JavaScript Web Applications: jQuery Developers' Guide to Moving State to the Client

by Alex MacCaw

Overview

Building rich JavaScript applications that bring a desktop experience to the Web requires moving state from the server to the client side—not a simple task. This hands-on book takes proficient JavaScript developers through all the steps necessary to create state-of-the-art applications, including structure, templating, frameworks, communicating with the server, and many other issues.

Throughout the book, you'll work with real-world example applications to help you grasp the concepts involved. Learn how to create JavaScript applications that offer a more responsive and improved experience.

• Use the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern, and learn how to manage dependencies inside your application
• Get an introduction to templating and data binding
• Learn about loading remote data, Ajax, and cross-domain requests
• Create realtime applications with WebSockets and Node.js
• Accept dropped files and upload data with progress indicators
• Use major frameworks and libraries, including jQuery, Spine, and Backbone
• Write tests and use the console to debug your applications
• Get deployment best practices, such as caching and minification

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449303518
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/30/2011
Pages:	273
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Alex MacCaw is a Ruby/JavaScript developer & entrepreneur. He has written a JavaScript framework, Spine and developed major applications including Taskforce and Socialmod, as well as a host of open source work. He speaks at Ruby/Rails conferences in NYC, SF and Berlin. In addition to programming he is currently traveling round the world with a Nikon D90 and surfboard.

Table of Contents

Preface; Who Is This Book For?; How This Book Is Organized; Conventions Used in This Book; Accompanying Files; Code Conventions; Holla; Author’s Note; Safari® Books Online; How to Contact Us; Chapter 1: MVC and Classes; 1.1 Early Days; 1.2 Adding Structure; 1.3 What Is MVC?; 1.4 Toward Modularity, Creating Classes; 1.5 Adding Functions to Classes; 1.6 Adding Methods to Our Class Library; 1.7 Class Inheritance Using Prototype; 1.8 Adding Inheritance to Our Class Library; 1.9 Function Invocation; 1.10 Controlling Scope in Our Class Library; 1.11 Adding Private Functions; 1.12 Class Libraries; Chapter 2: Events and Observing; 2.1 Listening to Events; 2.2 Event Ordering; 2.3 Canceling Events; 2.4 The Event Object; 2.5 Event Libraries; 2.6 Context Change; 2.7 Delegating Events; 2.8 Custom Events; 2.9 Custom Events and jQuery Plug-Ins; 2.10 Non-DOM Events; Chapter 3: Models and Data; 3.1 MVC and Namespacing; 3.2 Building an ORM; 3.3 Adding ID Support; 3.4 Addressing References; 3.5 Loading in Data; 3.6 Populating Our ORM; 3.7 Storing Data Locally; 3.8 Adding Local Storage to Our ORM; 3.9 Submitting New Records to the Server; Chapter 4: Controllers and State; 4.1 Module Pattern; 4.2 Adding a Bit of Context; 4.3 State Machines; 4.4 Routing; Chapter 5: Views and Templating; 5.1 Dynamically Rendering Views; 5.2 Templates; 5.3 Binding; Chapter 6: Dependency Management; 6.1 CommonJS; 6.2 Module Loaders; 6.3 Wrapping Up Modules; 6.4 Module Alternatives; 6.5 FUBCs; Chapter 7: Working with Files; 7.1 Browser Support; 7.2 Getting Information About Files; 7.3 File Inputs; 7.4 Drag and Drop; 7.5 Copy and Paste; 7.6 Reading Files; 7.7 Custom Browse Buttons; 7.8 Uploading Files; 7.9 jQuery Drag and Drop Uploader; Chapter 8: The Real-Time Web; 8.1 Real Time’s History; 8.2 WebSockets; 8.3 Real-Time Architecture; 8.4 Perceived Speed; Chapter 9: Testing and Debugging; 9.1 Unit Testing; 9.2 Drivers; 9.3 Headless Testing; 9.4 Distributed Testing; 9.5 Providing Support; 9.6 Inspectors; 9.7 The Console; 9.8 Using the Debugger; 9.9 Analyzing Network Requests; 9.10 Profile and Timing; Chapter 10: Deploying; 10.1 Performance; 10.2 Caching; 10.3 Minification; 10.4 Gzip Compression; 10.5 Using a CDN; 10.6 Auditors; 10.7 Resources; Chapter 11: The Spine Library; 11.1 Setup; 11.2 Classes; 11.3 Events; 11.4 Models; 11.5 Controllers; 11.6 Building a Contacts Manager; Chapter 12: The Backbone Library; 12.1 Models; 12.2 Collections; 12.3 Views; 12.4 Controllers; 12.5 Syncing with the Server; 12.6 Building a To-Do List; Chapter 13: EmberJS; 13.1 The Application; 13.2 Models; 13.3 Templates; 13.4 Controllers; 13.5 Router; 13.6 Building a To-Do List; jQuery Primer; DOM Traversal; DOM Manipulation; Events; Ajax; Being a Good Citizen; Extensions; Creating a Growl jQuery Plug-in; CSS Extensions; Variables; Mixins; Nested Rules; Including Other Stylesheets; Colors; How Do I Use Less?; CSS3 Reference; Prefixes; Colors; Rounded Corners; Drop Shadows; Text Shadow; Gradients; Multiple Backgrounds; Selectors; Transitions; Border Images; Box Sizing; Transformations; Flexible Box Model; Fonts; Graceful Degradation; Creating a Layout; Colophon;