Javascript Integration

Hi folks .. a newbie here.

I just took a great Seaside workshop, given by James Foster of GemStone.

One issue that I didn't understand as well as I'd like is Seaside-
Javascript integration.  I know Prototype/Scriptaculous (and others)  
are used, but I wasn't clear what the *architecture* of the  
integration was.

For example, are there tiny code fragments built up by the component  
libraries that create a script?  Is there some smalltalk-to-javascript  
translation taking place?  Is there a Seaside specific javascript  
library loaded onto the client that makes for smooth integration with  
seaside?

I'd *love* a pointer to a tutorial on Javascript integration.  Or  
pointers to which classes to read in detail -- the ones actually  
spouting javascript and receiving the Ajax XMLHtmlRequests.

Thanks!

     -- Owen


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Hi Owen.

Creating Javascript works very similar to creating HTML: You ask the
HTML canvas for a Javascript brushes. You configure it using a cascade
of message sends, compose it with other Javascript brushes and
eventually assign it to some event handlers.

In Seaside there is built-in support for Prototype/script.aculo.us
(starting from Seaside 2.7) and jQuery/jQueryUI (starting from Seaside
2.9). You can use all features of these libraries without writing a
single line of Javascript code. Every feature is modelled as an object
in Smalltalk that knows how to transform itself to Javascript.

If you are fluent with these Javascript libraries, you'll immediately
know how to use them. All entities are named the same way as their
Javascript counterparts. Sometimes it helps to look at the respective
Smalltalk classes for nice helper methods, so that you can use
callback blocks, etc.

A good start is to work through the functional test-suite and play
with the examples. They come with the Seaside distribution and can be
found under /seaside/tests/scriptaculous, /seaside/tests/jquery and
/seaside/tests/jquery-ui. You also find links to instances of the
tests running online <http://www.seaside.st/about/examples>.

Feel free to ask further questions!

Cheers,
Lukas

On Sun, Apr 5, 2009 at 6:21 AM, Owen Densmore <[hidden email]> wrote:


--
Lukas Renggli
http://www.lukas-renggli.ch
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Hi and welcome!

> For example, are there tiny code fragments built up by the component  
> libraries that create a script?  
unless you ask it to be loaded with a custom #updateRoot: components don't
"have" js libraries. Usually the entire app has it (or don't) by the
configuration you set.
Said that you always can make a component to add its own little script as
needed.

Is there some
> smalltalk-to-javascript  
> translation taking place?
yes. In this style, what you do is to create some smalltalk objects that will be
serialized to javascript. I use to write and the inspect the javascript fragment
(usually while debugging). This inspection will print the same javascript code
the UA will see.

  Is there a Seaside specific javascript  
> library loaded onto the client that makes for smooth
> integration with  
> seaside?
AFAIK no. The integration is that framework itself.

>
> I'd *love* a pointer to a tutorial on Javascript integration.  Or  
> pointers to which classes to read in detail -- the ones actually  
> spouting javascript and receiving the Ajax XMLHtmlRequests.

tests are the best current pointer to start (AFAIK).

feel free to ask more, FYI you also have the Seaside IRC channel available,
have fun,
sebastian

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Lukas, Sebastian -- Thanks for the valuable responses.

I'll look into how to apply them to the project I had in mind: Google  
Maps.
   http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/reference.html

     -- Owen


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