RubyConf 2018
The New Design of Ruby's Documentation
#documentation
#developer-experience-dx
#user-experience-ux
#metaprogramming
#ruby-standard-library
#ruby-3
#irb
The New Design of Ruby's Documentation
by ITOYANAGI SakuraIn the video titled "The New Design of Ruby's Documentation" presented at RubyConf 2018 by ITOYANAGI Sakura, the speaker, a documentation maintainer and member of the Ruby core team, discusses the advancements in Ruby's documentation design aimed at enhancing the developer experience. The talk emphasizes the necessity of good documentation as exemplified by other programming languages such as Perl and Python, which have robust documentation tools facilitating user engagement.
Key points discussed include:
- Ruby Documentation Improvements: The speaker highlights the recent improvements in Ruby's documentation, focusing on usability and accessibility enhancements. A structured approach to document modules, classes, methods, and attributes is emphasized to ensure clarity.
- Introduction of New Methods: A specific mention is made of the 'missing' method in Ruby, which allows for flexible method definitions and execution.
- New Readline Library: This library provides enhanced user input handling, including line editing and history features, showcasing ease of implementation alongside existing tools like IRB and Pry. A pure Ruby version of the readline library was introduced to aid beginners who might face challenges with installation.
- IRB Enhancements: Improvements to Ruby's Interactive Ruby Shell (IRB) include enhanced autocomplete functionalities and richer help commands, assisting developers in coding more efficiently.
- Iterative Development Process: The speaker addresses challenges faced during the development of these new features, such as input representation for non-Unicode encodings and the integration of special characters, reaffirming a commitment to user satisfaction.
The conclusion emphasizes the collaborative spirit of the Ruby community and encourages contributions to the ongoing documentation improvement project, highlighting that the enhancements aim to revitalize the overall user experience.
Finally, the speaker opens the session for questions, indicating a willingness to engage with the community and receive feedback on the new documentation efforts.
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Okay, today I'll talk about the new design of Ruby's documentation. My name is ITOYANAGI Sakura.
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Hello everyone, I'm a current documentation maintainer and a member of the Ruby core team.
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I'm so nervous because it's the last session time for all speakers. It's a bit intimidating.
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I'm a member of the Ruby core team's success committee, which will be convened this Tuesday.
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RubyConf 2018 is a great opportunity for all speakers, particularly those from the Ruby community.
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I am working at Space Pirates, developing front-end applications with JavaScript. It's a challenge because I'm not very familiar with JavaScript.
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In my free time, I enjoy climbing. Last month, I traveled to the jungle in Malaysia.
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I experienced a bonfire in the jungle and climbed a waterfall that was over 100 meters tall.
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Before RubyConf 2018, I planned to go rock climbing at Malibu Creek State Park.
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However, I was unaware of the recent fire in the area, and my Uber driver informed me that the park was closed.
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I attempted to find another way but discovered that all Uber services were down due to the fire.
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I tried walking to a bus stop, which was about three or four miles away, but the fire spread quickly.
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Eventually, I was rescued by a police car. The situation was quite severe.
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That area is under reconstruction now, so once it is safe, I recommend visiting.
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Next, I want to talk about my experience as a Ruby committer.
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I became a Ruby committer last month during a conference interview.
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Being a committer means you are actively contributing and collaborating within the Ruby community.
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The Ruby community is grateful for the contributions of its members.
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I was also inspired by prominent figures in the Ruby community.
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Their contributions have greatly influenced the development of Ruby and its documentation.
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I'm particularly excited about improvements in Ruby's documentation.
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I'd like to talk about an important feature of Ruby documentation and the new design.
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The number of Ruby committers has grown, and it's crucial for the community to work collaboratively.
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The Ruby core team holds regular meetings to discuss progress.
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I hope to see more committers join the Ruby community and contribute to its growth.
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The Ruby documentation improvement project started recently, and I encourage everyone to participate.
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Now, let's dive into the specifics of the new documentation design.
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Ruby's documentation aims to provide a seamless development experience.
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We have introduced features that enhance usability and accessibility.
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These enhancements include updates to the namespace organization and detailed explanations.
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The documentation will cover modules, classes, methods, and attributes.
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An example of this is the Ruby class, which serves as a perfect case study for better documentation.
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With each method, we want to ensure clarity and proper documentation practices.
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We've also added documentation for several new methods.
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One notable feature we introduce is the method 'missing' in Ruby.
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This feature returns specific values depending on the method calls.
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The 'missing' method provides flexibility in how methods are defined and executed.
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A notable contributor to this feature is Aaron Patterson, who provided impactful methods.
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The documentation aims to encapsulate these functionalities in an understandable manner.
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I'm excited to discuss these enhancements further in the documentation.
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Let's take a look at our next topic.
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Now I'll transition to talking about the new readline library in Ruby.
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This new library provides an improved interface for handling user input.
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Using this library, developers can expect a smoother experience with input handling.
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The readline library allows for line editing and history functionality.
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It consists of predefined functions to facilitate these interactions.
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For example, you can delete characters and access past inputs effortlessly.
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I will provide a brief demonstration of how this library works.
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Note how easy it is to implement and utilize this library in your Ruby applications.
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Most developers already use libraries like IRB and Pry, which utilize readline.
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This integration enhances the overall development experience for Ruby users.
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Furthermore, the readline library is widely recognized among developers.
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However, it’s essential to ensure the right installation for a seamless experience.
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Users should ensure that the readline library is properly set up before leveraging it.
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Keeping up with installation steps can prevent possible frustration and errors.
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If Ruby lacks the readline library, it can create challenges for beginners.
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To mitigate this, we decided to implement a pure Ruby version of the readline library.
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This version will better accommodate those without the original readline library.
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We've made sure Ruby 2.7 uses this readline library as its default.
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The new readline library supports input and line editing for enhanced usability.
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We utilize POSIX functions for system calls within Unix-like operating systems.
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Various key bindings make using the library effective and user-friendly.
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However, there are many diverse bindings that can be complex to implement.
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As a developer using readline, I wanted to ensure that the implementation was robust.
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Several challenges arose during development, but perseverance led us to success.
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We've encountered issues with non-Unicode encodings, which we are actively working to fix.
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Specifically, capturing and processing user input with various encodings proved difficult.
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Additionally, combining certain characters led to formatting issues in user input.
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We also had to address problems with input representation for emojis and special characters.
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Now let's explore how we can effectively handle these challenges.
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The implementation process has been iterative, focusing on core functionality.
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We are committed to refining the platform for user satisfaction and reliability.
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Ultimately, all adjustments aim to foster better coding experiences on Ruby.
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Next, I'll address the advancements in the IRB, Ruby’s interactive shell.
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IRB serves as a crucial tool for developers testing and sharing Ruby code.
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With the latest updates, users are greeted with enhanced features for documentation.
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The autocomplete functionalities in IRB have been improved significantly.
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Now, pressing the tab key provides context-sensitive completions.
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I will showcase how this integration simplifies the coding process.
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This is a major step forwards as it allows for faster development times.
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When commands are incomplete, it gives detailed suggestions for completion.
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Furthermore, IRB's outputs are documented and easily accessible to users.
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This will eliminate unnecessary confusion and boost interaction efficiency.
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Now, let’s move on to the features that were recently highlighted.
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We've enhanced help commands, and they now provide richer, more informative content.
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Additionally, you’ll find that the commands are better structured for querying.
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This results in a more engaging coding experience overall.
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In conclusion, these improvements are aimed at optimizing the user experience.
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Developers can expect a revitalizing journey while working with Ruby's tools.
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At this point, we're making great strides in the design and usability.
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I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and enthusiasm!
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We look forward to seeing you all as we continue to enhance Ruby's documentation.
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Thank you for your attention! Now, I'll open the floor for questions.
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I’m happy to take any inquiries or discussions.
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What questions do you have regarding the new design?
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Your feedback is critical as we continue to refine our documentation.
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I appreciate your contributions and engagement with Ruby's evolving ecosystem.
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Thank you all for your commitment to improving Ruby—let's keep building!
