Cut through the noise and get real results with a step-by-step approach to learning Ruby programming. Key Features * Ideal for the Ruby beginner who is getting started with Ruby for the first time * A complete Ruby tutorial with exercises and activities that help build key skills * Structured to let you progress at your own pace, on your own terms * Use your physical copy to redeem free access to the online interactive edition Book Description You already know you want to learn Ruby, and the smarter way to learn Ruby 2.X is to learn by doing. The Ruby Workshop focuses on building up your practical skills so that you can kick-start your career as a developer and rapidly prototype applications. You'll learn from real examples that lead to real results. Throughout The Ruby Workshop, you'll take an engaging step-by-step approach to understanding the Ruby language. You won't have to sit through any unnecessary theory. If you're short on time you can jump into a single exercise each day or spend an entire weekend learning about metaprogramming. It's your choice. Learning on your terms, you'll build up and reinforce key skills in a way that feels rewarding. Every physical copy of The Ruby Workshop unlocks access to the interactive edition. With videos detailing all exercises and activities, you'll always have a guided solution. You can also benchmark yourself against assessments, track progress, and receive content updates. You'll even earn a secure credential that you can share and verify online upon completion. It's a premium learning experience that's included with your printed copy. To redeem, follow the instructions located at the start of your Ruby book. Fast-paced and direct, The Ruby Workshop is the ideal companion for Ruby beginners. You'll build and iterate on your Ruby code like a software developer, learning along the way. This process means that you'll find that your new skills stick, embedded as best practice. A solid foundation for the years ahead. What you will learn * Get to grips with the fundamentals of Ruby object-oriented programming * Understand common Ruby patterns to help minimize and easily maintain code * Explore ways to fetch, process, and output external data * Discover ways to work with public APIs and create reusable RubyGems * Keep your development process bug-free with various testing methods * Explore how to host applications on cloud application platforms like Heroku Who this book is for Our goal at Packt is to help you be successful, in whatever it is you choose to do. The Ruby Workshop is an ideal Ruby tutorial for the Ruby beginner who is just getting started. Pick up a Workshop today, and let Packt help you develop skills that stick with you for life.

Get to grips with programming techniques and game development using C++ libraries and Visual Studio 2019 Key Features * Learn game development and C++ with a fun, example-driven approach * Build clones of popular games such as Timberman, Zombie Survival Shooter, a co-op puzzle platformer, and Space Invaders * Discover tips to expand your finished games by thinking critically, technically, and creatively Book Description The second edition of Beginning C++ Game Programming is updated and improved to include the latest features of Visual Studio 2019, SFML, and modern C++ programming techniques. With this book, you’ll get a fun introduction to game programming by building five fully playable games of increasing complexity. You’ll learn to build clones of popular games such as Timberman, Pong, a Zombie survival shooter, a coop puzzle platformer and Space Invaders. The book starts by covering the basics of programming. You’ll study key C++ topics, such as object-oriented programming (OOP) and C++ pointers, and get acquainted with the Standard Template Library (STL). The book helps you learn about collision detection techniques and game physics by building a Pong game. As you build games, you’ll also learn exciting game programming concepts such as particle effects, directional sound (spatialization), OpenGL programmable shaders, spawning objects, and much more. Finally, you’ll explore game design patterns to enhance your C++ game programming skills. By the end of the book, you’ll have gained the knowledge you need to build your own games with exciting features from scratch What you will learn * Set up your game development project in Visual Studio 2019 and explore C++ libraries such as SFML * Explore C++ OOP by building a Pong game * Understand core game concepts such as game animation, game physics, collision detection, scorekeeping, and game sound * Use classes, inheritance, and references to spawn and control thousands of enemies and shoot rapid-fire machine guns * Add advanced features to your game using pointers, references, and the STL * Scale and reuse your game code by learning modern game programming design patterns Who this book is for This book is perfect for you if you have no C++ programming knowledge, you need a beginner-level refresher course, or you want to learn how to build games or just use games as an engaging way to learn C++. Whether you aspire to publish a game (perhaps on Steam) or just want to impress friends with your creations, you’ll find this book useful.

Learn the fundamentals, practical applications, and latest features of C# 8.0 and .NET Core 3.0 from expert teacher Mark J. Price. Key Features * Build modern, cross-platform applications with .NET Core 3.0 * Get up to speed with C#, and up to date with all the latest features of C# 8.0 * Start creating professional web applications with ASP.NET Core 3.0 Book Description In C# 8.0 and .NET Core 3.0 – Modern Cross-Platform Development, Fourth Edition, expert teacher Mark J. Price gives you everything you need to start programming C# applications. This latest edition uses the popular Visual Studio Code editor to work across all major operating systems. It is fully updated and expanded with new chapters on Content Management Systems (CMS) and machine learning with ML.NET. The book covers all the topics you need. Part 1 teaches the fundamentals of C#, including object-oriented programming, and new C# 8.0 features such as nullable reference types, simplified switch pattern matching, and default interface methods. Part 2 covers the .NET Standard APIs, such as managing and querying data, monitoring and improving performance, working with the filesystem, async streams, serialization, and encryption. Part 3 provides examples of cross-platform applications you can build and deploy, such as web apps using ASP.NET Core or mobile apps using Xamarin.Forms. The book introduces three technologies for building Windows desktop applications including Windows Forms, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, as well as web applications, web services, and mobile apps. What you will learn * Build cross-platform applications for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android * Explore application development with C# 8.0 and .NET Core 3.0 * Explore ASP.NET Core 3.0 and create professional web applications * Learn object-oriented programming and C# multitasking * Query and manipulate data using LINQ * Use Entity Framework Core and work with relational databases * Discover Windows app development using the Universal Windows Platform and XAML * Build mobile applications for iOS and Android using Xamarin.Forms Who this book is for Readers with some prior programming experience or with a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) background, who want to gain a solid foundation with C# 8.0 and .NET Core 3.0.

Take your comics and illustrations to the next level with the powerful art tools in Clip Studio Paint 1.8 Key Features *Overcome “interface overwhelm” with a practical breakdown of the Clip Studio interface *Comprehensive guide on the Clip Studio Paint with detailed coverage of all the tools and concepts of designing comics *Streamline your workflow to create faster and easier using Clip Studio’s features Book Description Clip Studio Paint, the successor to Manga Studio, is used by over four million illustrators and comic creators around the world. This book will guide you through every step of learning this software, from system requirements and installation, all the way through to exporting your work for print or the web. Learn how to create new documents, customize tools to fit your working style, use ruler tools to create anything from straight lines to intricate backgrounds, add 3D elements, create comic panels using the specialized panel tools, utilize screentones and materials, add text and word balloons to your comics, create sound effects, easily flat and color your comics using reference layers, and bring your drawings to life using the animation features. By the end of this book, you will be able to navigate the Clip Studio Interface and program preferences, customize the various tools, and be able to create your own black-and-white and color illustrations and comics from start to finish. What you will learn *Understand the differences between Clip Studio Paint Pro and EX *Discover how to navigate and customize the user interface *Creating custom tools that fit your unique style of illustration *Using the ruler tools to create intricate perspective shots and complex symmetry *Discover how to use 3D elements in your work *Learn how to create lettering and word balloons to bring your comic stories to life *Understand the process of digital art creation from pencils to inks to color *Understand how to use the animation tools available in Clip Studio Paint Who this book is for If you are a beginning digital artist or are switching to Clip Studio from another graphics software, this book is for you. This book is excellent for those with no knowledge of digital art up to intermediate users looking to explore the unique features of Clip Studio Paint.

The essential blueprints and workflow you need to build successful AI business applications Key Features *Learn and master the essential blueprints to program AI for real-world business applications *Gain insights into how modern AI and machine learning solve core business challenges *Acquire practical techniques and a workflow that can build AI applications using state-of-the-art software libraries *Work with a practical, code-based strategy for creating successful AI solutions in your business Book Description AI Blueprints gives you a working framework and the techniques to build your own successful AI business applications. You’ll learn across six business scenarios how AI can solve critical challenges with state-of-the-art AI software libraries and a well thought out workflow. Along the way you’ll discover the practical techniques to build AI business applications from first design to full coding and deployment. The AI blueprints in this book solve key business scenarios. The first blueprint uses AI to find solutions for building plans for cloud computing that are on-time and under budget. The second blueprint involves an AI system that continuously monitors social media to gauge public feeling about a topic of interest - such as self-driving cars. You’ll learn how to approach AI business problems and apply blueprints that can ensure success. The next AI scenario shows you how to approach the problem of creating a recommendation engine and monitoring how those recommendations perform. The fourth blueprint shows you how to use deep learning to find your business logo in social media photos and assess how people interact with your products. Learn the practical techniques involved and how to apply these blueprints intelligently. The fifth blueprint is about how to best design a ‘trending now’ section on your website, much like the one we know from Twitter. The sixth blueprint shows how to create helpful chatbots so that an AI system can understand customers’ questions and answer them with relevant responses. This book continuously demonstrates a working framework and strategy for building AI business applications. Along the way, you’ll also learn how to prepare for future advances in AI. You’ll gain a workflow and a toolbox of patterns and techniques so that you can create your own smart code. What you will learn *An essential toolbox of blueprints and advanced techniques for building AI business applications *How to design and deploy AI applications that meet today’s business needs *A workflow from first design stages to practical code solutions in your next AI projects *Solutions for AI projects that involve social media analytics and recommendation engines *Practical projects and techniques for sentiment analysis and helpful chatbots *A blueprint for AI projects that recommend products based on customer purchasing habits *How to prepare yourself for the next decade of AI and machine learning advancements Who this book is for Programming AI Business Applications provides an introduction to AI with real-world examples. This book can be read and understood by programmers and students without requiring previous AI experience. The projects in this book make use of Java and Python and several popular and state-of-the-art opensource AI libraries.

This book will guide you through the steps necessary to add image, video, and audio elements into your Drupal sites. For each topic, you start with simple techniques and move on to more advanced techniques. By the time you've completed this book, you should have a firm ground from which to tackle most multimedia needs, and enough of an understanding to creatively solve more complex problems. This book will provide information for administrators and professional site developers who are required to embed multimedia into a Drupal site. The reader needs basic knowledge of Drupal operation, but no experience of how Drupal handles multimedia items is expected.

The initial part guides the reader through the features of DWR and how it works to make the developer ready for practical implementation. The later part contains plenty of code (with explanations) and graphical interface-driven step-by-step examples, which the reader can try out while surfing through the book to learn by doing. This book is written for competent Java developers and assumes that you are a professional rather than hobbyist. You should be familiar with the concepts of programming, Web 2.0, and AJAX.

This book is an easytofollow guide that incrementally develops the game framework and missions, stepbystep, with each chapter. Extensive source code is provided and explained in detail to support and explain each of the concepts in the book. This book is intended for novice game programmers with a little experience in Unity3D, who want to learn how to program eLearning games. Educators and trainers who want to use Unity in an eLearning setting will also benefit from the book. It would be helpful to have a basic understanding of the concepts such as Unity *ing and the Finite State Machine (FSM), but no prior experience in game development is required.

This is a stepbystep guide to design patterns, best practices, and solutions to common problems for Backbone.jsbased application development. This book is for JavaScript developers who work with Backbone.js and want to learn the best design patterns to develop complex web applications. Basic knowledge of Backbone.js and JavaScript is essential.

A practical, fastpaced guide that gives you all the information you need to successfully create networks and simulate them using Packet Tracer. Packet Tracer Network Simulator is aimed at students, instructors, and network administrators who wish to use this simulator to learn how to perform networking instead of investing in expensive, specialized hardware. This book assumes that you have a good amount of Cisco networking knowledge, and it will focus more on Packet Tracer rather than networking.

If you are a JavaScript developer who has been using DOM manipulation libraries such as Mootools or Scriptaculous, and you want go further in modern JavaScript development with a simple and well-documented library, then this book is for you. Learning how to use Knockout will be perfect as your next step towards building JavaScript applications that respond to user interaction.

Learn the best practices on writing efficient jQuery applications to maximize performance in large-scale deploymentsAbout This BookLearn about the observer pattern and the deferred observer pattern, two of the most popular design patterns that handle custom eventsAdvance your jQuery skills by learning about patterns such as divide and conquer, facade, and builder and factory to handle complex resultsThis step-by-step guide to applying micro-patterns and optimizing jQuery applications will help you get the best performance in a production environmentWho This Book Is ForThis book is for existing jQuery Developers or new developers who want to get an understanding of the “correct way” to build jQuery applications, using best practices and industry standard patterns.What You Will LearnRespond to user actionsAchieve greater flexibility and code decouplingHave a central point for emitting and receiving application level eventsStructure the application into small independent modulesAbstract complex APIsIsolate the procedure of generating complex parts of the applicationEfficiently orchestrate asynchronous procedures using jQuery Deferred and PromisesUtilize the most widely-used client-side templating libraries for more complex use casesIn DetailjQuery is a feature-rich JavaScript library that makes HTML document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax much simpler with an easy-to-use API that works across a variety of browsers. With a combination of versatility and extensibility, jQuery has changed the way that millions of people write JavaScript.jQuery solves the problems of DOM manipulation, event detection, AJAX calls, element selection and document queries, element attribute and data management, as well as object management utilities. This book addresses these problems and shows you how to make the best of jQuery through the various design patterns available.The book starts off with a refresher to jQuery and will then take you through the different design patterns such as facade, observer, publisher/subscriber, and so on. We will also go into client-side templating techniques and libraries, as well as some plugin development patterns. Finally, we will look into some best practices that you can use to make the best of jQuery.Style and approachThe example-oriented guide covers the best and most widely used patterns to help you improve your development with jQuery.

Get up and running with machine learning with F# in a fun and functional wayAbout This BookDesign algorithms in F# to tackle complex computing problemsBe a proficient F# data scientist using this simple-to-follow guideSolve real-world, data-related problems with robust statistical models, built for a range of datasetsWho This Book Is ForIf you are a C# or an F# developer who now wants to explore the area of machine learning, then this book is for you. Familiarity with theoretical concepts and notation of mathematics and statistics would be an added advantage.What You Will LearnUse F# to find patterns through raw dataBuild a set of classification systems using Accord.NET, Weka, and F#Run machine learning jobs on the Cloud with MBracePerform mathematical operations on matrices and vectors using Math.NETUse a recommender system for your own problem domainIdentify tourist spots across the globe using inputs from the user with decision tree algorithmsIn DetailThe F# functional programming language enables developers to write simple code to solve complex problems. With F#, developers create consistent and predictable programs that are easier to test and reuse, simpler to parallelize, and are less prone to bugs.If you want to learn how to use F# to build machine learning systems, then this is the book you want.Starting with an introduction to the several categories on machine learning, you will quickly learn to implement time-tested, supervised learning algorithms. You will gradually move on to solving problems on predicting housing pricing using Regression Analysis. You will then learn to use Accord.NET to implement SVM techniques and clustering. You will also learn to build a recommender system for your e-commerce site from scratch. Finally, you will dive into advanced topics such as implementing neural network algorithms while performing sentiment analysis on your data.Style and approachThis book is a fast-paced tutorial guide that uses hands-on examples to explain real-world applications of machine learning. Using practical examples, the book will explore several machine learning techniques and also describe how you can use F# to build machine learning systems.

Explore Raspberry Pi's architecture through innovative and fun projects About This Book Explore Raspberry Pi 2’s hardware through the Assembly, C/C++, and Python programming languages Experiment with connecting electronics up to your Raspberry Pi 2 and interacting with them through software Learn about the Raspberry Pi 2 architecture and Raspbian operating system through innovative projects Who This Book Is For Raspberry Pi Computer Architecture Essentials is for those who are new and those who are familiar with the Raspberry Pi. Each topic builds upon earlier ones to provide you with a guide to Raspberry Pi’s architecture. From the novice to the expert, there is something for everyone. A basic knowledge of programming and Linux would be helpful but is not required. What You Will Learn Set up your Raspberry Pi 2 and learn about its hardware Write basic programs in Assembly Language to learn about the ARM architecture Use C and C++ to interact with electronic components Find out about the Python language and how to use it to build web applications Interact with third-party microcontrollers Experiment with graphics and audio programming Expand Raspberry Pi 2’s storage mechanism by using external devices Discover Raspberry Pi 2’s GPIO pins and how to interact with them In Detail With the release of the Raspberry Pi 2, a new series of the popular compact computer is available for you to build cheap, exciting projects and learn about programming. In this book, we explore Raspberry Pi 2’s hardware through a number of projects in a variety of programming languages. We will start by exploring the various hardware components in detail, which will provide a base for the programming projects and guide you through setting up the tools for Assembler, C/C++, and Python. We will then learn how to write multi-threaded applications and Raspberry Pi 2’s multi-core processor. Moving on, you’ll get hands on by expanding the storage options of the Raspberry Pi beyond the SD card and interacting with the graphics hardware. Furthermore, you will be introduced to the basics of sound programming while expanding upon your knowledge of Python to build a web server. Finally, you will learn to interact with the third-party microcontrollers. From writing your first Assembly Language application to programming graphics, this title guides you through the essentials. Style and approach This book takes a step-by-step approach to exploring Raspberry Pi’s architecture through projects that build upon each other. Each project provides you with new information on how to interact with an aspect of the Raspberry Pi and Raspbian operating system, providing a well-rounded guide.

Orchestrate the designing, development, testing, and deployment of web applications with Symfony About This Book Create a robust and reliable Symfony development pipeline using Amazon's cloud platform Cut development and maintenance costs by defining crystal clear features and possible scenarios for each feature before implementation Follow detailed examples provided in each chapter to create a task management application Who This Book Is For If you are a PHP developer with some experience in Symfony and are looking to master the framework and use it to its full potential, then this book is for you. Though experience with PHP, object-oriented techniques, and Symfony basics is assumed, this book will give you a crash course on the basics and then proceed to more advanced topics. What You Will Learn Install and configure Symfony and required third-party bundles to develop a task management application Set up a continuous integration server to orchestrate automatic builds every time you add a new feature to your project Reduce maintenance costs dramatically using Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) Create a slick user interface using the Bootstrap framework Design robust business logic using Doctrine Build a comprehensive dashboard and secure your project using the Sonata project Improve performance using Redis, Memcache, and Varnish Create customized Symfony commands and add them to your console In Detail In this book, you will learn some lesser known aspects of development with Symfony, and you will see how to use Symfony as a framework to create reliable and effective applications. You might have developed some impressive PHP libraries in other projects, but what is the point when your library is tied to one particular projectWith Symfony, you can turn your code into a service and reuse it in other projects. This book starts with Symfony concepts such as bundles, routing, twig, doctrine, and more, taking you through the request/response life cycle. You will then proceed to set up development, test, and deployment environments in AWS. Then you will create reliable projects using Behat and Mink, and design business logic, cover authentication, and authorization steps in a security checking process. You will be walked through concepts such as DependencyInjection, service containers, and services, and go through steps to create customized commands for Symfony's console. Finally, the book covers performance optimization and the use of Varnish and Memcached in our project, and you are treated with the creation of database agnostic bundles and best practices. Style and approach A step-by-step guide to mastering Symfony while developing a task management application. Each chapter comes with detailed examples.

A foundational yet practical approach to UX that delivers more creative, collaborative, holistic, and mature design solutions, regardless of your background or experience About This Book Improve your UX design awareness and skills Gain greater confidence to know when you have delivered a “good” UX design Learn by example using a book designed by a UX mind for a UX mind Who This Book Is For This book is written for the beginner as well as the experienced UX practitioner, regardless of team size, company size, or job title. It is also intended for anyone with an interest in UX, engages with UX, is involved in any way in interactive problem solving and design, or simply wants to learn more about what we do, how we do it, and why those in the UX field are so passionate about wanting to do it better. What You Will Learn Awaken your UX mind and dispel the myths of non-UX thinkers Create the six optimal conditions for your best ideas to appear Identify and incorporate the ten design principles found in all good UX design Develop a broader understanding of Information Architecture (IA) to better engage, guide, and inform Develop a fundamental understanding of patterns and the properties that create them Raise your level of UX maturity with a strategy that transforms your approach to problem solving and helps others understand the true value of your work Utilize important tools of the UX trade that never go out of style Increase your knowledge of UX, incorporate valuable ideas and insights into your work, and look at design from a very unique perspective In Detail Written in an easy-to-read style, this book provides real-world examples, a historical perspective, and a holistic approach to design that will ground you in the fundamental essentials of interactive design, allow you to make more informed design decisions, and increase your understanding of UX in order to reach the highest levels of UX maturity. As you will see, UX is more than just delighting customers and users. It is also about thinking like a UX practitioner, making time for creativity, recognizing good design when you see it, understanding Information Architecture as more than just organizing and labeling websites, using design patterns to influence user behavior and decision making, approaching UX from a business perspective, transforming your client’s and company’s fundamental understanding of UX and its true value, and so much more. This book is an invaluable resource of knowledge, perspective, and inspiration for those seeking to become better UX designers, increase their confidence, become more mature design leaders, and deliver solutions that provide measurable value to stakeholders, customers, and users regardless of project type, size, and delivery method. Style and approach An in-depth, easy to read, and entertaining journey into and through the world of UX using real-world examples, thoughtful illustrations, and engaging quotes to inspire and explain fully the how and why of UX in a practical and impactful way and used immediately in your own work.

If you have experience with the Python language and are interested in getting started with electronics, then BeagleBone Black is the perfect platform for you and this book will provide you with the information you need.

This book is for PLC programmers, electricians, instrumentation technicians, and automation professionals with basic PLC programming knowledge, but no knowledge of RSLogix 5000. If you are a student who is familiar with automation and would like to learn about RSLogix 5000 with a minimal investment of time, this is the book for you.

Part of Packt’s Beginner’s Guide series, each chapter focuses on a specific part of your website and how to improve its design with the use of jQuery. There are plenty of screenshots and practical step-by-step instructions making it easy to apply jQuery to your site. This book is for designers who have the basics of HTML and CSS, but want to extend their knowledge by learning to use JavaScript and jQuery.

With this book in hand, you will be able to set up and manage a Community Server solution. You will learn how to create blogs, forums, photo galleries, and file galleries, and use tools such as the built-in RSS reader and RSS roller in a step-by-step manner. This book will provide your with a clear and concise overview of Community Server and will impart the knowledge necessary to enable you to run and manage a Community Server solution. This book is aimed at the Community Server administrator with a base level of technical competence and confidence, but no prior sysadmin or developer experience or knowledge. No knowledge of ASP.NET programming is required for using this book. What is essential is your own passion for your target community and your desire to provide the best platform possible to that audience.

The author draws on his experience to offer the reader valuable advice on the best practices. Providing only necessary theoretical background, the book takes a practical approach, presenting case studies and plenty of illustrative examples. This book is aimed at Linux Network administrators with some understanding of Linux security threats and issues, or any one interested in securing their systems behind a firewall. Basic knowledge of Linux is presumed but other than that this book shows you how to do the rest, from configuring your system to dealing with security breaches.