Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Development Tools Console Foundations Processes Pausing and Resuming

Andrew Walters
Andrew Walters
8,876 Points
Posted by Andrew Walters
Andrew Walters
8,876 Points

Console Foundations

Hey everyone! I was just curious if Console Foundations were actually that crucial to learning Ruby on Rails (I've read that it is but I'm having troubles seeing why) or a language like PHP? Furthermore, it's one of the early steps in the Rails track, would it be viable to skip it and come back later? I've invested a bit of time in it already but so far it seems like I'm only learning things for "should problems come up, you can use this" type of ideal and while I love that, I would prefer to work where my major focus and interest is (Rails) rather the foundations of using the console if possible. Thanks!

1 Answer

William Li
PLUS
William Li
Courses Plus Student 26,868 Points
William Li
William Li
Courses Plus Student 26,868 Points

Ruby & Ruby on Rails, long with other common tools web developers use, git, cucumber, Node, Yeoman ... etc, are primarily command line applications. While I won't say Console skill is absolute-must for learning Rails, but having a basic understanding of the console environment is imperative

would it be viable to skip it and come back later?

Yes. In fact, I think it's beneficial for you to do so, getting some exposure to the Console first may help you develop an appetite for better appreciating the materials covered in the Console foundation course.

Andrew Walters
Andrew Walters
8,876 Points
Andrew Walters
Andrew Walters
8,876 Points

I think there is a small misunderstanding somewhere, I mean would it be viable to skip the Console Foundation course and continue on into the Rails track (actually building Rails apps as opposed to just learning about the console only) and simply return to learning the Console Foundations a little later. If this is what you meant, then I don't think I understand the last portion of your response!

William Li
William Li
Courses Plus Student 26,868 Points
William Li
William Li
Courses Plus Student 26,868 Points

My point is that, the Console skill (at the level that you feel comfortable working with command line interface) is essential in a web developer's tool bag, but it's not the hard prerequisite for learning Rails, it's one of those skills that either you learn it now, or learn it later if that's what you prefer. Yes, it's viable to skip right into the Rails materials, it's true that Rails is a command line tool, but luckily the commands it uses are all quite simple. After you have some experience with Rails & the command line interface, come back to the Console foundation course, chances are you'd be able to better adsorb the materials taught in this course, rather than seeing them as just "should problems come up, you can use this" type of ideal. Hope you find this advise helpful :)

Andrew Walters
Andrew Walters
8,876 Points
Andrew Walters
Andrew Walters
8,876 Points

Thank you so much! I do hope I see it as a very beneficial tool soon, it's just hard to when you don't really know too much about what your code (or your coding process rather) will look like just yet! I just wanted to know if my Rails endeavors would be impossible if I omitted this currently abstract bit of information and it seems like it will be :) Thanks again!