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Find All Triplets with Zero Sum in Ruby
This is first in the series of Google coding interview questions. In order to pass this exercise, you will need to know how to find all of the potential combinations for an array, along with selecting the values that match a calculated sum. Summary Find all of the potential 3 digit combinations inside of an array that have a sum of 0. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Given an array of numbers, return an array of arrays that contain all of the potential 3 digit combinations that have a sum of 0. Examples [0, […]
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How to Sort URLs into Nested Hashes with Regular Expressions
When it comes to parsing files that contain URLs, a common practice is to have the ability to group URLs by type. In this guide we walk through how to categorize links based on regular expressions. Summary Parse multiple markdown files and group URLs by keywords. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Inside of multiple markdown files, you will find three types of URLs: rails.devcamp.com URLs that contain the word campsite in the URL string rails.devcamp.com URLs that don’t have the word campsite in the URL string URLs that are not located on rails.devcamp.com In […]
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Implementing Caching into the Rock, Paper, Scissors Game
After reviewing the Rock, Paper, Scissors game code, I realized that there was a bug with the computer guessing mechanism. In this guide we’re going to walk through how to implement caching in order to correct the issue. Summary Refactor the Rock, Paper, Scissors class by implementing caching for the computer guessing method. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description There’s currently a subtle bug with the Rock, Paper, Scissors game we built a few days ago. Work through the implementation code provided in order to see how caching can correct the issue. Real World Usage […]
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How to Find All Duplicates in an Array in Ruby
Ruby has a helpful method for removing duplicates from an array, the uniq method. However, there are times when you simply want to know which elements in an array are duplicates. In this guide we’ll add a method to the Array class that returns all duplicates. Summary Build a method that returns all of the duplicates from an array in Ruby. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Add a new method to Ruby’s Array class that returns all duplicate values. Example Input/Output ints = [1, 2, 1, 4] ints.find_duplicates # => [1] invoices = [ […]
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Build Rock, Paper, Scissors in Ruby with Player vs Computer Gameplay
Rock, paper, scissors may seem like a simple game to build, however it offers a great base case for how to build a rule’s engine that can be scaled up for more complex systems. In this guide we’ll examine how to build the game so that users can play against the computer. Summary Develop a Rock, Paper, Scissors game that allows users to play against the computer. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Build a game class that allows users to guess rock, paper, or scissors. Additionally, build a method that generates a random guess […]
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Build a Dice Validator in Ruby
Building validations in programs is a common requirement. In this exercise we’ll examine how to ensure a set of dice are valid by implementing a method that returns false if the dice are outside the range of 1-6. Summary Build a dice validator program. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Implement a program that checks to see if a roll of two dice is valid or not. Example Input/Output valid_dice? 4, 2 # => true valid_dice? 6, 6 # => true valid_dice? 5, 1 # => true valid_dice? 8, 2 # => false valid_dice? 1, […]
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Build a Prefix Notation Calculator in Ruby
Building a calculator is a popular interview question and a good approach for learning a programming language. In this guide we’re going to build a Prefix Notation calculator in Ruby, which enables users to enter an operator, followed by any set of numbers to calculate. Summary Build a Prefix Notation Calculator in Ruby. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Build a method that performs addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on any number of values passed to the method. Additionally, ensure to handle improperly entered requests (bonus points if you build your own error handling class). […]
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Pass Multiple Blocks to a Method by Leveraging Lambdas in Ruby
In many cases, lambdas are the most effective when they’re used in conjunction with methods. A method is limited to taking a single block in Ruby, however by leveraging lambdas you are able to pass in as many blocks as needed. Summary Implement a method that can accept multiple blocks by leveraging lambdas. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Build a method that takes multiple lambdas as arguments in order to illustrate how a single method can be passed multiple blocks as arguments. Real World Usage By default, a method in Ruby is limited to […]
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Demonstrate Ruby Procs / Lambdas vs Methods for Variable Scope
There are some key differences between procs / lambdas and traditional methods in Ruby, however the differences can many times be subtle. In this exercise we’ll examine how variable scope is processed differently between the different options. Summary Build a program that illustrates the differences in variable scope in Ruby between Procs / Lambdas, and traditional methods. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Build a traditional method and a lambda or Proc and illustrate how the two processes have different access levels for local variables. Real World Usage This exercise showcases one of the subtle […]
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Refactoring an Iterative XML Parser to Use Functional Programming in Ruby
In the last guide I implemented an XML parser that counted all of the lines from Shakespeare’s Macbeth play. That implementation worked, however it used an iterative approach, which resulted in a highly coupled method that would only be able to work on another XML file if it had an identical structure and set of tag names. In this guide we’re going to refactor the solution to utilize a functional approach. Summary Refactor the Macbeth XML parser/counter so it uses a functional programming approach. Credit to Upcase for the great coding exercise. Exercise File Code […]
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Should I Comment My Code? The Case Against Code Comments
A question asked by aspiring and experienced developers alike is: should I comment my code? This discussion typically stirs up a lively debate with developers. However I don’t think the question has a right or wrong answer. Instead I think the answer is: it depends. In this guide I want to take a practical look at when code comments can be beneficial along with when comments cause issues. Should I Comment My Code? When code comments go bad I remember back when I learned how to code. A common theme I heard was that all of my […]
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A Developer’s Guide for Hacking Procrastination to Achieve Success
There you are. Sitting in front of your computer. Staring at a blank screen. You know you have to work on a code project, but it feels like you’re frozen. The task before you is so intimidating that you don’t even know where you begin. It feels as if you’d rather be doing anything else in the world besides that task that’s staring you in the face. This scenario is the ugly and all too common face of procrastination that programmers are forced to fight constantly. If this situation sounds familiar you’re in good company. […]
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Should I Learn to Code? A Balanced Perspective on Programming
On Thursdays I like discuss items in the news and specially how they apply to the development community and today I’m going to talk about the question of: Should I Learn to Code? This question was sparked by the controversial post on TechCrunch by Basel Fareg where he urges people to not learn coding. As the founder of Rails bootcamp you may think that my reaction would be to spout off a full list of all the reasons why everyone should learn how to code, because that’s good for business, right? However I went through […]
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Using the Retry Method inside of a Ruby Rescue Block
In this coding exercise you’ll learn how to automatically retry a failed process in a Ruby program. Summary Implement a system that automatically retries a failed API call for a pre-determined number of times. Exercise File Code File Exercise Description Build out the ability for a Ruby method that calls a failing API to retry 3 times, along with storing the error messages in an array. Real World Usage Whenever you work with an API it’s important to assume that there will be times when the API is down. In this coding exercise you’ll learn […]
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Guide for Integrating Omniauth in Rails 5 for Facebook Login Feature
In this classroom lecture, I teach how to integrate Facebook authentication into a Ruby on Rails 5 application. Build out the basic application Scaffold a basic application: rails new app_name -T –database=postgresql Create a set of pages Implement devise Setup a Facebook developer account Link to create the account Make sure to list your site URL in the setting’s page, if only in development use something like http://localhost:3000 Integrate Omniauth Add to your Gemfile # Gemfile gem ‘omniauth-facebook’ Update the User Table with the params needed rails g migration AddOmniauthToUsers provider:string uid:string name:string image:text rails […]