The blog post explores using Phlex, a Ruby HTML templating library, as a replacement for ERB in Rails Action Mailer. It highlights Phlex's component-based approach, allowing for reusable email templates and a more organized code structure compared to traditional ERB files. The author demonstrates how to set up Phlex within a Rails project, including configuration adjustments and creating view components specifically for emails. They showcase the benefits of using Phlex, like cleaner syntax, improved maintainability through component reusability, and a more intuitive way to manage email layouts and partials. Ultimately, the post positions Phlex as a modern alternative to ERB for building emails in Rails, offering a more streamlined and manageable development experience.
Ruby on Rails remains relevant due to its mature ecosystem, developer productivity, and cost-effectiveness. Its convention-over-configuration approach, vast library of gems, and active community allow for rapid prototyping and development, making it ideal for startups and projects requiring fast iteration. While newer frameworks like Next.js offer advantages in certain areas, Rails excels in its simplicity and robust tooling, enabling businesses to quickly build and deploy complex applications without significant upfront investment, especially when experienced Rails developers are readily available. The framework's stability and focus on developer happiness contribute to its enduring appeal in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Hacker News users discuss the merits of Rails versus Next.js, generally agreeing that both have their place. Some commenters highlight Rails' maturity and developer-friendly ecosystem as key advantages, especially for rapid prototyping and less complex applications. Others point out Next.js's performance benefits and suitability for larger, more dynamic projects. The maintainability of JavaScript versus Ruby is debated, with some arguing for Ruby's cleaner syntax and easier long-term maintenance. Several commenters note the importance of choosing the right tool for the specific project, emphasizing factors like team expertise and project requirements. The overall sentiment suggests that Rails remains a relevant and valuable framework, despite the increasing popularity of JavaScript-based solutions like Next.js.
Ruby on Rails applications can now run directly in web browsers thanks to WebAssembly. This is achieved using a new project called "Spreetail/wunderbar-wasm", which compiles Ruby and Rails to WASM using a custom-built toolchain. This allows developers to build full-stack Rails apps that execute client-side, offering potential performance benefits for certain applications by reducing server roundtrips. The WASM approach allows for offline functionality and removes the need for separate frontend and backend deployments. While still experimental, this technology opens up new possibilities for building web applications with Ruby on Rails.
Hacker News commenters expressed skepticism about the practicality of running Ruby on Rails in the browser via WebAssembly. Concerns focused on performance, particularly startup time and overall speed, doubting it would be suitable for production applications. Some suggested alternative approaches for achieving similar functionality, like using a server-rendered backend with a JavaScript frontend framework. Others questioned the use cases, wondering if the complexity was worth the effort compared to established approaches. Several commenters pointed to the large size of the Wasm bundle as a major drawback. A few expressed cautious optimism, acknowledging the technical achievement while remaining unsure of its real-world applicability. Finally, some highlighted the potential benefits for specific niches, such as online code editors or interactive tutorials.
Marksmith is a new open-source, WYSIWYG Markdown editor specifically designed for Ruby on Rails applications. Inspired by GitHub's editor, it offers a clean and intuitive interface for writing and previewing Markdown content. Marksmith boasts features like live previews, syntax highlighting, and seamless integration with ActionText, making it easy to incorporate rich text editing into Rails projects. It aims to provide a superior editing experience compared to existing solutions by focusing on performance, ease of use, and a familiar, GitHub-like interface.
Hacker News users discussed Marksmith's features, licensing, and alternatives. Some praised its clean interface and GitHub-flavored Markdown support, seeing it as a good option for simple Rails apps. Others questioned the need for another editor, pointing to existing solutions like ActionText and Trix. The MIT license was generally welcomed. Several commenters debated the merits of client-side vs. server-side rendering for Markdown previews, with performance and security being key concerns. Finally, some users expressed interest in a JavaScript version independent of Rails. The discussion overall was positive, but with some pragmatic skepticism about its niche.
Summary of Comments ( 14 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43239526
HN users generally expressed interest in Phlex as an alternative to ERB for Rails email templating, praising its cleaner syntax and potential performance benefits due to compiled templates. Some questioned the practicality of another templating language, citing the existing ecosystem around ERB and the learning curve involved. Others noted that while Phlex offered improvements, the article's benchmark showing only a 20% improvement wasn't compelling enough to justify switching. There was also discussion around the complexity of view components within emails and whether Phlex sufficiently addressed those challenges. Finally, some users compared Phlex to other templating options like Slim and wondered about the real-world performance difference, especially within the context of email rendering where other factors might dominate performance.
The Hacker News post titled "Phlex for Rails Emails: Action Mailer Without ERB" has a moderate number of comments discussing the merits and drawbacks of using Phlex, a Ruby view component library, as a replacement for ERB in Rails email templates.
Several commenters express enthusiasm for Phlex, praising its cleaner syntax and the benefits of component-based view rendering. One commenter specifically highlights the advantage of using view components for email layouts, making them easier to manage and reuse across different email types. Another user appreciates the improved testability that comes with Phlex components, allowing for more robust and reliable email templates. The general sentiment among these positive comments is that Phlex offers a more modern and maintainable approach to building email templates in Rails compared to traditional ERB.
However, some commenters also raise concerns and offer alternative perspectives. One user questions the necessity of introducing another library, suggesting that sticking with ERB might be simpler, especially for less complex email templates. Another commenter points out that while Phlex might be suitable for emails with complex layouts, it might be overkill for simpler transactional emails. There's a brief discussion about the learning curve associated with adopting Phlex and whether the benefits outweigh the initial investment in learning a new tool. One commenter mentions using mjml as an alternative for email templating and expresses satisfaction with its performance.
A couple of commenters delve into more technical aspects, discussing the challenges of styling emails and ensuring cross-client compatibility. One user expresses skepticism about Phlex's ability to handle the complexities of email styling, citing the limitations imposed by various email clients.
Overall, the comments section reflects a mixed reception to using Phlex for Rails emails. While some are excited about its potential, others remain hesitant, preferring the familiarity and simplicity of ERB or alternative templating solutions. The discussion highlights the trade-offs involved in adopting a new technology and the importance of considering the specific needs of a project when choosing an email templating approach.