I've been learning Angular 2 recently, and I must say that this is a great framework if I wanted to build a single-page application.
However, I was wondering how one would integrate angular with a normal, old style websites (say, built on codeigniter) if they only wanted the two way binding functionality?
Of course, I could use angular 2 for that, but with all the routing machinery of angular, it seems rather... out of place. It just seems like I'm trying to use an axe as a hammer.
So, my question is: what would you suggest to someone who wants to build a non single-page website, with old school loading pages, but for the page itself to be very interactive and utilize two way binding? For example, a users list which is a page in itself, but pagination is done via ajax... etc Should I just go with angular2, or maybe another library that's simply more suited for this purpose? Some suggested that ReactJS may just be what I'm looking for.
What do you think?
Although it's true that
client-side routing is just a small piece
of a very large framework, the fact that the structure of a Angular (2) project has exactly 1 index.html file with no server side code, at least implicitly tells us that there's a lot of framework intended for SPAs which a multi-page application may not need.
If what makes Angular 2 a great framework for you is data binding and productivity then have a look at Ember.js. Ember makes it easy to follow best practices rather than spending time on trivial choices.
Related
Currently, my project is running on backbone js which is a hybrid application. So, I want to migrate the backbone Js application to angular 6 but I need specification Why angular is better than Backbone Js for building a hybrid application.
Okay... I see what you try to achieve here. IMHO As a JS-developer you should be able to answer most of this question by yourself. No framework or toolkit is perfect, neither are Backbone.js or Angular (or PhoneGap / Ionic / React (native) / you call it)! If you want to migrate your app to another language, ask yourself for which reasons you would do so: Do you simply want to learn another language? Or has Backbone.js proven to fail in certain situations/scenarios?
I did a hybrid-app project several years ago only using Backbone.js - and had no problems so far. However, if I would have to do the same job with more complex views, view-transitions, routes and all that mobile-related stuff, I'd probably choose a toolkit that can handle these scenarios much better and with less amount of code - such as Flutter, React native or even native programming. That is why you will first have to assess for yourself what your hybrid-app project really needs. Do you have to deal with heavy data? Then keep on using Backbone.js. Do you need two-way data-binding in forms? Well, that one goes to Angular. Or are parts of your code simply too verbose, un-testable or buggy? Then you should assume refactoring your code as much as possible instead of re-inventing the wheel.
A last word: There have been several discussions in the Backbone.js/Marionette.js community about how to migrate an app to framework xy. As a rule of thumb you should keep in mind that developing NEW components in another language / scripting style is way smarter that re-developing the entire app (which would, as a matter of fact, break a lot of your given business logic and lead to endless nights of doing the same thing over and over).
I have to start by saying that I studied Angular 4 but I have not used it for any real projects and I don't know nothing about React. With so many technologies available I feel a little confused on when and how to use them. I have a website that I built using asp.net core. The website is a store that shows objects for sale and enable users to add and modify their products. The site is a MPA that eventually (not to say often) uses Ajax to make the application more dynamic and fast to load. I was thinking about turning the control panel that enables users add/modify their products, and uses a lot of javascript/jquery code to support those tasks, into SPA using React or Angular to make the website navigation more pleasant. Is this approach of using React and Angular in a section of website a good idea or Angular or React should only be used on the entire site?
Yes, you can combine React or Angular components with just regular website, especially when you want to rework complicated logic, which is better to do with such frameworks. You can also see how it works in action, reworking small components and decide if it worth.
I wouldn't say that it is a common practice, combining Angular 4 with React or the other way around. It is true that you can use React components in a Angular application but not the other way around.
Its really something you have to consider for yourself, usually you decide to take full advantage of a specific framework. Personal preference and or the preference of the people you are working with usually determine this.
All of this is very much based on ones own opinion.
I am trying to create a web-based dashboard platform and framework. The techniques I think about using is either ASP.NET MVC 5/6 (backend and frontend integrated) or a ASP.NET Web API 2 backend and an Angular frontend.
The application should function as an application (host), but also as a framework in which applications can be made. An application in this case is a small web application which can be shown on the dashboards. One of the main bottlenecks I came across is figuring out a way to instantiate the same application multiple times on a dashboard. Since by default doing this introduces ID collision between multiple HTML elements on the web page.
I know Angular kind of 'solves' this problem for you since the scope of your application (looking at an application like it's a component) is maintained by the Angular framework. The reason I mention ASP.NET Web API is because I'd then like to use this as a backend where all the configurations of the applications is stored.
ASP.NET MVC does not (as far as I know) allows you nice ways to handle this, except for rendering the HTML on the server and replacing all HTML ID's to something unique. But even when you manage to do that, you still have the issue of your js files referring to the old not-unique HTML elements. This could then maybe be fixed by using a JS framework that allows you to do such thing.
The reason I ask this question is because I have a lot of experience in the .NET framework and very little experience using Angular. The choice for Angular seems more suited for this use case, but due to my lack of experience in Angular, I am not able to make an arguable choice. I have some experience in ASP.NET MVC specifically, but not enough to also think of a nice way of handling the ID collision issue.
Therefore my question to you, the StackOverflow community, is do you have any experience using any of these frameworks? And if so, what would you choose and why do you think the choice is better suited for the job?
Use angular 2 (or 4) and webapi. Through use of components and parameterized directives, that can solve it. If you need good authentication, that will have to be dealt separately.
I will start to develop a new Project and i want use Asp .NET core and angular.js but i have a question what is the better way, use asp.net and angular together or separately?
I defined my architecture in this form
Cliente1(Angular)->RestApi->BussinessLogic->DataAccess->DB
yes, i see that my architecture says me that i need manage asp .NET and angular js separately, but I'd like to hear any suggestions.
UPDATE:
thank you for your answers, in the end both they have their pros and cons, i would like to share with you this articles:
Together: http://proudmonkey.azurewebsites.net/asp-net-core-getting-started-with-angularjs-2/
separately:
Part one: https://chsakell.com/2016/06/23/rest-apis-using-asp-net-core-and-entity-framework-core/
Part two: chsakell.com/2016/06/27/angular-2-crud-modals-animations-pagination-datetimepicker/
In general in programming you should separate your logic the most you can.
You will want to separate both projects for so many reasons :
You have a web app right now (angular) but maybe in a near futur you will need to have a mobile app (hybrid or native)
You can be more than one person working on the project, for example you will maybe need some designer/integrator to work on the app, and you dont want to share with him your back end, same applies if you have a back end guy.
two projects means maybe two source control repositories, means more control on branches, versions, rolling back ...
etc ...
I hope this can help.
If I see other benefits, ill update this answer.
Keep them separate, your MVC Part will be mainly REST APIs which has nothing to do with the JavaScript, HTML and CSS in the Angular Project, besides, if you want to build another client, EX: Mobile, then it will have its own project as well, this way you will have a clean structure for your solution.
So, you should have the following:
YourProject.REST
YourProject.Angular
YourProject.MobileClient
Also, the separation will make it easier for the teams working on the project, the one who will work on the front end doesn't have to worry about any other code not related to his tasks, the same for the developer working on the APIs, and each project can be structured as per the best practices for its technology.
You question is opinion based more than facts, so here is my opinion.
I have done few projects with ASP.Net MVC, Web API and AngularJS. They all stay in a single Web Application Project. Note: I have few class libraries for strongly typed Angular Helpers, Business Logic and Data Access.
Here are the advantages
I authenticate user using Owin Middleware, then redirect to Angular. The main advantage is I do not have to maintain Bearer Token or Authentication Cookie explicit inside Angular.
Second, I use csthml as strongly typed Angular view rather than plain html. It is the best of both world.
Last but not least, you can debug it easily rather than starting two projects at the same time, so that I can save resources on development machine. Everyone know Visual Studio is a memory hungry IDE.
How should a complex single-page JS web application be structured on the client-side? Specifically I'm curious about how to cleanly structure the application in terms of its model objects, UI components, any controllers, and objects handling server persistence.
MVC seemed like a fit at first. But with UI components nested at various depths (each with their own way of acting on/reacting to model data, and each generating events which they themselves may or may not handle directly), it doesn't seem like MVC can be cleanly applied. (But please correct me if that's not the case.)
--
(This question resulted in two suggestions of using ajax, which is obviously needed for anything other than the most trivial one-page app.)
MVC architecture of PureMVC/JS is the most elegant IMO. I learned a lot from it. I also found Scalable JavaScript Application Architecture by Nicholas Zakas helpful in researching client side architecture options.
Two other tips
I've found view, focus, and input management are areas that need special attention in single page web apps
I also found it helpful to abstract away the JS library, leaving door open to change mind on what you use, or mix & match should the need arise.
Nicholas Zakas's presentation as shared by Dean is a very good place to start with. I was also struggling to answer the same question for a while. After doing couple of large scale Javascript products, thought of sharing the learnings as a reference architecture in case someone needs it. Have a look at:
http://boilerplatejs.org/
It addresses common Javascript development concerns such as:
Solution structuring
Creating complex module hierarchy
Self contained UI components
Event based inter module communication
Routing, History, Bookmarking
Unit Testing
Localization
Document Generation
etc.
The way I build apps:
ExtJS framework, single page app, every component defined in a separate JS file, loaded on-demand
Every component contacts its own dedicated web service (sometimes more than one), fetching data into ExtJS stores or special-purpose data structures
The rendering uses standard ExtJS components, so I can bind stores to grids, load forms from records, ...
Just choose a javascript framework, and follow its best practices. My favorites are ExtJS and GWT, but YMMV.
Do NOT roll your own solution for this. The effort required to duplicate what modern javascript frameworks do is too big. It is always faster to adapt something existing than to build it all from scratch.
Question - What makes an application complex ?
Answer - The use of word 'complex' in the question itself. Hence, a common tendency will be to look out for a complex solution right from the beginning.
Question - What does the word complex means ?
Answer - Anything that is unknown or partially understood. Example : The theory of Gravity even today is COMPLEX to me but not to Sir Isaac Newton who discovered it in 1655.
Question - What tools can I use to deal with complexity ?
Answer - Understanding and simplicity.
Question - But I understand my application . Its still complex ?
Answer - Think twice, because understanding and complexity does not co-exist. If you understand a huge huge application, I am sure you will agree that it is nothing but an integration of small and simple units.
Question - Why all of the above philosophical discussion for a question on
Single Page Application (SAP)?
Answer - Because,
-> SPA is not some kind of core technology that is newly invented for which we need to reinvent the wheel for a lot of things that we are doing in application development.
-> Its a concept driven by the need for better performance, availability, scalability and maintainability of web applications.
-> Its a fairly newly identified design pattern, so an understanding of SPA as a design pattern goes long way in making informed decisions about the architecture of a SPA.
-> At the root level no SPA is complex, because after understanding the needs of an application and the SPA pattern, you will realize that you are still creating an application, pretty much the same way you did before with some modifications and re-arrangements in the development approach.
Question - What about the use of Frameworks ?
Answer - Frameworks are boiler plate code / solution for some commonly identified and generic patterns, hence they can take off x% (variable, based on the application) load from application development but then not a lot should be expected out of them specially for heavy and growing applications. Its always a good case to be in complete control of your application structure and flow but most importantly the code for it. There should be no grey or black areas in the application code.
Question - Can you suggest one of the many approaches to SPA architecture ?
Answer - Think of your own framework based on the nature of your application. Categorize application components. Look for an existing framework that is close to your derived framework, if you find it then use it, if you do not find it then I suggest going ahead with your own. Creating framework is quite an effort upfront but produces better results in long run. Some basic components in my SPA framework will be:
Data Source : Models / Collections of Models
Mark Up for presenting data : Templates
Interaction with the application : Events
State capturing and navigation : Routing
Utilities , widgets and plug-ins : libraries
Let me know if this helped in any way and good luck with your SPA architecture !!
The best thing to do is to look at example uses of other frameworks:
TodoMVC showcases many many SPA frameworks.
You can use javascript MVC framework http://javascriptmvc.com/
The web application that I am currently working on uses JQuery and I would not recommend it for any large single page web application. Most frameworks i.e. Dojo, yahoo, google and others use namespaces in their libraries but JQuery does not and this is a significant drawback.
If your web site is intended to be small then JQuery would be ok but if you intended to build a large site then I would recommend looking at all the Javascript frameworks available and deciding which one most meets your needs.
And I would recommend applying the MVC pattern to your javascript/html and probably most of your object model for the javascript could be done as the json that you actually return from the server through ajax and the javascirpt uses the json to render html.
I would recommend reading the book Ajax in action as it covers most of the stuff you will need to know.
I'm using Samm.js in several one page applications with great success
I would go with jQuery MVC
Check out http://bennadel.com/projects/cormvc-jquery-framework.htm Ben is pretty sharp and if you dig around on his blog he has some nice posts about how CorMVC is put together and why.
Alternative: take a look to ItsNat
Think in JavaScript but code the same in Java in server with the same DOM APIs, in server is way easier to manage your application without custom client/bridges because UI and data are together.
Or have a look at https://github.com/flosse/scaleApp
NikaFramework allows you to create single-page application. Also allows you to write HTML, CSS (SASS), JavaScript into separate files and bundle them into only one output file in the end.
I would recommend to explore Yeoman. It allow you to use existing "best practice" for your new project.
For example:
if you decide to use Angular.js, there is a Yeoman generator, that give you a structure for routing, views, services, etc. Also allow you to Test, minify your code, etc.
If you decide to use Backbone, checkout this generator