Creating a collaborative spreadsheet app in Ruby on Rails

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1

Help needed: Building a real-time collaborative spreadsheet in Rails

I’m working on a project that requires a spreadsheet-like web app built with Ruby on Rails. I want it to have features similar to popular online spreadsheet tools but without using their APIs. Here’s what I’m aiming for:

  1. Arrow key navigation between cells and rows
  2. Copy-paste functionality between cells
  3. CRUD operations for records
  4. User-specific access controls
  5. Real-time updates for all users with view permissions
  6. Overall spreadsheet-like interface

I’m not sure where to start. Any suggestions on gems, libraries, or approaches that could help me tackle this? Has anyone built something similar before?

class Spreadsheet < ApplicationRecord
  belongs_to :user
  has_many :cells
  has_many :shared_users, through: :permissions

  def update_cell(row, col, value)
    # Logic to update cell and broadcast changes
  end
end

Thanks for any advice!

2

For a project of this complexity, you’ll want to consider a combination of front-end and back-end solutions. On the Rails side, ActiveRecord can handle your data persistence needs efficiently. For real-time updates, ActionCable is indeed a solid choice as mentioned.

On the front-end, you might want to look into libraries like Handsontable or ag-Grid. These provide robust spreadsheet-like interfaces with many of the features you’re after, including cell navigation and copy-paste functionality.

For access controls, consider implementing a role-based system using a gem like CanCanCan or Pundit. This will allow you to define granular permissions for different users.

Remember to optimize your database queries and consider using background jobs for heavy computations to ensure your app remains responsive, especially as it scales.

3

I’ve actually tackled a similar project before, and I can tell you it’s quite the challenge but definitely doable. One approach that worked well for me was using React on the front-end with a library called react-datasheet. It handles a lot of the UI interactions you’re looking for out of the box.

For the backend, I stuck with Rails and used Redis for caching and ActionCable for real-time updates. It was a bit tricky to get the performance right, especially when multiple users were editing simultaneously. I ended up implementing a simple operational transformation algorithm to handle concurrent edits.

Access control was managed through a custom authorization system, but looking back, I’d probably use Pundit to simplify things. Also, don’t underestimate the complexity of formula parsing if you’re planning to support that. It’s a rabbit hole you might want to avoid initially.

Good luck with your project! It’s a great learning experience.

4

hey mate, i used actioncable for real-tme updates, works gr8. try jspreadsheet for the spreadsheet view, it’s nice and simple. hope this helps u!