therubyracer/README.rdoc

= therubyracer

* http://github.com/cowboyd/therubyracer
* http://groups.google.com/group/therubyracer
* irc://irc.freenode.net/therubyracer

== DESCRIPTION:

Embed the V8 Javascript interpreter into Ruby.


== FEATURES/PROBLEMS:

* Evaluate Javascript from with in Ruby
* Embed your Ruby objects into the Javascript world
* Manipulate JavaScript objects and call JavaScript functions from Ruby
* API compatible with the The Ruby Rhino (for JRuby: http://github.com/cowboyd/therubyrhino)
* Currently ALPHA software. 

== SYNOPSIS:
  gem install therubyracer (stable)
  gem install therubyracer --pre (bleeding edge)

# then in your ruby code

  require 'v8'
  
# evaluate some simple javascript

  cxt = V8::Context.new
  cxt.eval('7 * 6') #=> 42

# embed values into the scope of your context

  cxt['foo'] = "bar"
  cxt.eval('foo') # => "bar"

# embed ruby code into your scope and call it from javascript
  
  cxt["say"] = lambda {|word, times| word * times}
  cxt.eval("say('Hello', 3)") #=> HelloHelloHello
  
# embed a ruby object into your scope and access its properties/methods from javascript

  class MyMath
    def plus(lhs, rhs)
      lhs + rhs
    end
  end

  cxt['math'] = MyMath.new
  cxt.eval("math.plus(20,22)") #=> 42

# make a ruby object *be* your global javascript scope.
  math = MyMath.new
  V8::Context.new(:with => math) do |cxt|
    cxt.eval("plus(20,22)") #=> 42
  end
  
  #you can do the same thing with Object#eval_js 
  
  math.eval_js("plus(20,22)")

==== Different ways of loading javascript source

In addition to just evaluating strings, you can also use streams such as files.

# evaluate bytes read from any File/IO object:
  File.open("mysource.js") do |file|
    cxt.eval(file, "mysource.js")
  end

# or load it by filename
  
  cxt.load("mysource.js")

=== Safe by default

The Ruby Racer is designed to let you evaluate javascript as safely as possible unless you tell it to do something more
dangerous. The default context is a hermetically sealed javascript environment with only the standard javascript objects
and functions. Nothing from the ruby world is accessible at all.

For ruby objects that you explicitly embed into javascript, only the +public+ methods *defined in their classes* are
exposed by default. E.g.

  class A
    def a
      "a"
    end
  end

  class B < A
    def b
      "b"
    end
  end


  V8::Context.new do |cxt|
    cxt['a'] = A.new
    cxt['b'] = B.new
    cxt.eval("a.a") # => 'a'
    cxt.eval("b.b") # => 'b'
    cxt.eval("b.a") # => undef
  end
  
== REQUIREMENTS:

* python >= 2.5 (required to compile v8)
* C++ compiler

== INSTALL:
* gem install therubyracer

== DEVELOP
* git clone git://github.com/cowboyd/therubyracer.git
* cd therubyracer
* rake compile

== LICENSE:

(The MIT License)

Copyright (c) 2009,2010 Charles Lowell

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining
a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
'Software'), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to
permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to
the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS', WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY
CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT,
TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE
SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.