**DO NOT READ THIS FILE ON GITHUB, GUIDES ARE PUBLISHED ON http://guides.rubyonrails.org.** Ruby on Rails 5.1 Release Notes =============================== Highlights in Rails 5.1: * Yarn Support * Optional Webpack support * jQuery no longer a default dependency * System tests * Encrypted secrets * Parameterized mailers * Direct & resolved routes * Unification of form_for and form_tag into form_with These release notes cover only the major changes. To learn about various bug fixes and changes, please refer to the change logs or check out the [list of commits](https://github.com/rails/rails/commits/5-1-stable) in the main Rails repository on GitHub. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upgrading to Rails 5.1 ---------------------- ToDo Major Features -------------- ### Yarn Support [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/26836) Rails 5.1 will allow managing JavaScript dependencies from NPM via Yarn. This will make it easy to use libraries like React, VueJS or any other library from NPM world. The Yarn support is integrated with the asset pipeline so that all dependencies will work seamlessly with the Rails 5.1 app. ### Optional Webpack support [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/27288) Rails apps can integrate with [Webpack](https://webpack.js.org/), a JavaScript asset bundler, more easily using the new [Webpacker](https://github.com/rails/webpacker) gem. Use the `--webpack` flag when generating new applications to enable Webpack integration. This is fully compatible with the asset pipeline, which you can continue to use for images, fonts, sounds, and other assets. You can even have some JavaScript code managed by the asset pipeline, and other code processed via Webpack. All of this is managed by Yarn, which is enabled by default. ### jQuery no longer a default dependency [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/27113) jQuery was required by default in earlier versions of Rails to provide features like `data-remote`, `data-confirm` and other parts of Rails' Unobtrusive JavaScript offerings. It is no longer required, as the UJS has been rewritten to use plain, vanilla JavaScript. This code now ships inside of Action View as `rails-ujs`. You can still use the jQuery version if needed, but it is no longer required by default. ### System tests [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/26703) Rails 5.1 has baked-in support for writing Capybara tests, in the form of System tests. You need no longer worry about configuring Capybara and database cleaning strategies for such tests. Rails 5.1 provides a wrapper for running tests in Chrome with additional features such as failure screenshots. ### Encrypted secrets [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/28038) Rails will now allow management of application secrets in a secure way, building on top of the [sekrets](https://github.com/ahoward/sekrets) gem. Run `bin/rails secrets:setup` to setup a new encrypted secrets file. This will also generate a master key, which must be stored outside of the repository. The secrets themselves can then be safely checked into the revision control system, in an encrypted form. Secrets will be decrypted in production, using a key stored either in the `RAILS_MASTER_KEY` environment variable, or in a key file. ### Parameterized mailers [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/27825) Allows specifying common params used for all methods in a mailer class to share instance variables, headers and other common setup. ``` ruby class InvitationsMailer < ApplicationMailer before_action { @inviter, @invitee = params[:inviter], params[:invitee] } before_action { @account = params[:inviter].account } def account_invitation mail subject: "#{@inviter.name} invited you to their Basecamp (#{@account.name})" end def project_invitation @project = params[:project] @summarizer = ProjectInvitationSummarizer.new(@project.bucket) mail subject: "#{@inviter.name.familiar} added you to a project in Basecamp (#{@account.name})" end end InvitationsMailer.with(inviter: person_a, invitee: person_b).account_invitation.deliver_later ``` ### Direct & resolved routes [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/23138) Rails 5.1 has added two new methods, `resolve` and `direct`, to the routing DSL. The `resolve` method allows customizing polymorphic mapping of models. ``` ruby resource :basket resolve("Basket") { [:basket] } ``` ``` erb <%= form_for @basket do |form| %> <% end %> ``` This will generate the singular URL `/basket` instead of the usual `/baskets/:id`. The `direct` method allows creation of custom URL helpers. ``` ruby direct(:homepage) { "http://www.rubyonrails.org" } >> homepage_url => "http://www.rubyonrails.org" ``` The return value of the block must be a valid argument for the `url_for` method. So, you can pass a valid string URL, Hash, Array, an Active Model instance, or an Active Model class. ``` ruby direct :commentable do |model| [ model, anchor: model.dom_id ] end direct :main do { controller: 'pages', action: 'index', subdomain: 'www' } end ``` ### Unification of form_for and form_tag into form_with [Pull Request](https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/26976) Before Rails 5.1, there were two interfaces for handling HTML forms: `form_for` for model instances and `form_tag` for custom URLs. Rails 5.1 combines both of these interfaces with `form_with`, and can generate form tags based on URLs, scopes or models. ``` erb # Using just a URL: <%= form_with url: posts_path do |form| %> <%= form.text_field :title %> <% end %> # =>
# Adding a scope prefixes the input field names: <%= form_with scope: :post, url: posts_path do |form| %> <%= form.text_field :title %> <% end %> # => # Using a model infers both the URL and scope: <%= form_with model: Post.new do |form| %> <%= form.text_field :title %> <% end %> # => # An existing model makes an update form and fills out field values: <%= form_with model: Post.first do |form| %> <%= form.text_field :title %> <% end %> # => ``` Railties -------- Please refer to the [Changelog][railties] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Action Pack ----------- Please refer to the [Changelog][action-pack] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Action View ------------- Please refer to the [Changelog][action-view] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Action Mailer ------------- Please refer to the [Changelog][action-mailer] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Active Record ------------- Please refer to the [Changelog][active-record] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Active Model ------------ Please refer to the [Changelog][active-model] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Active Job ----------- Please refer to the [Changelog][active-job] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Active Support -------------- Please refer to the [Changelog][active-support] for detailed changes. ### Removals ### Deprecations ### Notable changes Credits ------- See the [full list of contributors to Rails](http://contributors.rubyonrails.org/) for the many people who spent many hours making Rails, the stable and robust framework it is. Kudos to all of them. [railties]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/railties/CHANGELOG.md [action-pack]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/actionpack/CHANGELOG.md [action-view]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/actionview/CHANGELOG.md [action-mailer]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/actionmailer/CHANGELOG.md [action-cable]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/actioncable/CHANGELOG.md [active-record]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/activerecord/CHANGELOG.md [active-model]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/activemodel/CHANGELOG.md [active-support]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/activesupport/CHANGELOG.md [active-job]: https://github.com/rails/rails/blob/5-1-stable/activejob/CHANGELOG.md