Ruby and Ruby on Rails (3 days)

Ruby on Rails really is the high-productivity web-application development environment you've heard about. In this three day course, you'll be taken through the basics of Ruby, before moving on to developing a real web application using Ruby on Rails. You'll be amazed how much you'll be able to achieve!

Pre-requisites:

• A good knowledge of at least one object-oriented programming language.

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Develop programs using the Ruby programming language

• Fully understand the structure of a Rails application

• Interface with relational databases using Rails' ActiveRecord module

• Develop web based UIs using Rails' ActionView templates and eRuby (embedded Ruby)

• Control applications using Rails' ActionController classes

• Undertake test-driven development using Rails

• Be able to undertake productive real-world development using Rails

AJAX and Advanced JavaScript (2 days )

While JavaScript lacks many features found in more powerful languages, and escapes the heavy demands that they experience, the complexity of modern web sites and their functionality means that the serious JavaScript developer benefits from acquiring as many advanced approaches and techniques as possible.

This two-day course establishes fundamental aspects of design theory, and from there, develops powerful principles; including the use of the Strategy pattern to circumvent cross-browser coding headaches, the use of object decoration in performing complex processing of user input, and 'AJAX' or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML.

AJAX – a moniker for the use of XMLHTTPRequest objects in web-page scripting – is an approach to client-server communication, wherein a given transaction channels server-side data into a client-side script object. Using established scripting and Document Object Model techniques, this data can then be used to update elements of the page dynamically, without causing the page to be refreshed entirely.

The core technique is relatively simple, and gives developers great latitude in site design, while obviating the use of less elegant approaches such as hidden frames or browser plug-ins, which may not be available on all platforms. This allows web applications that were previously impracticable, and that are more flexible, intuitive and easier to use, thus providing a more rewarding user experience. Moreover, the continuing integration of the desktop, local file-systems and the Internet – a pillar of the next version of Windows – places AJAX techniques at the centre of client-server development.

Java Development Workshop
Five Days

This course will give you a practical understanding of the major features of the
Java development environment and language, both in the context of web applets,
and in the context of stand-alone applications. Students will leave the course able
to start productive work immediately.