Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts

Useful Scripts That Solve Difficult Problems

by Steve Pugh

December 2008, 216 pp.

ISBN-13:

9781593271824

Are you spending valuable time on work a well-trained monkey could do? If so, Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts will teach you how to automate repetitive tasks using Ruby, one of the most powerful and easy-to-use programming languages around.

Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts provides 58 scripts that offer quick solutions to problems like system administration, manipulating images, and managing a website. After getting your feet wet creating simple scripts to automate tasks like file compression and decompression, you’ll learn how to create powerful web crawlers, security scripts, and full-fledged libraries and applications, as well as how to:

Rename files, disable processes, change permissions, and modify users
Manipulate strings, encrypt files, and sort efficiently
Validate web links, check for orphan files, and generate forms
Mass edit photos, extract image information, and create thumbnails
Parse CSV files and scrape links, images, and pages from the Web

And as a nod to our security friends, you’ll even learn how to use Ruby to write Metasploit exploits. For each script you get the code, a discussion of how it works, and tips on how to customize it to solve real-world problems. By the time you’re finished, we think you’ll agree that Ruby is a wicked cool way to get things done.

Author Bio

Steve Pugh has been a programmer for over a decade. He has worked as a software analyst for a banking software company, run a large-scale network operations center (overseeing 7,000 users and 130 network technicians), and is currently doing security research for the US government. Much of this book was written while Pugh was working for the US government in Northern Iraq.

Table of contents

Foreword by David A. Black
Acknowledgements

Introduction:
Chapter 1: General Purpose Utilities
Chapter 2: Website Scripting
Chapter 3: Li(U)nix System Administration
Chapter 4: Picture Utilities
Chapter 5: Games and Learning Tools
Chapter 6: String Utilities
Chapter 7: Servers and Scrapers
Chapter 8: Arguments and Documentation
Chapter 9: Sorting Algorithms
Chapter 10: Writing a Metasploit 3.1 Module with Ruby

Afterword
Index

View the detailed Table of Contents (PDF)
View the Index (PDF)

Reviews

Satish Talim at the RubyLearning Blog interviewed Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts author Steve Pugh about his book, his background, and how his book differs from other Ruby books out there. Read the interview here.

"I like Steve's style. The foreword and introduction are succinct and to the point. His style and tone are very accessible and the book is informative throughout."
—Ruby Inside (Read More)

"In Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts Mr. Pugh uses simple but functional example scripts, and then dissects them in detail so that the reader understands exactly what each part of the script does. It's a great approach that makes it easy to modify and customize the example scripts, and as you work your way through the book you'll acquire the knowledge you need to write your own scripts from scratch...I give Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts a big thumbs-up."
—LinuxPlanet (Read More)

"Steve Pugh's tone throughout the book is that of a friend who has something fun to share, never browbeating or lecturing. He's not simply writing to show us that he knows how to write Ruby well, he's really trying to help us out."
—Culmination.org (Read More)

"Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts is a must have for any dedicated Ruby coder who wants the most complete toolbox possible available to them."
—The Midwest Book Review (Read More)

"An excellent intermediate- to advanced-level resource, Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts will take programmers already familiar with the basics of Ruby to the next level."
—SciTech Book News, March 2009

"Beginners are sure to pick up Ruby scripting with the help of these scripts."
—The Tech Static (Read More)

"Once you understand Ruby basics, Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts serves as an example of the fun stuff you can do."
—zachhannes.wordpress.com (Read More)

"If you're a programmer waiting for a good excuse to try Ruby, or a Windows sysadmin wondering what an open source programming language can do for you, you'll findnd Wicked Cool Ruby Scripts enlightening, inspiring, and of course... cool."
—JAFDIP (Read More)

"Easy and fun to read, font is readable, doesn't contain pages and pages of uncommented code, source code is available, companion website exists, and the book left me with memorable ways to remember and use the material...It certainly isn't your typical 'Hello World' programming book which is also refreshing."
—Carnal0wnage (Read More)

"The book is very accessible. Each script is carefully explained step-by-step in a manner that can be fully understood by beginners."
—Zen and the Art of Programming (Read More)