X-Git-Url: https://projects.mako.cc/source/selectricity-live/blobdiff_plain/a12d4f62752f546f57421244e370e79965706ffb..refs/heads/live:/README diff --git a/README b/README index 7d8965e..afa0a25 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -1,183 +1,145 @@ -== Welcome to Rails +=============================================== +=== Getting Selectricity ====================== +=============================================== + +Selectricity is free software and is distributed under the GNU Affero +General Public License version 3. You are free to use, modify, and +distribute, or rework Selectricity under the terms of that license. Of +course, we'd sure like it if you would send fixes back to us and tell us +about cool stuff you do with our software! + +The best way to get Selectricity is just to download it from our source +source repository. You'll need the Git version control system or +source control manager to check it. You can get it here: + + http://git-scm.com/ + +Once you have it, getting the source code is pretty easy. You just need +to check out a branch with a command like this: + + git clone http://projects.mako.cc/source/selectricity/.git + +By default, this will create a working copy with the latest +*development* version of our code. If you want the latest production +version (i.e., what we're running on the site), you need to switch to +the live version of the software which is kept in a branch called +"live." Once you cloned the repository above, you can switch into the +directory (i.e., run "cd selectricity") and then run the following +command: + + git checkout -b live origin/live -Rails is a web-application and persistence framework that includes everything -needed to create database-backed web-applications according to the -Model-View-Control pattern of separation. This pattern splits the view (also -called the presentation) into "dumb" templates that are primarily responsible -for inserting pre-built data in between HTML tags. The model contains the -"smart" domain objects (such as Account, Product, Person, Post) that holds all -the business logic and knows how to persist themselves to a database. The -controller handles the incoming requests (such as Save New Account, Update -Product, Show Post) by manipulating the model and directing data to the view. - -In Rails, the model is handled by what's called an object-relational mapping -layer entitled Active Record. This layer allows you to present the data from -database rows as objects and embellish these data objects with business logic -methods. You can read more about Active Record in -link:files/vendor/rails/activerecord/README.html. -The controller and view are handled by the Action Pack, which handles both -layers by its two parts: Action View and Action Controller. These two layers -are bundled in a single package due to their heavy interdependence. This is -unlike the relationship between the Active Record and Action Pack that is much -more separate. Each of these packages can be used independently outside of -Rails. You can read more about Action Pack in -link:files/vendor/rails/actionpack/README.html. +=============================================== +=== Dependencies ============================== +=============================================== + +To use Selectricity, you'll need to install the following gems in +addition to Ruby on Rails (gem:rails), MySQL (gem:mysql), and its +dependencies: + + * rmagick + * gruff (http://nubyonrails.com/pages/gruff) + * sparklines (http://nubyonrails.com/pages/sparklines) + +To use Selectricity in development mode, you'll need to install the +following gems: + * ruby-debug -== Getting started +Also, you will need install the other applications installed first: -1. Start the web server: ruby script/server (run with --help for options) -2. Go to http://localhost:3000/ and get "Welcome aboard: You’re riding the Rails!" -3. Follow the guidelines to start developing your application + * imagemagick (http://www.imagemagick.org/) +On Ubuntu, you can install install the dependencies with: + apt-get install imagemagick libmagick9-dev ruby1.8-dev libwmf-bin rdoc \ + libopenssl-ruby1.8 libreadline-ruby1.8 libmysqlclient15-dev -== Web servers +Our server configuration uses Mongrel (installed from gems) behind an +Apache2 load balancing proxy using mod_proxy. -Rails uses the built-in web server in Ruby called WEBrick by default, so you don't -have to install or configure anything to play around. -If you have lighttpd installed, though, it'll be used instead when running script/server. -It's considerably faster than WEBrick and suited for production use, but requires additional -installation and currently only works well on OS X/Unix (Windows users are encouraged -to start with WEBrick). We recommend version 1.4.11 and higher. You can download it from -http://www.lighttpd.net. +=============================================== +=== Contributors to Selectricity Include ====== +=============================================== -If you want something that's halfway between WEBrick and lighttpd, we heartily recommend -Mongrel. It's a Ruby-based web server with a C-component (so it requires compilation) that -also works very well with Windows. See more at http://mongrel.rubyforge.org/. + * Benjamin Mako Hill + * John Dong + * Justin Sharps -But of course its also possible to run Rails with the premiere open source web server Apache. -To get decent performance, though, you'll need to install FastCGI. For Apache 1.3, you want -to use mod_fastcgi. For Apache 2.0+, you want to use mod_fcgid. +=============================================== +=== Log ======================================= +=============================================== -See http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/FastCGI for more information on FastCGI. +07/31/07 +jlsharps: I've added a user authentication system known as +"acts_as_authenticated" to the code. The plugin is the the vendor/plugins +directory. The two most noticeable changes are the AccountController and a +redone User model. I've left the UserController in place for now, but the +AccountController works in a different manner, so am switching over to that +gradually. I saved the 5 lines or so in the old User model, overwrote +it with the authenticated generator and then recopied the old stuff back in: +has_many :elections and the name() method. The generator also creates its own +migration file, but since we are using a create.sql file I adopted the +migration file into a new users table in the create.sql file. I have yet to +delete the old table because I haven't fully combed through the code yet and +determined how many of the old attributes (such as first_name, last_name) may +need to be retained. +http://technoweenie.stikipad.com/plugins/show/Acts+as+Authenticated is the +best site for documentation regarding acts_as_authenticaed. Also, currently +it only stores the user_id in the session, but i just found a guide to help +me make it store the entire user object, so I'll do that while my battery +charges. -== Example for Apache conf +08/03/07 +Handy trick: use the command 'gem_server' from a shell to create a server at +http://localhost:8008 that is an easy to navigate locally-hosted website with +all the documentation on local gems you have in a easy to read format. - - ServerName rails - DocumentRoot /path/application/public/ - ErrorLog /path/application/log/server.log - - - Options ExecCGI FollowSymLinks - AllowOverride all - Allow from all - Order allow,deny - - +jlsharps: I added the Gruff plug-in today, which is viewable under the folder +vender/plugins/gruff. I installed it directly using the Gruff plug-in and +included controller generate utility. The version 0.1.2, which doesn't seem to +be the latest version. I've looked into it and it see and it seems that the +latest version is 0.2.8. However, I wasn't sure how including a gem w/o a plugin +would function in end-game rails so I just what I used for now. If you guys +(mako of john) know how to do it, it'd probably be better to upgrade, but it +didn't seem like the best use of my time right now. I got the plug-in here: +http://topfunky.net/svn/plugins/gruff. You can get the gruff gem v 0.2.8 by +typing "sudo gem install gruff", I believe it's also hosted on RubyForge. -NOTE: Be sure that CGIs can be executed in that directory as well. So ExecCGI -should be on and ".cgi" should respond. All requests from 127.0.0.1 go -through CGI, so no Apache restart is necessary for changes. All other requests -go through FCGI (or mod_ruby), which requires a restart to show changes. +I created the GraphsController for Gruff methods to use. In Pollarize I put them +in the ApplicationContorller file, so they would be accessible to all. While +that it also an option here, it would also mean there wouldn't be much room for +playing around because everything in the Application file has to be perfect or +it seems to throw Error Code 500 (basically everything breaks). The show() +is a sample sample provided with Gruff. +Documentation is here:http://gruff.rubyforge.org/ Alternately, if you have the +gem installed, you can use the ri command, or the above mentioned gem_server. -== Debugging Rails +If you guys want more helpful stuff here, let me know. -Have "tail -f" commands running on both the server.log, production.log, and -test.log files. Rails will automatically display debugging and runtime -information to these files. Debugging info will also be shown in the browser -on requests from 127.0.0.1. +====================================== +=== XML-RPC INFO == +====================================== +The XML-RPC API is still under development, but is somewhat functional already: -== Breakpoints +To instantiate a client in Ruby, try something like: +client=ActionWebService::Client::XmlRpc.new(SelectricityAPI,"http://localhost:3000/selectricity_service/vote") -Breakpoint support is available through the script/breakpointer client. This -means that you can break out of execution at any point in the code, investigate -and change the model, AND then resume execution! Example: - class WeblogController < ActionController::Base - def index - @posts = Post.find_all - breakpoint "Breaking out from the list" - end - end - -So the controller will accept the action, run the first line, then present you -with a IRB prompt in the breakpointer window. Here you can do things like: +Getting the results of a quickvote is quite simple: +?> client.get_quickvote_results("test") +=> # -Executing breakpoint "Breaking out from the list" at .../webrick_server.rb:16 in 'breakpoint' +Casting a quickvote: +client.cast_quickvote("test",1,[[1,2]]) - >> @posts.inspect - => "[#nil, \"body\"=>nil, \"id\"=>\"1\"}>, - #\"Rails you know!\", \"body\"=>\"Only ten..\", \"id\"=>\"2\"}>]" - >> @posts.first.title = "hello from a breakpoint" - => "hello from a breakpoint" +To figure out what you're voting for: +>> client.get_quickvote_candidate_map("test")=> # -...and even better is that you can examine how your runtime objects actually work: - >> f = @posts.first - => #nil, "body"=>nil, "id"=>"1"}> - >> f. - Display all 152 possibilities? (y or n) -Finally, when you're ready to resume execution, you press CTRL-D -== Console - -You can interact with the domain model by starting the console through script/console. -Here you'll have all parts of the application configured, just like it is when the -application is running. You can inspect domain models, change values, and save to the -database. Starting the script without arguments will launch it in the development environment. -Passing an argument will specify a different environment, like script/console production. - -To reload your controllers and models after launching the console run reload! - - - -== Description of contents - -app - Holds all the code that's specific to this particular application. - -app/controllers - Holds controllers that should be named like weblog_controller.rb for - automated URL mapping. All controllers should descend from - ActionController::Base. - -app/models - Holds models that should be named like post.rb. - Most models will descend from ActiveRecord::Base. - -app/views - Holds the template files for the view that should be named like - weblog/index.rhtml for the WeblogController#index action. All views use eRuby - syntax. This directory can also be used to keep stylesheets, images, and so on - that can be symlinked to public. - -app/helpers - Holds view helpers that should be named like weblog_helper.rb. - -app/apis - Holds API classes for web services. - -config - Configuration files for the Rails environment, the routing map, the database, and other dependencies. - -components - Self-contained mini-applications that can bundle together controllers, models, and views. - -db - Contains the database schema in schema.rb. db/migrate contains all - the sequence of Migrations for your schema. - -lib - Application specific libraries. Basically, any kind of custom code that doesn't - belong under controllers, models, or helpers. This directory is in the load path. - -public - The directory available for the web server. Contains subdirectories for images, stylesheets, - and javascripts. Also contains the dispatchers and the default HTML files. - -script - Helper scripts for automation and generation. - -test - Unit and functional tests along with fixtures. - -vendor - External libraries that the application depends on. Also includes the plugins subdirectory. - This directory is in the load path.