I’m working on a Rails project to build a web-based spreadsheet app similar to Google Sheets, but without using their API. Here’s what I need help with:
Creating a grid-like interface with arrow key navigation and copy-paste functionality
Implementing CRUD operations for cells and rows
Setting up user permissions for viewing and editing
Real-time updates for all users with access when changes are made
Maintaining a spreadsheet-like look and feel
I’ve tried looking into various JavaScript libraries and Rails gems, but I’m not sure which approach would work best. Has anyone tackled a similar project before? What technologies or techniques would you recommend?
I’m open to alternative solutions if there’s a better way to achieve this. Any advice or resources would be greatly appreciated!
hey there, i’ve dabbled in similar stuff before. have you checked out ag-grid? it’s pretty solid for building interactive grids. pair it with actioncable for realtime updates and you’re golden.
for permissions, cancancan gem worked well for me. just remember to optimize queries early on - large datasets can get sluggish fast.
good luck with your project! hit me up if you need any more tips.
Having tackled a similar project, I can share some insights. We used SlickGrid for the spreadsheet interface - it’s lightweight and highly customizable. For real-time collaboration, Socket.io worked wonders, providing seamless updates across users.
User permissions were handled through a custom authorization system built on top of Devise. We implemented cell-level access control by associating each cell with user roles.
One challenge we faced was maintaining performance with large datasets. We ended up implementing virtual scrolling and lazy loading to handle this efficiently.
For CRUD operations, we used AJAX calls to a RESTful API, which kept the interface snappy.
My advice: focus on core functionality first, then layer on additional features. Also, thorough testing is crucial - especially for conflict resolution in multi-user scenarios.
Remember, building a robust spreadsheet app is complex. Be prepared for unexpected challenges along the way.
I actually worked on a similar project a few years back for a client. It was quite the challenge, but also really rewarding. For the grid interface, we ended up using Handsontable, which handled a lot of the spreadsheet functionality out of the box. It plays nicely with Rails and has good documentation.
For real-time updates, we implemented Action Cable in Rails 5. It took some tweaking, but it worked well for pushing changes to other users. We used Pundit for fine-grained authorization, which let us control access at the cell level.
The trickiest part was definitely the user permissions and keeping everything in sync. We ended up using a combination of server-side validation and client-side checks to ensure data integrity.
One piece of advice: start simple and iterate. Get a basic grid working first, then add features incrementally. It’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to do everything at once.
Good luck with your project! It’s a complex undertaking, but definitely doable with Rails.