JavaScript for Line of Business Applications

JavaScript events are very powerful, they give you the power to capture real world events in real time. For example, when a user moves their mouse in the browser or when they click.

Using JavaScript events to interact with DOM objects defined Web 2.0 and is still widely used (thanks to jQuery and similar libraries) but it has its limitations, the events are predefined and tied to the browser BOM and DOM.

A more powerful implementation of JavaScript Events is in Event Emitters. Most of the popular JavaScript libraries/frameworks have their own implementation of Event Emitters.

My framework of choice is backbone.js and it uses Backbone.Events to implement Event Emitters.

One of the difficulties in building large jQuery applications is keeping code organized. It is very easy to get lost in a Christmas tree of doom-a deeply nested list of callback functions that seems to hold every single feature and interaction. The truth is that jQuery does not provide any guidance on organization or structure for code.

The good news is that you don't have to choose exclusively between jQuery and well-structured code that SPA libraries and frameworks help you to write. You can combine the simplicity and interactivity of jQuery-based applications with the building blocks of good structure from Backbone.js to create highly interactive pages that also have good code organization and structure.

From jQuery to Backbone.js: A Migration
It's tempting to jump straight in to Backbone.js at this point, but that would be a disservice to most developers. Starting from scratch is easy. The real challenge lies in taking existing code and migrating it to something else.
Taking a migration approach to Backbone.js does two things:
* Shows that Backbone.js can be added to existing projects, without an all-or-nothing re-write
* Shows the similarities and differences between writing jQuery on its own and using Backbone.js to structure jQuery

The Add form that was built with plain jQuery code will be migrated to Backbone.js, one step at a time. Before that can happen, though, you'll need to configure Backbone.js in your project.

Deciding mid-stride to adopt a JavaScript application framework exposes many difficult decisions. What should be targeted first? How does one deal with untested, legacy code? It can make transitions a scary, tedious process.

At Viget, we've found Backbone to be a great tool for bolstering existing code with greater structure and functionality. With an active community and a number of superset frameworks (such as Thorax and Marionette), it gives us flexible tools to tackle current problems with an outlet for more elegant solutions down the road.

We've started to trend towards a series of steps that help to translate code over in a safer, more testable way.

* PULL HTML CONSTRUCTION INTO A TEMPLATE
* BREAK OUT DATA PROCESSING
* FINISHING THINGS UP WITH BACKBONE.VIEWS