Learn Ruby Test-First

Setup

• Install Ruby
  • You will need Ruby, Bundler, and RSpec
  • We recommend using rbenv
  • We officially support Ruby 2.1.2
• Open a terminal window. (On Mac OS X you can use the Terminal app.)
• Navigate to the test-first-ruby directory.
• Install RSpec: bundle install.

Using These Exercises

Each exercise has its own spec file in the spec directory. Open the spec file in your favorite text editor to read the directions (we recommend Atom).

Each exercise will have you modify a corresponding file in the lib directory.

Resources

Here is a broad survey of many resources you may find useful. Don't try to read them all! Just browse around when you feel like learning more about Ruby.

Learning Ruby via Tests (and/or Interactively)

• Ruby Koans by Jim Weirich and Joe O'Brien (inspired by Metakoans by ara.t.howard and Ruby Learning Tests by Mike Clark)
• Test-First Teaching by Sarah Allen and Alex Chaffee
  • Learning TDD Through Test First Teaching talk by Sarah Allen at East Bay Ruby Meetup
• Growing OO Software In Ruby by Brian Marick - a Ruby version of Growing Object-Oriented Software Guided by Tests
• ruby-warrior by Ryan Bates - a game written in Ruby for learning Ruby
• Ruby Kickstart by Josh Cheek - another set of test-driven exercises
• Try Ruby runs a Ruby interpreter in your browser, with hints and advice

Learning Ruby and Programming

• Learn To Program by Chris Pine - great Ruby tutorial, available online (1st ed.) or in a PragProg book (2nd ed.)
• Ruby Learning - Ruby tutorial
• Rails for Zombies - learn Ruby and Rails in your browser, no setup required
• Learn Ruby The Hard Way - a Ruby translation of Zed Shaw's "Learn Python The Hard Way"
• Read Ruby a book about Ruby, quite technical but well written. Free online.
• Ruby Mission
• RailsBridge
• CS Unplugged - "CS Unplugged provides an extensive collection of free resources that teach principles of Computer Science such as binary numbers, algorithms and data compression through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around."
• Everyday Scripting with Ruby by Brian Marick
• Programming Ruby (the Pick Axe) by Dave Thomas
• Nice User's Guide: http://www.rubyist.net/~slagell/ruby/
• Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial
• http://ruby4kids.com
• Ruby in 100 Minutes by Jeff Casimir
• Ruby Mendicant University
• Trainer on Rails "Ruby For Rails" tutorial
• "My 10 Favorite Things About Ruby" by Yehuda Katz
• "How To Count" by Steven Frank, vol. 1 in "Programming for Mere Mortals", a series of books designed to introduce the concepts of programming from the ground up to a reader who has never written a line of code.

Online Ruby References

• http://www.ruby-lang.org
• http://www.ruby-doc.org/
• http://www.gotapi.com/rubyrails
• http://apidock.com/

Other good resources

• irb - when in doubt, try it out!
• http://www.rubular.com/ - an online Ruby regular expression calculator

Credits

• Concept by Alex Chaffee
• Exercises by Alex Chaffee, Sarah Allen, Liah Hansen, Kai Middleton
• Early quality assurance by Sumiki, Dimitri, Liah, Michael, and Brendan