reactive-ruby

React.rb / Reactive-Ruby

React.rb is an Opal Ruby wrapper of React.js library.

It lets you write reactive UI components, with Ruby's elegance using the tried and true React.js engine. :heart:

Visit reactrb.org For The Full Story

Important: current react.rb gem users please read this!

Installation

Install the gem, or load the js library

• add gem 'reactive-ruby' to your gem file or
• gem install reactive-ruby or
• install (or load via cdn) inline-reactive-ruby.js

For gem installation it is highly recommended to read the getting started section at reactrb.org

Quick Overview

React.rb components are ruby classes that inherit from React::Component::Base or include React::Component.

React::Component provides a complete DSL to generate html and event handlers, and has full set of class macros to define states, parameters, and lifecycle callbacks.

Each react component class has a render method that generates the markup for that component.

Each react component class defines a new tag-method in the DSL that works just like built-in html tags, so react components can render other react components.

As events occur, components update their state, which causes them to rerender, and perhaps pass new parameters to lower level components, thus causing them to rerender.

Under the hood the actual work is effeciently done by the React.js engine.

React.rb components are isomorphic meaning they can run on the server as well as the client. This means that the initial expansion of the component tree to markup is done server side, just like ERB, or HAML templates. Then the same code runs on the client and will respond to any events.

React.rb integrates well with Rails, Sinatra, and simple static sites, and can be added to existing web pages very easily, or it can be used to deliver complete websites.

Why ?

• Single Language: Use Ruby everywhere, no JS, markup languages, or JSX
• Powerful DSL: Describe HTML and event handlers with a minimum of fuss
• Ruby Goodness: Use all the features of Ruby to create reusable, maintainable UI code
• React Simplicity: Nothing is taken away from the React.js model
• Enhanced Features: Enhanced parameter and state management and other new features
• Plays well with Others: Works with other frameworks, React.js components, Rails, Sinatra and static web pages

Problems, Questions, Issues

• Stack Overflow tag react.rb for specific problems.
• Gitter.im for general questions, discussion, and interactive help.
• Github Issues for bugs, feature enhancements, etc.

Road Map

The original react.rb gem is still available as the 0-3-stable branch. but please read on..

Many new features, bug fixes, and improvements are incoporated in the reactive-ruby gem currently built on the 0-7-stable branch. In addtion more extensive documentation for the current stable branch is available at reactrb.org, and the Opal Ruby Playground incorporates the current stable branch.

Our plan is to do one more upgrade on the reactive-ruby gem which will be designated version 0.8.0. click for detailed feature list

From 0.9.0 and beyond we will return to using the react.rb gem for releases, and reactive-ruby will continue as a meta gem that depends only on react.rb >= 0.9.x.

Version 0.9.0 of react.rb will not be 100% backward compatible with 0.3.0 so its very important to begin your upgrade process now by switching to reactive-ruby 0.7.0.

Please let us know either at Gitter.im or via an issue if you have specific concerns with the upgrade from 0.3.0 to 0.9.0.

Developing

git clone the project.

To play with some live examples cd to the project directory then

1. cd example/examples
2. bundle install
3. bundle exec rackup
4. Open http://localhos:9292

or

1. cd example/rails-tutorial
2. bundle install
3. bundle exec rails s
4. Open http://localhost:3000

or

1. cd example/sinatra-tutorial
2. bundle install
3. bundle exec rackup
4. Open http://localhost:9292

Note that these are very simple examples, for the purpose of showing how to configure the gem in various server environments. For more examples and information see reactrb.org.

Testing

1. Run bundle exec rake test_app to generate a dummy test app.
2. bundle exec rake

Contributions

This project is still in early stage, so discussion, bug reports and PRs are really welcome :wink:.

License

In short, React.rb is available under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for more info.