Authors Krishan Kumar Sonal Dahiya Ved Prakash
License CC-BY
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2015): 78.96 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
Ruby on Rails IDEs and Text Editors: A Survey
Krishan Kumar1, Sonal Dahiya2, Ved Prakash2
1, 2, 3
Assistant professor, Dept. of CSE, Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Abstract: The world of Programming Languages is very dynamic. Every company is launching their own programming language
which can cater their specific demand and requirement. For every programming language new Integrated Development Environments
(IDEs) or plug-ins are developed for existing IDEs. In this paper, we discussed various IDEs and Text Editors which work for Ruby on
Rails for different platforms. In computer world new programming languages are coming and old one are getting outdated so is their
IDEs and Text Editors. But programmers are used to old one and some are excited with features of new ones.
Keywords: TextMate, Aptana, Ruby on Rails, Integrated Development Environments
1. Introduction TextMate is first choice for Rails core developer on Mac
because of essential marco extensions for TextMate as tool
Ruby on Rails is framework for developing database-backed for Ruby and Rails programming. Keyboard shortcuts and
web-application based on Model-View-Controller automation facilities of TextMate increase efficiency of
architecture. From Ajax in View to the request-response in programmers which found in TextMate inspired E Text
Controller to domain model wrapping database, Rails Editor and InText for windows as well. It includes Ruby and
provides a pure-Ruby development environment. A database Rails Bundle. Integrated GUI development environment of
and Web server is required for website. Rails can be RadRails for Rails runs whenever Eclipse and Java run.
developed on various Operating Systems (OS) like: Linux, Beside this, free availability for Aptana RadRails Community
OS X, Windows and Solaris. Ruby Virtual Machines (VM) Edition lures programmers. RadRails integration approach to
are plain old Ruby, JRuby, Rubinius and IronRuby. OS and Rails development is followed by 3rdRail, Komodo,
VM will constrain choice of editor as different VM and text NetBeans, IntelliJ IDEA, and Ruby in Steel but all are
editors are suitable for different OS. similar. TextMate with Rails bundles can be mixed and
matched with NetBeans or RadRails IDEs which have
Rails application is test-driven development which starts with debuggers. [1]
code generation. Generally, Incremental Model is followed,
once application skeleton is created. Application is built up Whether you are a programmer or a designer, the production
incrementally by adding and coding models and actions, of code and markup is hard work. Without an editor
adding and coding tests, running and debugging the tests, dedicated to the task, it is also often cumbersome,
refactoring, adding Embedded Ruby pages to generate overwhelming, and repetitive. Especially when you are
HTML views, testing the HTML display in a browser, and dealing with a lot of files at once — like most projects do.
viewing the server log. If AJAX is required, many actions TextMate puts you back in control, reduces the mental
and effects can be generated entirely from Ruby, but more overhead, and turns manual work into something the
complicated or uncommon effects usually require some computer does. Created by a closet UNIX geek who was
coding and debugging in JavaScript. Programmer shuffles lured to the Mac platform by its ease of use and elegance,
among test, model, controller, helper, view code, and TextMate has been referred to as the culmination of Emacs
popping among editor, browser, and shell windows. So an and OS X and has resulted in countless requests for both a
Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and Text Editors Windows and Linux port, but TextMate remains exclusive
increase efficiency of programmer by cutting down time for the Mac.
spend on popping around.
TextMate is not an IDE but by using its powerful snippets,
In this paper we discussed many IDEs and Text Editors with macros, and unique scoping system, it can often provide
their advantages and disadvantages. features that even a language specific IDE lacks. It has
enough project management features to keep most users
2. TextMate 2.0 happy, but is otherwise kept lightweight with a clean and
minimalistic GUI. Figure1,2,3 shows Bundle Editor,
OakFindManager, Font & color respectively.
Volume 6 Issue 5, May 2017
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20173823 2310
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2015): 78.96 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
3. Sapphiresteel Ruby in Steel Developer wide comments can also be entered directly into the „User
Edition 1.5 Tasks‟ pane of the Task List. It provides the most powerful
integrated suite of tools available to Ruby On Rails
SapphireSteel Software released version 1.5 of Ruby In Steel developers including the unique drag-and-drop design
Developer, its professional Ruby and „Ruby On Rails‟ IDE environment, „The Visual Rails Workbench‟, comprehensive
for Visual Studio. Ruby In Steel Developer 1.5 now includes analytical IntelliSense and the ultra-fast „Cylon‟ drill-down
built-in ToDo and User Task management. Users are able to debugger. [2]
enter „ToDo‟ comments directly into the source code and
navigate to them using the Visual Studio Task List. Project-
Amethyst is a fully-featured Visual Studio IDE for the Adobe create a whole Rails application from a single interface,
Flash Platform. Amethyst supports the drag-and-drop design, allowing you to focus on the creative part of the development
editing and debugging of Flex and AIR applications and it as your IDE takes care of the mechanics. Code Assist helps
can also load Flash IDE projects for editing and debugging. to Quick access to Ruby, HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Sapphire (‟Ruby In Steel 3‟) is a Visual Studio IDE for the structures, methods, elements, properties, tags &
Ruby programming language. It provides editing and attributes.[3]
debugging of projects for standard Ruby and also provides a
designer for creating user interfaces. Integrated Debugger helps in Set breakpoints, inspect
variables, and control execution. The integrated Ruby &
4. Aptana Radrails 2.0.5 Rails debugger helps you squash those bugs. Outlining helps
in View and navigate the structures in your file using this
Aptana RadRails is an Integrated Development Environment hierarchical outline of your Ruby or HTML page. Select
for Ruby on Rails projects. Built on top of the well-known nodes to jump to that location in the editor. Filter nodes to
Eclipse platform, RadRails provides all the tools you need to see collections that match patterns.
Volume 6 Issue 5, May 2017
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20173823 2311
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2015): 78.96 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
5. Activestate Komodo IDE 9.2 and Edit 10.0 XSLT, and JavaScript development. Komodo is used for
Ruby scripts, but not for Rails development. Some important
Komodo IDE used for Python, Perl, and regular expression features of Komodo are given in below table.[4]
development for several years, and occasionally for Ruby,
Run tests for more frameworks, including any that output Share snippets, diffs and all kinds of code directly from
in TAP or TeamCity compatible formatting. Fillter test Komodo to your team on Slack.
results, jump to test definitions and place breakpoints
directly in your test.
Write and use tutorials that will run in Komodo. The You can now force push and force pull files, which is
possibilities here are endless, you could learn how to incredibly useful for workflows where all you ever do
program in a new language or framework completely is upload changes. Additionally we're introducing a
from Komodo, or use it as an educational tool for the dynamic toolbar button for Publishing actions, letting
classroom. Use our Getting Started tutorial to get to know you quickly access common publishing tasks.
Komodo better!
Debug your code in Chrome, from Komodo! No more
context switching or locating the same code you've been Quickly access PhoneGap and Cordova via your
working on again in the Chrome dev tools. You can write "dynamic toolbar", as well as interact with them via the
code, place breakpoints and debug all right from inside Commando shell scope. Komodo automatically detects
Komodo. your configuration and provides contextual actions.
Volume 6 Issue 5, May 2017
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20173823 2312
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2015): 78.96 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
Komodo now integrates with Gulp, Grunt, NPM and We've put a lot of focus on individual frameworks in
Yarn tasks. The integration allows you to run commands Komodo 10, a trend you can expect to continue. With
for those task runners in your shell scope (inside this iteration we focused on some of the most popular
Commando), it also adds a button to your dynamic JS frameworks and derivatives.
toolbar (new in Komodo 10) which lets you quickly run
commands via those task runners
6. Codegear 3RDRail 1.2
That hyperlinking is surprisingly useful for such a simple
3rdRail version 1.2 introduces Problem Detection and feature. It can be very confusing to figure out why a test
Correction. Each time, programmer save changes to your failed or a Rails page threw an error. With 3rdRail, once you
code, 3rdRail provides detection of common Ruby and Rails pick out the root cause from the command output, one click
coding errors. Detected errors are marked within the code takes you to the correct line of code. In similar fashion, the
and explained in the Problems view. In many cases, 3rdRail dependencies view lets you quickly navigate to the
automatic correction is available via the “Quick Fix” option right code from a graphical representation of the application's
found within the context menu of the problem description. functionality.
When automatic correction is not feasible, more general
solution suggestions are shown. Ruby Validations like 7. NetBeans IDE 8.1
Syntax checking and API Deprecation & removal are
including Constants, Variables and Methods in Classes and NetBeans has long been a strong Java development
Modules. This includes suggestion of an alternative when environment. It gained Ruby and Rails support with Version
possible. 6.1, NetBeans is a seriously good Rails IDE. NetBeans is a
Java IDE and is a Sun product, it has excellent support for
Rails Validations like Invalid/Missing Ruby Interpreter, JRuby. It also supports standard Ruby; however, it has a
Missing Gems Installation, Missing “ruby-debug” Gem Ruby Platform Manager to select the Ruby interpreter used
required in order to use “Fast Ruby Debugger”, Missing for a project. The NetBeans Ruby source code editor does
specified version of Rails, Missing Database Configuration, code formatting and syntax and a right click in the code
Invalid/Missing Database Adapter, Missing “Session Secret editor brings up a context menu which allows programmer
Key” when “Cookie Store” is specified, Rails 1.2 navigate from action to view to test to declaration, rename,
Components exist in Rails 2.0 project, Reference to Rails 1.2 refactor, reformat, run, test, set a breakpoint, debug, or find
functionality which has been extracted to optional plugins in usages. Each common action has a keystroke equivalent
Rails 2.0 and Missing Rails item.[5] displayed on the menu. The code editor supports a number of
shortcuts, snippets, and code templates, including a subset of
RadRails provides simple GUI front ends for Rails generators the TextMate snippets. The number of predefined Ruby and
and rake tasks; 3rdRail goes one better and provides higher- RHTML templates in NetBeans pales beside the number of
level wizards that collect the necessary information in a GUI Java templates, but programmer can define his own
and then run a sequence of generators and/or rake tasks in an templates. NetBeans uses the ruby-debug-ide gem for fast
enhanced command shell. Output from commands adding a debugging. It came configured for the fast debugger in JRuby
model or view is immediately reflected throughout the IDE. but not standard Ruby.[6]
Command output is hyperlinked, so that clicking on any
generated file or folder will open that in the IDE."
Volume 6 Issue 5, May 2017
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20173823 2313
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2015): 78.96 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
Figure 9: Netbeans IDE
8. Jetbrains Intellij Idea 7.0.3 with Ruby Plug- weaknesses. Because several TextMate bundles rely on Unix
IN 1.0 capabilities, E asks that you install Cygwin to enable those
bundles. E has a few Windows-specific bundles of its own,
IntelliJ IDEA is widely regarded as an excellent Java IDE for example to support C# and ASP.Net, and ships without
and has managed to survive as a commercial product with the obvious Mac-specific bundles, such as ActionScript and
superior features in the face of strong competition from the Objective-C.
free NetBeans and Eclipse products. Although the current
Ruby plug-in for IntelliJ IDEA need improvements to make E takes advantage of the community that has grown up
it a good Rails IDE. Ruby and RHTML code coloring, around TextMate. Most of what's in the TextMate book
formatting, refactoring, dependency analysis and completion applies equally well to E, and many TextMate bundles
work well. Code inspections and debugging aren't yet downloaded from the Macromates Subversion repository will
implemented for Ruby; according to the company, a Ruby run as is in E.
and Rails debugger is planned for the IntelliJ IDEA 8 release.
When command shell output is shown in a Run window, it is 10. Intype Alpha 0.2.X
often but not always hyperlinked to bring up the appropriate
line of code in an edit window. Intype comes with several bundles by default. TextMate
bundle consists of snippets, commands and grammars.
At this point, if you develop Rails with IntelliJ IDEA and Grammars and theme files are platform-independent, they are
want to use a graphical debugger on occasion, you'd be well supported. Commands and snippets use shell code, which is
advised to use NetBeans or RadRails as a free secondary different on Windows and Mac, so it is not possible to
IDE.[7] transfer them. Intype is free during the alpha and beta
development phases but once it reaches release 1.0 it will be
9. E Text Editor 1.0.20 BETA priced similarly to TextMate.
The E Text Editor is basically a TextMate clone for
Windows. It shares many of TextMate's strengths and
Figure 10: Intype Alpha
Volume 6 Issue 5, May 2017
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20173823 2314
International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2015): 78.96 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391
11. Eclipse IDE Eclipse Marketplace allows for virtually unlimited
customization and extension. Ruby on rails plug-in is used by
Eclipse is famous for our Java Integrated Development windows platform users.
Environment (IDE), but our C/C++ IDE and PHP IDE are
pretty cool too. You can easily combine language support
and other features into any of our default packages, and the
Figure 11: Eclipse
12. Conclusion
In conclusion, Rails itself is in a state of flux, and the Rails
IDEs are mostly still trying to catch up to the changes
introduced on Rails 2.0, much less Rails 2.1. Most of the
Rails IDEs discussed in this review package will work well
with the current Rails and rake gems with only minor
annoyances: The most common annoyance is confusion
between RHTML files and HTML.ERB files when
generating and navigating to views.
Of course, the next time the Rails core changes, the IDE
vendors will have to scramble to keep up, once again. The
entire Rails core team is using TextMate on Mac OS X. It's a
fantastic editor that ships with Ruby on Rails highlighting
and macros. If you're not running Apple, check out RadRails.
It's a cross-platform Rails editor built on top of the Eclipse
IDE."
References
[1] https://macromates.com/
[2] www.sapphiresteel.com
[3] www.aptana.com
[4] https://www.activestate.com
[5] www.codegear.com
[6] https://netbeans.org
[7] https://www.jetbrains.com
Volume 6 Issue 5, May 2017
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20173823 2315