The speed with which applications are built in web development heavily depends on the framework used. Volt is a promising new addition to the Ruby ecosystem, which is well-known for its streamlined syntax and supportive atmosphere for programmers. This innovative Ruby framework’s novel approach to developing real-time, responsive apps has generated a lot of buzz.
Volt differs from the standard request-response approach since it uses reactive programming techniques. Volt allows the development of dynamic user interfaces that instantly respond to data changes, in contrast to traditional applications that depend on explicit server calls. This adds a new dimension of engagement, transforming previously static experiences into dynamic, all-encompassing ones when you hire ruby on rails developers.
Using Volt to Create a Chat Application
Since chat is still the most common use case for real-time apps, I’ve decided to walk you through the steps of building a chat application using the Ruby framework Volt in this article.
Let’s begin by setting up Volt and MongoDB. The latter procedure will not be discussed at length.
gem install volt
brew install MongoDB
mkdir -p /data/db
(create dbpath)
chown `id -u` /data/db (change the owner to have the proper dbpath permissions)
Let’s start our first app right now, and we’ll name it “Chat.” In only a few words, we can do that:
volt new chat
cd chat
There are parallels between Rails and the document structure here. The most apparent change for Rails users is the addition of a ‘Component’ folder within the project that houses all other files like assets, controllers, models, and views.
An app’s Components are its parts. Although it is not necessary to reload the page when navigating between pages within the same Component since all of the files needed for that Component are loaded with the first HTTP request, a new HTTP request will be performed, and the page will be reloaded when navigating to a page inside a different Component. Let’s utilize the main Component here since it is the default.
Let’s check how it appears in the browser by going to localhost:3000 once we’ve started the server with the ‘volt server’ command in the terminal.
volt server
Don’t forget to launch MongoDB from the command line:
Mongod
Volt has many predefined pages, such as “Home” and “About,” which we may examine. These are immediately adaptable to your needs.
Another essential feature is the login form in the upper right corner. Volt comes pre-built with the “user” functionality needed to register and authenticate users thanks to the ‘volt-user-templates’ gem.
Getting Started
Get started with our app right now! To begin, the ‘About’ page needs to be revised. Therefore, we may get rid of it along with the following content. Remove the nav link in app/main/views/main/main.html, the about.html file in app/main/views/main/principal, the about action in app/main/controllers/main_controller.rb, the /about the route in app/main/config/routes.rb, and the /about the way in app/main/views/main/main.
<ul class=”nav nav-pills pull-right”>
<:nav href=”/” text=”Home” />
<:user-templates:menu />
</ul>
Let’s get down to work right now by running a complete user list:
<:Body>
<h1>Home</h1>
<div class=”row”>
<div class=”col-md-4″>
{{ _users.each do |user| }}
<div class=”contact”>
{{user._name}}
</div>
{{ end }}
</div>
</div>
The site has been updated to provide a list of all registered users. Keep in mind that the Ruby code contained there really gets run. This allows us to print out all of the users in the collection iteratively.
‘users’ is the collection name in which all users are kept; remember that attributes are accessible by prepending an underscore ” to the attribute name. To make this function, we must first add the following piece of code at the very beginning of the main_controller.rb file:
model :store
Different models of data collecting are included with Volt and may be accessed via the controller. Here, we tell the controller to access the data store where the store collection model saves its information (now, only the MongoDB database is supported).
<:Body>
<h1>Home</h1>
{{ if Volt.user }}
<div class=”row”>
<div class=”col-md-4″>
{{ _users.each do |user| }}
{{ if user._id != Volt.user._id }}
<div class=”contact {{ if params._user_id == user._id }} active {{ end }}” e-click=”select_conversation(user)”>
{{user._name}}
</div>
{{ end }}
{{ end }}
</div>
</div>
{{ else }}
<p>This is a sample application built with Volt to demonstrate its real-time capabilities. Please log in to access it.</p>
{{ end }}
User will either return the currently logged-in user or null. To provide a controller function to be invoked whenever this element is clicked, we may use the e-click property.
Attributes And CSS
All ‘e-‘ attributes in Volt are event binders; for instance, by appending e-submit to a form, we may specify the controller action invoked when the form is submitted. To identify the chosen user, we will append their ID to the arguments and add a new class, ‘active,’ to style later.
Now, in the controller, we need to add the select_conversation method:
def select_conversation(user)
params._user_id = user._id
End
Finally, you’ll notice that the URL has changed if you return to the website after clicking on a user’s name. Let’s add some CSS to make it visible and the class ‘active’ to that element to make it more noticeable:
.conversation{
form{
input{
margin: 10px 0 5px 0;
}
}
}
.contact{
width:100%;
padding:5px;
margin: 4px 0;
font-size:15px;
cursor:pointer;
&:hover{
background-color: #FAFAFA;
}
&.active{
background-color: #337ab7;
color: #FFF;
}
.badge{
background-color: #900;
}
}
.message{
max-width: 80%;
padding:10px 15px;
margin: 5px 0;
background-color: #FEFEFE;
border: 1px solid #E7E7E7;
border-radius: 5px;
float: left;
clear:both;
&.sent{
background-color: #E4F3DB;
border: 1px solid #B7D0A7;
float: right;
}
p{
margin:0;
}
}
Let’s create a form on the right side for communicating with users individually:
<:Body>
<h1>Home</h1>
{{ if Volt.user }}
<div class=”row”>
<div class=”col-md-4″>
{{ _users.each do |user| }}
{{ if user._id != Volt.user._id }}
<div class=”contact {{ if params._user_id == user._id }} active {{ end }}” e-click=”select_conversation(user)”>
{{user._name}}
</div>
{{ end }}
{{ end }}
</div>
{{ if params._user_id }}
<div class=”col-md-8 well conversation”>
{{ current_conversation.each do |message| }}
<div class=”message {{ if message._sender_id == Volt.user._id }} sent {{ end }}”>
<p>{{ message._text }}</p>
</div>
{{ end }}
{{ if current_conversation.count == 0 }}
<p>You have no messages yet. Start chatting!</p>
{{ else }}
<div class=”clearfix”></div>
{{ end }}
<form e-submit=”send_message” role=”form”>
<div class=”form-group”>
<input class=”form-control” type=”text” placeholder=”Write a message” value=”{{ page._new_message }}” />
<button type=”submit” class=”btn btn-primary pull-right”>Submit</button>
</div>
</form>
</div>
{{ end }}
</div>
{{ else }}
<p>This is a sample application built with Volt to demonstrate its real-time capabilities. Please log in to access it.</p>
{{ end }}
Before displaying the form, we’ll check to verify whether a user has been chosen. We will utilize a method we built in the controller to display all messages from the current discussion (the chat with the selected user). At long last, we’ll provide a space to draft brand-new notes.
To avoid storing the input value in the database, we’ve made it an attribute on the page collection model. Let’s get started on defining the controller’s current_conversation and send_message methods:
def send_message
unless page._new_message.strip.empty?
_messages << { sender_id: Volt.user._id, receiver_id: params._user_id, text: page._new_message }
page._new_message = ”
end
end
def current_conversation
_messages.find({ “$or” => [{ sender_id: Volt.user._id, receiver_id: params._user_id }, { sender_id: params._user_id, receiver_id: Volt.user._id }] })
End
If the message is not blank (we’re checking inline, so we don’t have to worry about validations for the time being), the send_message function adds it to the collection and sets the page. Change _new_message to ” to clear the text box.
That line might also be helpful after the select_conversation procedure. The conversation function now looks for messages between the current user and the chosen user in the _messages collection.
Wrap Up With Real-Time Notifications
Finally, I would want a notification system implemented so that users are alerted when they have received a message from another user.
After sending a message, a new collection should be created and named _notifications.
def send_message
unless page._new_message.strip.empty?
_messages << { sender_id: Volt.user._id, receiver_id: params._user_id, text: page._new_message }
_notifications << { sender_id: Volt.user._id, receiver_id: params._user_id }
page._new_message = ”
end
end
def select_conversation(user)
params._user_id = user._id
unread_notifications_from(user).then do |results|
results.each do |notification| _notifications.delete(notification)
end
end
page._new_message = ”
end def unread_notifications_from(user)
_notifications.find({ sender_id: user._id, receiver_id: Volt.user._id })
End
I also updated the select_conversation function to remove alerts once the user has seen the new messages in the conversation.
Let’s tack on a little notification tally under the user’s name:
<div class=”contact {{ if params._user_id == user._id }} active {{ end }}” e-click=”select_conversation(user)”>
{{user._name}}
{{ if unread_notifications_from(user).count > 0 }}
<span class=”badge”>
{{ unread_notifications_from(user).count }}
</span>
{{ end }}
</div>
Once the app is complete, you can fire up a few browsers and test Volt’s real-time capabilities.
Conclusion
In the ever-changing world of web frameworks. Volt emerges as a significant force that shakes things up and tests limits. Its use of reactive programming and real-time data synchronization gives it a distinct path, allowing programmers to create extraordinary software. Ruby’s aesthetics plus Volt’s real-time features make for a formidable mix, especially for applications with dynamic user interfaces.
While Volt certainly has its uses, there are situations in which it may not be the best option. Projects that value simplicity or massive amounts of server-side computation may need to be a better fit for their focus on real-time engagement.
Volt requires the same sophisticated grasp of project needs as any other technology. You can hire ruby on rails developer for better performance and results.
Overall, Volt represents the innovative mindset of Ruby developers. It ushers in a new age because it may revolutionize web applications by giving near-instantaneous replies and interactive content. As Volt develops and gains traction, it will provide an attractive path toward altering the conception, creation, and use of Ruby-based web applications when you hire ruby on rails developer.
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