Book excerpt: Standing out from other Rails references, this book meets the needs of designers who are not advanced programmers: sophisticated users who may find reams of code intimidating. Rails Solutions gives readers the tools to assemble dynamic sites quickly and easily. After a gentle introduction, the book walks the reader through setting up the development environment and the basics of Ruby syntax. Next, the book details the construction of real-world applications including a message posting system with data authentication, a file uploader, Ajax enhancements, and more. Coverage includes as customizing views, Rails helpers, add-ons and plugins, and Rails deployment tips.