Backbone/Marionette recap [2015]

Backbone/MarionetteExperience recap in scope of @SoftServeInc projects involvement

Andrii Lundiak @landike2015

Agenda

• Project’s Technology stack

• SCM project review

• DMG project review

• EWQ project review

Project’s Technology stack

• SCM [2013]:

• [40%] Backbone.JS 1.0.0 + [60%] Marionette.JS

• + Backbone plugins (localStorage, stickit, wreqr, babysitter, syphon, validation), Underscore.JS 1.5.1, Require.JS 2.1.8, jQuery 2.x and plugins(cookie, validate, jasmine-mixture), Bootstrap 2.3.2, Node.JS + Grunt.JS, Jasmine.JS, LESS, i18next.

• DMG [2014]:

• [70%] Backbone.JS 1.0.0 + [30%] feature development,

• + Underscore.JS, jQuery 1.x, jQueryQueryBuilder, Select2.JS, Bootstrap 2.x, Node.JS + Grunt.JS, LESS.

• EWQ [2014]:

• [80%] Backbone.JS 1.0.0 + [20%] Marionette.JS 1.8.x,

• + Underscore.JS, jsRender, jQuery 2.x, Bootstrap 2.x, Node.JS + Grunt.JS.

SCM

• UI part: First what we

implemented was List based on

client UI/UX team rework of

Bootstrap 2.x.

• Backbone part: Based on

backbone plugins (.localStorage,

router), jquery.cookie and auth

token from backnend we

implemented session.JS, and

used over the application.

• Marionette part: Then we

implemented many instances of

Marionette ItemView,

CollectionView, CompositView,

Region, Layout, Routes,

Controllers to manage all

features by Marionette.JS.

SCM: backbone part

• SessionModel = Backbone.Model.extend({ … })

• BaseRouter = Backbone.Router.extend({ … }) then

• Router = BaseRouter.extend({ … }) depends on Session and controllers

SCM: marionette part

• App = new Marionette.Application({ … }) depends on Session and Router.

• We added Regions in MainLayout,

then we created MainController,

depends on MainLayout and

a few other controlers.

SCM: marionette part #2

• We created feature instances as views and

subviews using Marionette.ItemView(),

Marionette.CollectionView(),

Marionette.CompositeView()

• We created a few regions and layout

(including nested) via Marionette.Layout()

but didn’t use directly Marionette.Region and

marionette.RegionManager.

• We didn’t use Marionette.Controller directly.

• We didn’t use Marionette.Module.

DMG

• Existed codebase was on top of Backbone 1.0, and we couldn’t migrate to newest version. So we

extended codebase as much as possible.

DMG: Improvements

• We separate small features into modules/widgets, but modules were NOT

native Backbone code. We wanted to implement it as marionette modules, but Client

declined Marionette.JS usage.

• But we already have known marionette approaches, so we kinda borrowed it, and

reused in codebase.

• Client has old view (BaseView), which was built on top of backbone 0.x version. So

after code research, we simplified view to simple usage Backbone.View().

• There were many not needed dependencies, so we simplified this also.

EWQ

• One of major improvement in EWQ comparing DMG –Widgets flexibility.

EWQ: “Loaders/Builders”

• There were a few entities: plugins, widgets, admin modules,

dashboard modules. And all are quite the same from JavaScript

pov. So we created core.js with loaders, so that their behavior

looks the same, but result different.

EWQ: Worklist #2

• In fact, we reworked worklist from previous project, because client was the same. But this time we used Marionette.JS, due to “proof-of-concept” phase. Marionette [.ItemView(), .CollectionView(), .CompositeView()] were successfully used again.

• Every module has own router, based on Marionette.AppRouter(), so that we dedicated feature has ~100% independence and behave like Lego component.

• Every module has controller implemented with Marionette.Controller()

EWQ: modules

• We added many modules, so that

every feature would be separate

independent module.

• In fact we used 2 ways how to

create modules: native Backbone

and Marionette.Module() [but only

one experimental modue]

• For sure, potential way to use

ONLY Marionette.Module().

Otherwise, you have to implement

namespaces (as our client did in

fact before us).

Outcomes

• It’s better to not freeze with old version of 3rd party library. As result migration/extend/override/inheritance might be very complex and painful.

• Better to follow MV* structure, especially where it’s very needed. Grouping file by system “Feature contains” set of models, collections, views, templates, controllers, etc. is really good and independent system.

• Implement code as modularized as possible. Marionette.Module() helps here very much, and we got rid of namespaces.

• Better to separate controlling logic using Marionette.Controller()

• Complex lists, sortable tables, scrollable lists are very good implemented with Marionette.*Views().

• UI layout, page containers, separate UI features are very good implemented and scalable by using Marionette.Layout() and regions.

• In any case, it’s very useful to have global Events bus (Backbone.Wreqr.EventAggregator aka App.vent)

Resources to read

• http://backbonejs.org/, http://underscorejs.org/,

• http://backplug.io/, http://marionettejs.com/

• https://github.com/marionettejs/backbone.marionette/releases

• http://lostechies.com/ - awesome site, very detailed, many examples.

• http://samples.leanpub.com/marionette-gentle-introduction-sample.pdf

• http://ricostacruz.com/backbone-patterns/

• http://blog.shinetech.com/2013/11/26/backbone-antipatterns/

• http://worknme.wordpress.com/2014/08/18/backbone-marionette-short-review-1/

• http://habrahabr.ru/post/207730/ [RU] – Backbone => Marionette

• http://habrahabr.ru/post/177843/ [RU]- Marionette vs. Chaplin.

Resources to try

• https://github.com/theironcook/Backbone.ModelBinder

• https://github.com/NYTimes/backbone.stickit

• https://github.com/marionettejs/backbone.wreqr

• https://github.com/marionettejs/backbone.babysitter

• https://github.com/powmedia/backbone-forms

• https://github.com/malroc/backbone-component

• http://perka.github.io/backbone-ui/

• http://loicfrering.github.io/backbone.datagrid

• https://github.com/nilbus/Backbone.dualStorage

Special Thanks to

• Vasyl Tsarevych, Vitaliy Petrychuk, Dmytro Gorogotskyj, Ievgenii Neiman,

Sviatoslav Novosiadlyj, Ivan Matiishyn, Yuriy Lytvynenko, Dmytro

Yermolayev, Yevgen Motrych, Yuriy Kapechuk.

• All these guys were in my team(s). By working with them I had great

leadership relations with them, and besides I’ve got huge amount of

experience.