Phase 3 Project — Single-Script Active Record CLI

Learning Goals

• Build a database-backed Ruby application using Active Record
• Design and interact with data models using object-oriented Ruby
• Implement a multi-class CLI frontend
• Practice working with migrations, associations, and validations

Introduction

Congrats on getting through all the material for Phase 3! You've learned how to work with databases, design models with Active Record, and write object-oriented Ruby. Now it's time to bring those skills together into a full project.

This project will focus on building a Ruby command-line application that reads from and writes to a local SQLite3 database using Active Record — no web server required.

By the end of the project, you'll have a functioning CLI that lets users interact with your data by creating, viewing, updating, and deleting records from the terminal.

Requirements

Models

• At least two model classes using ActiveRecord::Base
• A one-to-many relationship (has_many / belongs_to)
• At least one model with validations
• Display associated data where appropriate (e.g. listing a parent record's associated children)

CLI

• At least two Ruby classes (e.g. a Menu class and a model-specific helper)
• A loop or menu interface
• Ability to create, view, update, and delete records
• Update prompts should display the current value before asking for a new one

Planning

• Plan out your features
• Develop user stories
  • "As [ a user ], I want [ to perform this action ] so that [ I can accomplish this goal ]."
  • Features should not need you there to explain them to users
  • Create a user-stories.md file and add your user stories there

Project Pitches

Before you start working on your project, you'll pitch your project idea to your instructors for approval and feedback.

For your project pitch, you should include:

• The basic story of your application
• The core features of your MVP
• The data you plan to persist and how you will structure it
• Challenges you expect to face
• How you are meeting the requirements of the project

MVP ASAP — Focus on getting your minimum viable product working first!

Example Project Domains

You could build a Book Tracker app:

• Author has many Books
• Users can:
  • Create a new book
  • List all books
  • Update book details
  • Delete a book
  • View books by a specific author

Or a Workout Log:

• WorkoutSession has many Exercises
• Users can:
  • Log a new workout
  • Add exercises
  • Update reps/weights
  • View or delete past workouts

Getting Started

Fork and clone this repository to get started.

Install dependencies:

bundle install

Create and migrate the database:

bundle exec rake db:create
bundle exec rake db:migrate

Optionally seed the database with starter data:

bundle exec rake seed

Run your CLI application:

ruby cli/main.rb

Other Useful Commands

Open a Pry console with your models loaded:

bundle exec rake console

Generate a new migration:

bundle exec rake db:create_migration NAME=create_books

Project Structure

├── app/
│   └── models/         # Your Active Record model classes go here
├── cli/
│   └── main.rb         # Entry point — your CLI menu lives here
├── config/
│   └── environment.rb  # Loads gems, DB connection, and models
├── db/
│   ├── config.yml      # Database connection settings
│   ├── migrate/        # Migration files
│   └── seeds.rb        # Seed data
└── spec/               # RSpec tests (optional)

Project Tips

• Sketch your domain model first using dbdiagram.io
• Use bundle exec rake console to test your models before building the CLI
• Use binding.pry for debugging
• Use puts and pp or gems like tty-table for formatted CLI output

Sample Project

A complete implementation is available on the sample-project branch. It demonstrates:

• Pet Tracker domain with Owners and Pets
• Full CRUD with Active Record and a clean menu-driven CLI
• Object-oriented design with user-friendly output
• All required features including current value prompts for updates

To view the sample:

git checkout sample-project

See SAMPLE_PROJECT_README.md for detailed documentation.

Resources

• dbdiagram.io
• Active Record Basics
• Active Record Associations
• Active Record Validations