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Rails jumped on the scene five years ago in part due to excellent support for connecting database tables to Ruby classes via ActiveRecord. Rails 3 makes two major improvements to this support. ActiveModel makes it easy to turn any old object into one that looks like ActiveRecord to your Rails app. ActiveRelation makes many kinds of queries easier and makes it possible to write some queries that were very difficult in the past. In this talk, we'll learn how to build our own model layer using ActiveRelation and ActiveModel. We'll start by learning how ARel works and how to use it. Then we'll write an adapter for our own database. Next, we'll see what ActiveModel provides and how we use it through ActiveRecord. With this in mind, we'll add functionality to our models that make them look just like ActiveRecord to our Rails app. In the end, we'll have a good grasp on the new options for modeling data in Rails 3 and how we can use that to write cleaner apps.
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**Introduction** In the talk titled "Rails' Next Top Model: Using ActiveModel and ActiveRelation" presented by Adam Keys at LoneStarRuby Conf 2010, the speaker explores the significant enhancements introduced in Rails 3 through the extraction of ActiveRecord into two new components: ActiveModel and ActiveRelation. These innovations aim to simplify the development of clean and maintainable data layer code by addressing the diverse data interactions encountered in modern applications. **Key Points** - **Active Model and Active Relation**: The extraction helps decrease boilerplate code and facilitates integration with various data stores, including non-relational databases and APIs. - **Active Support**: The foundation of Active Record and Rails, now modular in Rails 3, allows developers to use only the necessary parts, enhancing performance and organization. - **Simplification of Domain Logic**: By leveraging Active Support, developers can remove boilerplate logic, streamline class structures, and define methods more elegantly. - **Caching Strategies**: The speaker details the use of Active Support's Cache class to manage caching effectively, demonstrating how to develop a domain-specific language (DSL) to handle cache interactions seamlessly. - **Active Model Features**: Active Model allows traditional Ruby objects to incorporate features such as validations and serialization, akin to those found in Active Record, making it easier to maintain compact models. - **Serialization**: The process of encoding models as JSON or XML is simplified through Active Model, facilitating data handling, especially in API-centric applications. - **Active Relation for Queries**: Moving away from traditional Active Record querying, Active Relation provides a structured API for data manipulation, supporting lazy loading and conforming to CRUD principles. - **Connecting Diverse Data Sources**: The transition emphasizes the ability to interface with various data sources, enhancing the developer's ability to construct accessible data layers. **Examples and Illustrations** - Adam outlines an example of using caching methods with Active Support and illustrates how to build a DSL for pseudo-associations. - He explains how to implement serialization through an attributes method, paving the way for simplified API handling. - The concluding discussion highlights how Active Relation streamlines creating and managing queries through intuitive methods rather than complex direct SQL calls. **Conclusion** The session wraps up by encouraging developers to experiment with Active Model and Active Relation to reduce boilerplate code and foster more robust application architecture. Adam Keys concludes with an invitation for questions and emphasizes exploring these tools for enriched development practices. The speaker's insights provide a clear roadmap for harnessing the potential of Rails 3's new functionalities, making it a valuable resource for developers seeking to enhance their applications. **Takeaways** - Active Model and Active Relation allow for improved code organization, reduced boilerplate, and streamlined data handling. - The modular approach of Active Support supports more efficient memory use and functionality. - Developers are encouraged to create custom implementations utilizing these frameworks to meet their specific application needs.
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