Linting and Auto-formatting Ruby Code With RuboCop

Linting is the automated checking of source code for programmatic and stylistic errors. This checking is performed by a static code analysis tool called a linter. A code formatter, however, is a tool concerned with formatting source code so that it strictly adheres to a pre-configured set of rules. A linter will typically report violations, but it's usually up to the programmer to fix the problem, while a code formatter tends to apply its rules directly to the source code, thus correcting formatting mistakes automatically.The task of creating a more consistent code style in a project usually necessitates the introduction of a separate linting and formatting tools, but in some cases, a single tool will be capable of addressing both concerns. A good example of the latter is RuboCop, which is the tool we'll consider extensively in this article. You'll learn how to set it up in your Ruby project and adjust its configuration options so that its output matches your expectations. Aside from integrating it into your local development process, you'll also learn how to make it a part of your continuous integration workflow.