grscl / rad.js

RAD.JS Rapid Application Development (PhoneGap optimized javascript framework)

RAD.JS

---

Rapid Application Development (PhoneGap optimized javascript framework)

Version:

0.93b

What RAD.js is:

A system-level framework. It allows to build a single-page application that looks and feels as a conventional multi-page one. It also takes over system-level tasks, such as message bus, creating and deleting certain part instances of the application, transactions between views, etc.

What RAD.js isn't:

• An MV* framework. In RAD.js, MV* is based upon BackboneJS;
• An application-level framework. Any JavaScript object can serve as an application. The framework does not require any special environments for creating an object of the application;
• A layout engine. The layout engine is implemented as a navigation plugin for the framework core;
• A UI framework. There is no reason in creating another UI framework, because in real-life projects UI patterns and appearance of applications change. ScrollableView, PopupView and ToastView serve as an extension to the basic view; all of these have extended and frequent behavior in different projects. You can easily write new views (such as ListView), which are frequently used in your projects.

Advantages:

• The framework is optimized for PhoneGap and mobile browsers;
• Ability to dynamically control (create and delete) module instances of the application through the functionality of the core, at both view level and application level;
• Ability to build an application consisting of loosely bound modules: models, views, services (application part without visual representation); and of the object of the application;
• Tree-structured messaging;
• Debug mode of the core and messages;
• Flexible and loosely bound architecture - almost any extraneous code can be enveloped by the module with several lines of code. Failure of a module doesn't cause failure of the whole application;
• Ability to monitor the lifecycle of view and services. Callback methods for all lifecycle events;
• Templating. A template is an HTML file that can be created separately;
• Partial templating of view. Ability to determine parts of the view template, that will or will not be rerendered by changes of data within a model;
• Any JavaScript object can serve as the object of the application;
• Ability to extend functionality of the core via plugins;
• Complex embedded views and declarative transition animations between them;
• Ability to inherit views, services and models;
• Modal and non-modal self-positioning windows;
• Dynamic routing; it's enough to set the ''backstack: true'' parameter to enter transaction between views (new position of views on the screen) to the browser history;
• Reuse of modules in other projects;
• Module testing can be performed through external frameworks.

Dependencies:

• BackboneJS;
• UnderscoreJS;
• JQuery;
• IScroll;

Note:

We started working on the framework for the division of the tools that can be used without reference to our framework, as a completely independent tool for any javascript application. RAD.js Toolkit

---

License

MIT