Question 1

How do I test a Cell in Rails with RSpec?

Accepted Answer

Invoke the cell in your RSpec tests to get HTML output, then use matchers to assert on the content; the README shows integration with Capybara for checking CSS selectors, making isolated component testing straightforward.

Question 2

Cells vs ViewComponent: which is better for Rails?

Accepted Answer

Cells offers more features like caching and asset packaging, while ViewComponent is simpler and more integrated with Rails 6+; choose Cells for complex, reusable components with advanced needs, or ViewComponent for a lighter approach.

Question 3

Can Cells work with Hotwire or Stimulus for dynamic updates?

Accepted Answer

Cells can include JavaScript in its assets, but integration isn't seamless; you'll need manual setup to pair cell-rendered HTML with Hotwire or Stimulus, unlike Rails 7's built-in approaches.

Question 4

How to cache a cell in Rails with dynamic keys?

Accepted Answer

Use the `cache` method in the cell class, e.g., `cache :show, expires_in: 10.minutes`, and configure cache keys based on model attributes or options for per-state caching, as detailed in the documentation.

Question 5

What's the main advantage of Cells over Rails helpers?

Accepted Answer

Cells encapsulate logic in reusable Ruby classes with methods, making views cleaner and more testable, whereas helpers can pollute the global namespace and lead to spaghetti code in complex UIs.

Question 6

How to install Cells for Rails 7 with ERB templates?

Accepted Answer

Add `gem 'cells-rails'` and `gem 'cells-erb'` to your Gemfile, run bundle install, then create cells in `app/cells/` with ERB views; the README warns to ensure template engine compatibility.

Question 7

Does Cells support server-side rendering for JavaScript-heavy apps?

Accepted Answer

Cells is server-side focused and renders HTML, but it doesn't handle client-side interactivity natively; for SPAs, you'd need to combine it with front-end frameworks, which can add complexity.

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