Rails Application Templates / Generators for Marionette

After developing conventions for working with Backbone/Marionette, I wrote my own rails generators and application template. These remove a lot of unnecessary files, and sets up sensible defaults for working with Backbone/Marionette projects.

Using the Application Template

The marionette-template.rb is an application template used when creating a new rails application. To use this application template, in the terminal type:

rails new APPNAME -m https://raw.github.com/brian-mann/rails-generators/master/marionette-template.rb

What this template does

Ruby Version

• Sets Ruby 1.9.3 in Gemfile

Miscellaneous File Cleanup

• Removes default app/assets/images/rails.png image
• Removes default public/index.html file
• Renames README.rdoc to README.md

File Permissions

• chmod’s log directory to 0777
• TODO: add db directory

Routing

• Sets default route to: application#index

App Views

• Creates app/views/application directory
• Creates app/views/application/index.html.erb file

App Stylesheets

• Creates app/assets/stylesheets/apps directory
• Creates app/assets/stylesheets/app/_base.css.scss file
• Renames app/assets/stylesheets/application.css to application.css.scss
• Removes require self and require tree . from application.css.scss file
• Imports twitter/bootstrap and apps/_base SCSS files

APP Javascripts

• Removes jquery_ujs and require_tree . from app/assets/javascripts/application.js file

Included Gems

• thin
• rabl
• oj
• gon
• js-routes
• eco
• compass-rails
• bootstrap-sass-rails

TODO:

• Document additional template actions

Using the Marionette Generators

To access these generators, copy the generators folder into your lib directory. Now run the install command below:

Install all the preliminaries

rails g marionette:install

Installation will do the following:

• Configure the client side application name
• Pull in the latest versions of Backbone / Underscore / Marionette
• Create the initial directory structure for apps / views / components / controllers / mixins / config
• Require the load order and directories via the Asset Pipeline
• Create the Marionette Application instance file: app.js.coffee
• Invokes rails g marionette:config by default

Configure Marionette

rails g marionette:config

Configuration will do the follow:

• Override Marionette Renderer for JST Eco files
• Create Base Entities for Models and Collections
• Create a Base Controller for automating regions and cleanup
• Create Base Views for view / itemview / layout / collectionview / compositeview

config/initializers/marionette.rb still store your answers for use when other generators run.

Create Marionette Modules

rails g marionette:module MODULENAME [controllers]

This will create a module_app file and initial directory with corresponding AppRoutes for the passed in controller actions. This will also automatically generate the controllers, views, and initial layout template. Use this command to scaffold out your initial app modules.

Example: rails g marionette:module Users list show would create:

• /users
  • users_app.js.coffee
  • /list
    • list_controller.js.coffee
    • list_view.js.coffee
    • /templates
      • list_layout.jst.eco
  • /show
    • show_controller.js.coffee
    • show_view.js.coffee
    • /templates
      • show_layout.jst.eco

Create Marionette Controllers

rails g marionette:controller MODULENAME [controllers]

This creates the same controller/view/template combination as above without creating the initial module_app file. Use this to add controllers to an existing app module.

Create Model / Collection Entities

rails g marionette:entity MODELNAME

This will create a model, and ask to also create the corresponding collection along with the App.request handlers for returning the instances.