1. Introduction
Welcome! This repository contains code examples to support the lecture material and practical sessions to support the Spring Semester of the COM1001 module "Introduction to Software Engineering" at the University of Sheffield.
The lecture content of the Spring Semester focuses on Web Application Development and Testing using Ruby and a framework called Sinatra. We will be learning RSpec to write tests. We will also be using other technologies along the way, including Capybara to automatically drive our web applications for testing; SQLite as a backend database, and Sequel – an Object-Relational Mapping framework.
Contents of this README file
- Introduction
- Getting Started and Cloning the Repository
- Which Code Examples are Discussed in Which Lectures?
- If You Don't Like Codio
- Problems or Feedback
2. Getting Started and Cloning the Repository
The preferred development platform for this module is Codio, which you will have encountered in the Autumn Semester. The first lecture of the Spring will show you how to get everything setup. This lecture is available as a video on Blackboard.
Cloning the Repository
To clone the repository you will need to issue the following command:
git clone https://github.com/philmcminn/com1001-code.git
Running an Example
To run an example you'll need to change to the directory where it exists as a
Ruby file. You'll need to ensure the appropriate gems are installed. Each
directory contains a Gemfile so it is easy for you to ensure this using
Bundler. Bundler is already installed on Codio, so you
just need to issue a bundle install command in the terminal in the
appropriate directory. If you're using your own machine, which is not
recommended (see here as to why), you'll need
to install it first, if you haven't already. Unless the file forms a part of an
overall application, you should be able to run it by issuing a ruby ...
command at the terminal (where the dots are the Ruby file name). It should be
clear from the explanations in lectures and looking at the code itself which
files are meant to be run and which ones are not.
3. Which Code Examples are Discussed in Which Lectures?
The lectures reference the code examples in this repository. The first time an example is mentioned, its path in the repository will be listed under the code snippet of the example on the slide.
If you're struggling to find the lecture in which an example appears, I've provided the table below to help you out:
| Examples Directory | Lecture(s) | Week(s) |
|---|---|---|
basics/ |
• Sinatra Basics | 2 |
controllers/ |
• Model View Controller (MVC) | 3 |
cookies/ |
• Cookies | 5 |
databases/ |
• Databases and SQLite | 3 |
debugging/ |
• Debugging • Testing |
1 1 |
forms/ |
• Forms: GET and POST • Forms: Sanitisation and Validation • Forms and Models • Acceptance Testing |
4 4 4 5 |
models/ |
• Models | 3 |
orm/ |
• Object-Relational Mapping | 3 |
refactoring/ |
• Refactoring | 7 |
routes/ |
• Advanced Routes | 5 |
ruby/ |
• Blocks • Object-Relational Mapping (see slides on Hashes) |
2 3 |
sessions/ |
• Sessions | 5 |
unit_testing/ |
• Testing | 1 |
views/ |
• Views | 2 |
4. If You Don't Like Codio...
If you don't like developing with Codio, then sorry! Codio makes it really easy for us to provide a standardised environment to students in which we can help with common problems. This ideal in the current pandemic climate, where our teaching is predominantly being delivered online.
Nevertheless, if you seriously dislike Codio there are a couple of options available to you, depending on your level of technical expertise:
1. Develop on Your Own Machine
Rating: Not recommended
First, you can develop everything on your own machine. However, this means you installing Ruby and getting everything working yourself – we are unable to provide support for students' individual machines. While getting Ruby set up tends to be relatively easy on Linux on Mac machines, Windows users typically encounter more problems. Also, do not forget your team members on your project who may prefer to use Codio, opening up various possibilities for incompatibilities and problems. Finally, remember that the team project will be marked using Codio. So everything needs to work on Codio, because the markers will not be debugging your code to get it to run.
2. SSH into Codio from Your Own Machine
Rating: Slightly more endorsed, but potentially tricky to setup
The second option may be more preferable – where you SSH into your Codio box from your text editor/IDE on your own machine. This gives you the best of both worlds – the use of your preferred development environment, but with the ease of Ruby already being set up for you on Codio, and you using the same platform as everyone else. However, you will need to navigate the instructions for doing this yourself – again, we are unable to provide assistance. See https://docs.codio.com/project/ide/boxes/#ssh-and-code-access-ssh-into-your-box. Instructions for your text editor/IDE vary of course, depending on what you're using – here are some useful pointers for VSCode, a popular text editor and IDE for many languages, as an example: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/ssh.
3. Use VSCode on Codio Itself
Rating: Pretty easy to do, especially if you followed the instructions in the first lecture
Finally, VSCode may be used in a web browser on Codio itself. Assuming you have
followed in the instructions in the first lecture, on getting everything setup
in Codio, then you will have a Codio box already up and running. In Codio, go to
"Tools", then "Install Software". Scroll down the list and select "VSCode".
VSCode will be now available in your web browser for use with your Codio files.
The URL you need to access it depends on your Codio box name. Your Codio box
name is the subdomain of your Codio Box domain, which Codio reports in the
preamble of every Terminal session that you start. For example, my Terminal
session tells me that my Codio box domain is north-mister.codio.io. This
means my box name is north-mister (perhaps appropriately). This means my URL
for VSCode, if I installed it, would be https://north-mister-4000.codio.io. Note
that this URL is essentially the same as the Base URL of your web applications
launched from Codio (as discussed in lectures), but using port 4000.
5. Problems or Feedback
We welcome feedback including any constructive criticism or positive comments that you may have.
If you are experiencing problems with using the repository, please contact the module lecturer – Phil McMinn.
Please note that the teaching team are limited in the help that we can offer on specific system setups. If you are experiencing significant difficulties, please use Codio, where we can give you full support if you run into problems.