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Engines are a new-to-Rails feature that really isn't all that new-to-Rails. The concept has been around for a very long time, it's just only now that they, the Rails Core Team, has Done It Right(tm). In this talk, I go through the lessons learned while developing not just one but two engines. I also provide more documentation than Rails has at the moment on engines *in one talk*. Help us caption & translate this video! http://amara.org/v/FGgb/
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### Introduction In the talk titled "Start Your Engines," Ryan Bigg presents an in-depth exploration of Rails engines, a feature in Ruby on Rails, tracing its evolution and sharing insights gained from his own experiences with the technology. While engines are a relatively novel feature in Rails, Bigg emphasizes that the concept has historical roots and has faced skepticism from key figures in the Rails community. ### Key Points - **Historical Context of Engines**: - James Adams conceptualized engines in 2005, leading to the creation of the Manable Engines plugin. - Initial resistance included criticism from prominent figures like Kevin Smith and DHH, who were apprehensive about high-level components in Rails. - **Development and Integration into Rails**: - Engines were not formally integrated into Rails until version 2.3, which implemented basic engine support but required constant updates due to version changes. - Significant improvements came with Rails 3.1, which incorporated features making engines more user-friendly, like migration copying and the asset pipeline. - **Practical Application and Challenges**: - Bigg shares his experiences developing a site for ABC using engines, facing early challenges with the Product model and documentation shortcomings. - His process of writing the engines chapter for "Rails 3 in Action" illuminated the lack of thorough documentation and the need for comprehensive guidance. - **Technical Insights**: - Building engines begins with the `rails plugin new` command, which streamlines setup by generating necessary files automatically. - Effective engine development includes understanding the inheritance from Rails Engine, enabling applications to function as engines themselves. - Important components include generator writing, handling migrations, and establishing clear namespacing structures for ease of use. ### Conclusion Ryan Bigg concludes by encouraging developers interested in writing engines to thoroughly read existing guides and to reach out for help if challenges arise. He reflects on the progress made in Rails engine documentation, which has significantly expanded, thus underscoring the importance of continuous learning in the development community. The talk stresses the need for good testing practices, which are essential to avoid future issues and ensure stable user experiences. Overall, this presentation exemplifies the growth of Rails engine support and its practical implications for developers.
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