%= image_tag @event.photo.url(:small) %></p>
<p>Medium:<%= image_tag @event.photo.url(:medium) %></p>
<% else %>
<p> There are no photo's attached, upload one. </p>
<% end %>

A few other notes…

Calling @event.photo.nil destroys the photo

Also checkout this great tutorial Jim put up here.

Thats all for now, I’ll try to post an update with some more options / features when using the Paperclip plugin in the future.

I wanted to share some great plugins for Ruby on Rails that I have come across, along with some tutorials. Check back for an updated post with more info.

Plugins:

Restful Authentication - This widely-used plugin provides a foundation for securely managing user authentication - http://github.com/technoweenie/restful-authentication/tree/master

acts_as_taggable_on_steroids - This plugin is based on acts_as_taggable by DHH but includes extrassuch as tests, smarter tag assignment, and tag cloud calculations.  - http://github.com/mattetti/acts_as_taggable_on_steroids/tree/master

Paperclip - Paperclip is intended as an easy file attachment library for ActiveRecord. The intent behind it was to keep setup as easy as possible and to treat files as much like other attributes as possible. http://github.com/thoughtbot/paperclip/tree/master

Paperclip Polymorph - This plugin allows users of the Paperclip plugin to easily share attached files between multiple models. http://locusfoc.us/2008/6/29/paperclip-polymorph

acts_as_textiled - This simple plugin allows you to forget about constantly rendering Textile in your application. Instead, you can rest easy knowing the Textile fields you want to display as HTML will always be displayed as HTML (unless you tell your code otherwise). http://github.com/defunkt/acts_as_textiled/tree/master

Will_paginate - Pagination is just limiting the number of records displayed. Why should you let it get in your way while developing, then? This plugin makes magic happen. http://github.com/mislav/will_paginate/tree/master

Tutorials / Guides:

If you are new to Ruby on Rails be sure to check out the guides that are being worked on right now here: http://guides.rails.info/index.html

Railscasts - Free Ruby on Rails Screencasts - http://railscasts.com/

Learning Rails - Audio (Podcasts) and Screencasts - http://www.buildingwebapps.com/podcasts

Jim created a great list of plugins he found useful when he was building a social network in Rails. Check it out here: http://jimneath.org/2008/04/25/building-a-social-network-site-in-rails/

Here is a pic from last year…

Here are the tee times for your golf group.

11/5 Myrtle Beach National West

11/6 Waterway Hills

11/6 Witch

11/7 Aberdeen CC

11/8 Kings North

11/9 River Club

11/9 Willbrook Plantation

Thats a lot of golf!

The EDI Talk Blog and Forums have gone through some major changes in the last week.  We have invested in an amazing community software which includes forums / discussions, social groups, buddy lists, private messaging, user profiles, reputation system, and many other features.

I hope to see all of you join the community.  For those that would like to help, we are looking for qualified moderators to help make the site a better place for everyone.  We also have updated our blogging platform, and will be working to integrate it further with our discussion groups this week.  If you have an idea for a blog article or wish to write one yourself please let us know in the Article Idea’s category here: http://EDITalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=23

We are hoping to grow this community to make it an amazing free resource for everyone in the EDI world. If you have any suggestions, would like to get involved, or have any questions at all please let us know in the feedback forum here: http://EDITalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=24

To register (it only takes a few seconds) please visit the discussion forums here: http://EDITalk.com/forums/

In roughly one week we are planning on launching the EDI Wiki, which will be a community driven wiki that will cover all aspects of EDI and EDI related documents.

For the GIS (Gentran Integration Suite) users we have added a dedicated subsection just for you: http://editalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39

And of course checkout the latest blog posts on the EDI blog: http://EDITalk.com

See you on the forums. And if you have an RSS reader please be sure to add the EDITalk.com RSS feed to get the latest articles.  RSS Feed: http://editalk.com/feed

Pics:

This is the buffet table we did in the dining room, we did a glass tile counter top for it
b/c of the leftover tile from the backsplash in the kitchen.

This is the guest room I just (almost) finished yesterday,
just need a bed frame and some other stuff..

The next project, the pond, got my rocks yesterday… Loaded down my truck and my dads.  PA Flag stone.

My other project I am working on, the garage!  To many projects, not enough time…

Eventually I’d like to do a nice garage tile floor and finish rocking the garage.  Garage has its own zone of heat too.

Front Yard

Back Yard

Everything seems to be growing pretty good, the grass has some bare spots and I’ll address those in the spring. Hopefully some of those weeds will go away with the next weed and feed session. Next up is to do a fence along the side and back (behind the new arborvitaes we planted). Waiting for that tax refund!

Front Before

Front After

Another Shot of the front - An in progress photo

Another two shots of the front - All done - And sidewalk / walkway is power washed now!

The Backyard

Before:

In Progress (All cleaned up and seeded)

After - John Power washed neighbors fence too

Two more backyard shots

Just yesterday I ran out to buy Ortho Home Defense Max, both the spray and the Granules (overkill). The purpose is to keep bugs out of the house. I went and sprayed my entire foundation (outside) with the product, and will repeat in a month or so. I wanted to get this stuff down before the bug season comes, hopefully it works! Here is the product description from the site

“Create a bug barrier inside and outside your home with Ortho® Home Defense® MAX®! Our exclusive InvisiShield® formula, with up to 12 month control indoors, penetrates deep into the cracks and crevices where bugs live to kill pests like ants, spiders, and cockroaches.

In addition to the ready-to-use liquid lineup, Ortho® Home Defense® MAX® is available in an outdoor granule form. These granules come in an easy-to-use bottle and will protect your home from invading insects all season. Choose the product form that is right for you!”

My Notes:

4/10/2008 - Ortho Home Defense Spray and Granules - Do every 6 months
4/10/2008 - Foaming Root Killer for your Sewer Pipes (Kills Roots in your sewage pipes) - Do every 6 months

I do have a question for everyone, this was a branch from my neighbors tree.  What do I do? Who’s responsible for the tree cleanup and all of the other expenses?

Sideshow here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/burmjohn/sets/72157604073525656/show/

All pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/burmjohn/sets/72157604073525656/ 

Yes, the tree is IN my car!

Roof is crushed in, windows smashed, quarter panel is smashed….

Wifes car has a lot of scratches and missing a side mirror now…

Thats one big branch!