WiceGrid versions 0.6 and 3.0.0.pre1 (or: Better late than never)

The branch of WiceGrid for Rails 3 has existed for some time already. Yesterday I finally released an official gem of WiceGrid labeling it as 3.0.0.pre1. I also tagged the current Rails 2 branch as version 0.6.

Thus, the master branch is currently used for Rails 2, the latest version is 0.6, and the preferred installation method is via a Rails plugin.

There is a separate branch for Rails 3, and the installation method is via a gem:



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    gem install wice_grid --pre

or add the following to your Gemfile:


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     gem 'wice_grid', '3.0.0.pre1'

and run the bundle command. Then run the generator task to copy the assets:


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    rails g wice_grid_assets_prototype

or


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     rails g wice_grid_assets_jquery

depending on what JS framework your app uses.

In terms of the API the two branches are identical. Both work under jQuery and Prototype, both are pretty configurable (see the online examples app). Of course, certain parts of the API look a little outdated in the context of Rails 3, but the first version for Rails 3 strives to be backwards compatible. This is of course going to change and I foresee some nice API changes related to Rails 3 scopes, association introspection, and so on.

As for other improvements, I plan to decouple the column filters into separate classes with well-defined APIs so that it is easy to add your own custom filters. For example, there have been requests to add a date/datetime filter in the form of parseable text input, in addition to JS calendars and standard Rails dropdowns. I really don’t believe in usability of such geek controls and I’d rather simplify adding new filters than spend my time on what I don’t believe in.

I also plan to experiment with enabling WiceGrid to reload itself in a div instead via an ajax call.

December 23, 2010 | | Tagged rails, wicegrid