About the Book

A few readers have asked me for details on the book-in-progress.

The working title is "Automating Windows Applications with Ruby". As the title implies, the focus is on automating applications, usually via Win32OLE/COM.

This is not an "Introduction to Ruby" book: I make the assumption that the reader already has a working knowledge of the language and now wants to put it to good use driving applications and processes on Windows. Some of the topics covered include:

* Microsoft Excel
* Microsoft Word
* Microsoft Outlook
* Microsoft PowerPoint
* Database Access with ADO
* Microsoft Access
* Microsoft SQL Server
* Microsoft Internet Explorer
* Microsoft Office Document Imaging (OCR)
* iTunes
* Windows Media Player
* Text-to-Speech
* Microsoft Agent
* Hummingbird HostExplorer
* Attachmate Extra
* Windows Management Instrumentation

Each chapter will include step-by-step tutorials, and many chapters will also include a reference section covering commonly-used classes, properties, and methods. Some chapters are extensive, while others may be only a few pages in length.

This isn't intended to be an "Everything You'd Ever Want To Know About..." resource, but it is my intention to provide you with a book that will serve as both a quick-start guide and a go-to reference for automating a wide variety of applications.

Stay tuned...

Ruby on Windows: The Book

A reader recently commented:

"Have you written a book on Ruby + Windows? I'd love to see the material expanded and put down on paper. I suppose I can print it out myself, but it's just not the same."

I've been asked about this before. While I currently have no such "Ruby on Windows" book to offer, I can now say that I have finally started on it.

I welcome any comments, suggestions, or advice you may have -- as readers and/or writers.