Category Archives: Backbone

$(function(){…}) vs (function($){…})($) or DOMReady vs The Module Pattern

This was originally a StackOverflow question. I’m re-posting here because I think the question is fairly common, and I like the answer that I provided.  Why define anonymous function and pass it jQuery as the argument? This is the original … Continue reading 

Also posted in DOM, Javascript, JQuery, Principles and Patterns | 1 Comment

Backbone.Syphon: Serialize Form Inputs To JavaScript Objects

Working with form elements in a Backbone view can become very tedious very quickly. You will either end up writing a lot of repetitive code to read values from the form, or end up using a key-value-observer or data-binding solution … Continue reading 

Also posted in Backbone.Syphon, Javascript, JQuery, JSON | 10 Comments

Workflow In Backbone Apps: Triggering View Events From DOM Events

In my previous blog post, I talked about modeling an explicit workflow in JavaScript and Backbone application. The last code sample I showed had the implementation of the workflow object itself, but omitted all of the details of the views … Continue reading 

Also posted in Javascript, Workflow | 1 Comment

Modeling Explicit Workflow With Code, In JavaScript And Backbone Apps

A long time ago, in what seems to be a previous life at this point, I wrote a small blog post about modeling and creating an explicit return value from a dialog form in a Windows application. Fast forward a … Continue reading 

Also posted in AntiPatterns, Javascript, Principles and Patterns, Workflow | 11 Comments

Wrapping $.ajax In A Thin “Command” Framework For Backbone Apps

A large number of my recent client applications, built on Backbone, have been using straight jQuery AJAX calls. Sometimes its in combination with Backbone’s persistence method, but other times I end up using AJAX calls in place of Backbone calls. … Continue reading 

Also posted in AJAX, JQuery, Semantics, Underscore | 4 Comments

View Helpers For Underscore Templates

Underscore’s template engine lets you run any arbitrary JavaScript code that you want, within a template. You could write an entire JavaScript application within an underscore template if you want. But this is a really bad idea. Templates should be … Continue reading 

Also posted in Javascript, Marionette, Underscore | 8 Comments

Decoupling Backbone Apps From WebSockets

I’ve been doing a lot of work with web sockets lately, in my Backbone applications. And I’ve fallen in to a pattern that I really like, where my Backbone application doesn’t actually know anything about web sockets. All it knows … Continue reading 

Also posted in Javascript, Marionette, Pusher, SignalR, Socket.IO, Web Sockets | 8 Comments

Managing A Modal Dialog With Backbone And Marionette

My current client project is using Twitter Bootstrap, and I have to say I’m loving it. It provides a simple way to get started with common layout and design elements, and includes a handful of UI widgets and features that … Continue reading 

Also posted in DOM, Javascript, JQuery, Marionette, Twitter Bootstrap | 9 Comments

ClassyObjects: A JavaScript Class-y Inheritance Example

I recently released a screencast that covers JavaScript Objects & Prototypes on my WatchMeCode site. In this screencast, I go through all of the basics of working with objects in JavaScript, including prototypal inheritance. Toward the end of the video, … Continue reading 

Also posted in Classy Inheritance, Ember, Javascript, Prototypal Inheritance | 3 Comments

JavaScript Performance: Pre-Compiling And Caching HTML Templates

If you’re using HTML templates with a JavaScript application, you need to be caching the template’s raw text and/or pre-compiled version of the template. All of this spawned from a fun thread of discussion on a StackOverflow question. DOM Selection … Continue reading 

Also posted in DOM, Javascript, JQuery, Marionette, Performance | 6 Comments