This repo was created as a practice to learn the Paperclip gem, from Thoughbot.

Paperclip is a gem that integrates the ability to upload files into our database. It was developed by Thoughtbot and available as an open source repo on GitHub.

Follow the steps on the Paperclip's README for complete instructions, but here is a lightweight overview of the most basic parts:

ImageMagick is a prerequisite for Paperclip, so make sure to install it first by running:

brew install imagemagick

There are additional requirements for Windows machines. Be sure to check out Paperclip's README for specific Windows instructions

Add Paperclip to the Gemfile through the following code:

gem "paperclip", "~> 4.2"

The rails generate paperclip <model_name> <file_field_name> will generate the following migration to add the file field:

class AddFieldColumnsToModel < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def self.up
    add_attachment :<model_name>, :<file_field_name>
  end

  def self.down
    remove_attachment :<model_name>, :<file_field_name>
  end
end

Within the 'new' view form, add the tag <%= form.file_field :<field_name> %> in order to allow for the upload file button to appear.

Also, be sure to include the html: { :multipart => true } to the form_for tag as an optional argument. This ensures that you can add the file appropriately since Paperclip actually generates more than one field to cover for all of the aspects of the file.

Add it as an image tag in Ruby: <%= image_tag @user.avatar.url %>

Add the most basic version needed, without specific styles as:

class <model_name> < ActiveRecord::Base
  has_attached_file :<field_name>
  validates_attachment_content_type :<field_name>, :content_type => /\Aimage\/.*\Z/
end