Improve README documentation. References #8770 [mikel]

git-svn-id: http://svn-commit.rubyonrails.org/rails/trunk@7796 5ecf4fe2-1ee6-0310-87b1-e25e094e27de

1 files changed, 34 insertions, 5 deletions

diff --git a/railties/README b/railties/README
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--- a/railties/README
+++ b/railties/README
@@ -64,16 +64,45 @@ please visit: http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/FastCGI
 
 == Debugging Rails
 
-Have "tail -f" commands running on the server.log and development.log. Rails will
-automatically display debugging and runtime information to these files. Debugging
-info will also be shown in the browser on requests from 127.0.0.1.
+Sometimes your application goes wrong.  Fortunately there are a lot of tools that
+will help you debug it and get it back on the rails.
+
+First area to check is the application log files.  Have "tail -f" commands running
+on the server.log and development.log. Rails will automatically display debugging
+and runtime information to these files. Debugging info will also be shown in the
+browser on requests from 127.0.0.1.
+
+You can also log your own messages directly into the log file from your code using
+the Ruby logger class from inside your controllers. Example:
+
+  class WeblogController < ActionController::Base
+    def destroy
+      @weblog = Weblog.find(params[:id])
+      @weblog.destroy
+      logger.info("#{Time.now} Destroyed Weblog ID ##{@weblog.id}!")
+    end
+  end
+
+The result will be a message in your log file along the lines of:
+
+  Mon Oct 08 14:22:29 +1000 2007 Destroyed Weblog ID #1
+
+More information on how to use the logger is at http://www.ruby-doc.org/core/
+
+Also, Ruby documentation can be found at http://www.ruby-lang.org/ including:
+
+* The Learning Ruby (Pickaxe) Book: http://www.ruby-doc.org/docs/ProgrammingRuby/
+* Learn to Program: http://pine.fm/LearnToProgram/  (a beginners guide)
+
+These two online (and free) books will bring you up to speed on the Ruby language
+and also on programming in general.
 
 
 == Debugger
 
 Debugger support is available through the debugger command when you start your Mongrel or
-Webrick server with --debugger. This means that you can break out of execution at any point in the code, investigate
-and change the model, AND then resume execution! Example:
+Webrick server with --debugger. This means that you can break out of execution at any point
+in the code, investigate and change the model, AND then resume execution! Example:
 
   class WeblogController < ActionController::Base
     def index