Rails Javascript integration

I just started using the JavaScript integration features of Ruby on Rails.

This is my sixth month using Rails. It was difficult letting go of the tendency to hand-code the JavaScript. I had used Prototype and Scriptaculous at OCP, so hand-coding was a no-brainer. At first glance the Rails/Javascript integration didn't look like it would do much for what I needed. Looks were deceptive, though.

The integration features has its strengths and weaknesses. It's good at sprinkling dynamic behavior on HTML elements. Here's an example (formatted for readability):

<%= link_to 'Hide Comments', '#',
:id => 'hide_comments_link',
:style => 'display:none',
:onclick => visual_effect(
    :blind_up,
    'comments',
    :after_finish => "function() { $('comments').update(); }"
    ) +
    "$('hide_comments_link').hide();" +
    "$('show_comments_link').show();" +
    " return false;"
%>

Here's how it renders (again, highly formatted for readability):

<a href="#"
  id="hide_comments_link"
  onclick="
      new Effect.BlindUp(&quot;comments&quot;,{
          after_finish: function() {
              $('comments').update();
          }
      });
      $('hide_comments_link').hide();
      $('show_comments_link').show();
      return false;
  "
  style="display:none"
>Hide Comments</a>

The big advantage here is that the underlying JavaScript libraries, Prototype and Scriptaculous, can change their API over time, and Rails will adjust, saving the programmer from having to update code to the new APIs.

There are more advantages:

• The developer can stick with the Ruby and ROR coding conventions and syntax. No need to switch from underscore naming to camel case. No need to switch to the quirky JavaScript syntax (e.g., new Effect.BlindUp('comments') becomes visual_effect(:blind_up, 'comments')
  
• The syntax for adding the JavaScript code is the same syntax already used for creating HTML elements with Rails' helper methods.
• No need to worry about escaping characters that could be mis-interpreted as HTML syntax characters (<, >, "). This is doubly helpful when an attribute such as onclick-"" contains JavaScript with double-quoted strings (see generated HTML above).
  

As you can see in the example, I had to hand-code some JavaScript, but it was kept down to simple little pieces.

Thunderbird 2.0

I got sick of Apple Mail, and decided to give the new Thunderbird a trial run.

I had been pretty happy with Thunderbird as a Windows and Linux user, but the smooth experience Apple Mail provided made me switch about a year ago. The never-ending desire to make email management easier made me reconsider Thunderbird.

The reason I switched back is that Thunderbird supports tagging. Email messages can be tagged with keywords, and each tag can have a color associated with it. Combine tags with Search Folders, and the QuickFolders extension, and I'm a happy camper.