A few weeks ago I wrote a very simple rails app that uses Google Maps API to let runners plot jogging routes, check the distances of the routes, and to save and leave comments about the routes. I had a great time playing with rails and Google's API. Once the main functionality was finished I stopped work on it, so as far as usability goes, I still need to add some touches, but I got around to deploying it yesterday. I call it "Of_Course". You can find it here. By the way, I think I used some javascript calls that are only supported in the latest versions of Firefox. Sorry IE users, I got no love for you... Well, I plan to fix that someday, along with making the whole site prettier and more useable. Also, I am getting random 500 errors when hitting the app. Just refreshing fixes it. This was never a problem with webrick. I blame FCGI. Anyone have any experience with this problem?Here are some of the links I found particularly useful while building this.
- Google Maps API
- Rails Docs
- Selenium on Rails (Test that javascript too!)
- Selenium IDE (Save time writing those selenium tests)
- Firebug (Direct access to a javascript console and the DOM in firefox)
- Rails on Apache2 and fcgi (Setting up rails and Fcgi is like getting a molasses enema, it takes a long time and frankly it is just gross.)
6 comments:
Here is a forum entry on the subject of the random 500's I am getting: http://forums.site5.com/showpost.php?p=65761&postcount=22 I'm going to try his suggestion.
You might also want to check out <a href="http://cartographer.rubyforge.org/" rel="nofollow">Cartographer</a>. Courtenay Gasking, one of the Rails Illuminati, wrote much of it with help from some others. I've used it in a few projects and I am about to release a major update that allows you to do Yahoo! maps as well.
I actually considered giving cartographer a shot, but decided against it because I was looking forward to learning google's API and some javascript. Amazon, you're next.
Thanks for the link!
Josh,
I am trying to find your email address and phone number...I am going to be in Chicago this weekend (Dec. 8-10) and want to see you and Emily. Have attempted contact with your lovely girlfriend but yet to see results. If you get this message before the weekend, please email or call...or tell Emily to do the same!
Hugs and beer and linux...
Heather
I just happened across your blog when looking for stuff about the best way to extend a Struts JSP tag. The subtitle "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cubicle" is great. I'm working through that myself. Anyways, this little app you've thrown together for plotting jogging routes is very cool. I've been wanting to cobble together something similar that will allow me to build cycling routes in the same manner. Seeing your app inspires me to quit slacking and give it a shot. Nice work!
Thanks for this relevent links...
Regards,
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