How do I set up PublicActivity with Mongoid?

Create an initializer file in config/initializers/public_activity.rb setting the ORM to :mongoid, then include PublicActivity::Model and add 'tracked' to your models, as detailed in the README's setup section.

PublicActivity vs PaperTrail: which is better for auditing?

PublicActivity is optimized for user-facing activity feeds with built-in view helpers and multi-ORM support, while PaperTrail focuses more on detailed version history and audit trails; choose PublicActivity for display-oriented tracking and PaperTrail for comprehensive change logging.

How to create custom activity types in PublicActivity?

Use the 'create_activity' method on tracked models with a custom key (e.g., 'article.commented_on') and parameters like owner, as shown in the custom activities section of the README, allowing flexibility beyond basic CRUD.

Does PublicActivity support real-time notifications?

No, PublicActivity primarily handles database recording and rendering of activities; for real-time features like live updates, you need to integrate additional technologies such as ActionCable or WebSockets separately.

How to disable activity tracking in tests with RSpec?

Use the provided testing utilities by requiring 'public_activity/testing' in rails_helper.rb and wrapping test code in PublicActivity.with_tracking or PublicActivity.without_tracking blocks, ensuring isolated test environments.

Can I use PublicActivity with Rails 7?

Yes, the gem supports Rails 6.1+, so Rails 7 should be compatible, but always check the gem's documentation or GitHub issues for any version-specific updates or breaking changes.

How to handle I18n translations for activities?

Define translations in your locale YAML files under the 'activity' namespace, and PublicActivity will use them as fallbacks when view partials are missing, with support for optional 'activity.' prefixes in keys.

Open-Awesome

public_activity

MITRubyv3.0.2

A Ruby gem for tracking model changes and creating activity feeds in Rails applications, similar to GitHub's public activity.

GitHub

3.0k stars331 forks0 contributors

What is public_activity?

PublicActivity is a Ruby gem that provides easy activity tracking for ActiveRecord, Mongoid, and MongoMapper models in Rails 6.1+. It records model changes and allows developers to present those activities to users in a feed format, similar to how GitHub displays public activity.

Target Audience

Rails developers building applications that need to track and display user activities, such as social networks, project management tools, or content platforms with activity feeds.

Value Proposition

Developers choose PublicActivity for its convention-over-configuration approach, multi-ORM support, and built-in view helpers, making it simple to add activity tracking without extensive custom code.

Overview

Easy activity tracking for models - similar to Github's Public Activity

Use Cases

Best For

Adding activity feeds to Rails applications, like user notifications or timelines.
Tracking CRUD operations on models for auditing or user visibility.
Building custom activity types beyond basic create, update, and destroy actions.
Supporting multiple databases (ActiveRecord, Mongoid, MongoMapper) in a single gem.
Internationalizing activity text with I18n translations and fallbacks.
Testing activity tracking in isolation with provided RSpec utilities.

Not Ideal For

Applications requiring real-time, push-based notifications without additional setup
Projects using ORMs outside ActiveRecord, Mongoid 3, or MongoMapper (e.g., Sequel or newer Mongoid versions)
Systems with extreme scalability needs for activity logging, where database bloat could become a performance issue

Pros & Cons

Pros

Multi-ORM Flexibility

Supports ActiveRecord, Mongoid, and MongoMapper out of the box, allowing seamless integration with various database backends without code changes, as shown in the initializer setup examples.

Convention-over-Configuration Simplicity

Minimal setup required—just include 'tracked' in models to automatically record CRUD activities, reducing boilerplate and speeding up implementation for basic use cases.

Custom Activity Support

Enables creation of custom activity types beyond CRUD using 'create_activity' with custom keys, making it adaptable for complex workflows like social interactions or custom events.

Built-in View Helpers

Provides 'render_activities' helper with layout and locals support, simplifying activity display in views and offering I18n fallbacks for easy internationalization.

Testing Utilities

Includes RSpec helpers to enable/disable tracking during tests, facilitating isolated testing environments without interference, as documented in the testing section.

Cons

Limited ORM and Version Support

Only supports specific ORMs like Mongoid 3 (not newer versions) and Rails 6.1+, with issues on older versions closed without resolution, hindering legacy project upgrades.

Database Performance Concerns

Automatically recording all CRUD activities can rapidly grow the activities table, potentially impacting database performance without manual optimization or archiving strategies.

Setup Complexity for Non-ActiveRecord ORMs

Requires additional initializer configuration for Mongoid or MongoMapper, adding an extra step compared to ActiveRecord's straightforward migration-based setup.

Dependency on External Documentation

Key features and common examples are documented in a separate wiki, which may be less maintained or harder to navigate than integrated documentation, increasing learning time.

Frequently Asked Questions

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