Web development/CatHerder - Revision history

Jwise: updated link to smokesignals

2016-02-17T18:48:36Z

updated link to smokesignals

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:48, 17 February 2016
Line 38:		Line 38:

	== Events ==		== Events ==
	Extensions are event emitters (via [https://~~github~~.~~com~~/bentomas/smokesignals smokesignals])! The closest equivalent in the ITrack framework is the inter-DLL messages.		Extensions are event emitters (via [https://bitbucket.org/bentomas/smokesignals.js smokesignals])! The closest equivalent in the ITrack framework is the inter-DLL messages.

	Generally speaking, events should emit events on themselves, and other extensions should subscribe to those events by adding a handler to that extension.		Generally speaking, events should emit events on themselves, and other extensions should subscribe to those events by adding a handler to that extension.

Daytonlowell: What, you don't know what I just just did there?

2013-03-01T16:24:10Z

What, you don't know what I just just did there?

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:24, 1 March 2013
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	* '''catHerder.getLastShownExtension()''' - probably pretty self explanatory, eh? The coordinator keeps track of every "shown" event emitted by all extensions, and returns whichever the last shown extension was when this function is called.		* '''catHerder.getLastShownExtension()''' - probably pretty self explanatory, eh? The coordinator keeps track of every "shown" event emitted by all extensions, and returns whichever the last shown extension was when this function is called.
	* '''catHerder.getExtension(extension_name)''' - grabs the extension that was instantiated by the coordinator when the catHerder function was originally called.		* '''catHerder.getExtension(extension_name)''' - grabs the extension that was instantiated by the coordinator when the catHerder function was originally called.
	* '''catHerder.instantiateExtension(extension_name)''' - that's right, instantiating new extensions isn't ~~just~~ just for the coordinator!		* '''catHerder.instantiateExtension(extension_name)''' - that's right, instantiating new extensions isn't just for the coordinator!

	At this point, I should stop and explain. I did make it possible for extensions to summon up new instances of other extensions. At the moment this is primarily used in places that want to have their own version of the "Menu" or "UserInput" extensions.		At this point, I should stop and explain. I did make it possible for extensions to summon up new instances of other extensions. At the moment this is primarily used in places that want to have their own version of the "Menu" or "UserInput" extensions.

Duff: More data

2012-12-29T20:25:28Z

More data

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 </source>
-Extensions will be loaded and initialized in the order that they are found in the array.  Once all extensions are initialized, the first one in the array will be shown.
+A new div is created in the body, and the specified extensions will be loaded and initialized in the order that they are found in the array.  Once all extensions are initialized, the first one in the array will be shown.
 == Making a new extension ==
-To make a new extension, you just need a function named whatever you want the extension's name to be - that's your controller.  If the extension has a view, create a second function with the same name as the controller, but with "View" at the end of the name.
+To make a new extension, you just need a function named whatever you want the extension's name to be - that's your controller.  If the extension has a view, create a second function with the same name as the controller, but with "View" at the end of the name. 8-|
-Extensions are event emitters (via [https://github.com/bentomas/smokesignals smokesignals]) -
+You can create these functions in your controller, and they will be automatically called at the appropriate time (you shouldn't call them yourself):

Duff: Getting started

2012-12-29T19:10:12Z

Getting started

New page

The CatHerder framework is the equivalent of ITrack's [[ITrack/Master|Master]] extension loader. It started out handling authentication and the menu for passing users from screen to screen, but is now product-agnostic and can be used to load any arbitrary JavaScript extensions which may or may not have views.

These extensions have two components: a controller and a view (though the view is optional!). This springs from my initial assumption of how a reasonable client-side code structure might look, and my experience writing MVC code on the server.

In practice, this has not quite sufficient. Currently, most of the extensions that represent screens juggle what we would probably call a "document" inside of the controller, with the view containing some logic and containing the functions that update the DOM when the document's state changes, with the controller doing everything else.

Moving forward, I foresee there being some sort of document object that receives new data from user scans or user interaction in the view, handles communicating the data back and forth with the server, and gives the view hookups that fire whenever there is updated data to be changed in the display.

Right now, all that stuff has been going in the controllers. In the future, I see the controllers evolving to become simply the part of the extension that is exposed to other extensions. At the moment they are that, but also all the document-juggling,

But enough of my blathering, let's blither over some examples.

== Launching the app ==
It used to be slightly more complicated, but now it's not. In body onload or $(document).ready() or whatever, just call the catHerder function, passing an array containing strings of extension names.

<source lang="javascript">
catHerder([
'DeviceRegistration',
'Login',
'MainMenu',
'InventoryCount'
])
</source>

Extensions will be loaded and initialized in the order that they are found in the array. Once all extensions are initialized, the first one in the array will be shown.

== Making a new extension ==
To make a new extension, you just need a function named whatever you want the extension's name to be - that's your controller. If the extension has a view, create a second function with the same name as the controller, but with "View" at the end of the name.

Extensions are event emitters (via [https://github.com/bentomas/smokesignals smokesignals]) -