Home

Awesome

Backbone-Require-Boilerplate (BRB)

A Backbone.js and Require.js Boilerplate that promotes decoupling your JavaScript into modules, separating business logic from application logic using Collections/Models and Views, reusing your JavaScript between Desktop and Mobile Web versions while using a mobile framework (jQuery Mobile), including non-AMD Compatible Third Party Scripts in your project, optimizing all of your JavaScript (minify, concatenate, etc), and unit testing your JavaScript.

Backbone Logo RequireJS Logo

Website

Getting Started

  1. Download and install Node.js
  2. Clone this repository using Git: git clone https://github.com/BoilerplateMVC/Backbone-Require-Boilerplate.git
  3. On the command line, type npm install nodemon -g to install the nodemon library globally. If it complains about user permissions type sudo npm install nodemon -g.
  4. If you have installed Grunt globally in the past, you will need to remove it first by typing npm uninstall -g grunt. If it complains about user permissions, type sudo npm uninstall -g grunt.
  5. Next, install the latest version of Grunt by typing npm install -g grunt-cli. If it complains about user permissions, type sudo npm install -g grunt-cli.
  6. Navigate to inside of the Backbone-Require-Boilerplate folder and type npm install
  7. Next, type nodemon (this will start your Node.js web server and restart the server any time you make a file change thanks to the wonderful nodemon library)
  8. To view the demo page, go to http://localhost:8001
  9. To view the Jasmine test suite page, go to http://localhost:8001/specRunner.html
  10. To view the Plato complexity report, go to http://localhost:8001/reports/
  11. Enjoy using Backbone, Lodash, Require.js, AMDClean.js, jQuery, jQueryUI, jQuery Mobile, Twitter Bootstrap, Jasmine, and Grunt (enjoyment optional)

Tour of the Boilerplate Files

index.html

HTML5 Boilerplate

Uses a large portion of the HTML5 Boilerplate HTML and CSS.

Environment

As you continue down the page to the first <script> tag, you will notice there is a local JavaScript variable, called production, that is used to communicate to your application whether you would like to load production or development CSS and JavaScript files.

BoilerplateMVC Helper Methods

To load our production/development CSS and JavaScript files, you can use the handy BoilerplateMVC helper methods included directly in our HTML page. Below are the available helper methods:

loadCSS(url, callback) - Asynchronously includes a CSS file to a page

loadJS(file, callback) - Asynchronously includes a JavaScript file to the page

loadFiles(production, obj, callback) - Calls the loadCSS() and loadJS() methods internally to asynchronously include our CSS and JavaScript files

Note: Require.js does not officially support loading CSS files, which is why we included the loadCSS() method to asynchronously include our CSS files.

Loading files asynchronously prevents our application files from blocking the loading of the UI and allows us the flexibilty to load different CSS/JavaScript files if a user is on a mobile/desktop device.

Since the Desktop/Mobile versions of the boilerplate point Require.js to two different files, including Require.js asynchronously with the loadJS method provides the flexibility to do that.

Mobile Detection Script

There is a simple JavaScript mobile browser detection script that stores different production/development CSS and JavaScript files within a local config object based on whether a user is using a mobile or desktop browser.

You do not need to use the provided JavaScript mobile detection script for your application. We provided it for convenience so that you could see an example of how to separate your Mobile and Desktop JavaScript logic using Require.js.

Production Mode

In production mode, your app's single minified and concatenated JavaScript file is loaded without Require.js using AMDClean.js. Your application's minfied common CSS file is also included.

Development Mode

In development mode, your app's non-minified JavaScript files are loaded using Require.js instead of AMDClean.js. Your application's non-minified common CSS file is also included.

Config.js

This file includes your mobile AND desktop Require.js configurations.

If we look at our App's Require.js configurations, we will see the first thing being configured are the module paths. Setting paths allow you to define an alias name and file path for any module that you like.

Typically, you want to set a path for any module that will be listed as a dependency in more than one other module (eq. jQuery, Backbone). This saves you some typing, since you just have to list the alias name, and not the entire file path, when listing dependencies. After all of the file paths are set, you will find the Shim configuration (Added in Require.js 2.0).

The Shim configuration allows you to easily include non-AMD compatible JavaScript files with Require.js (a separate library such as Use.js was previously needed for this). This is very important, because Backbone versions > 0.5.3 no longer support AMD (meaning you will get an error if you try to use both Require.js and the latest version of Backbone). This configuration is a much better solution than manually editing non-AMD compatible JavaScript files to make sure the code is wrapped in a define method. Require.js creator James Burke previously maintained AMD compatible forks of both Backbone.js and Underscore.js because of this exact reason.

   shim: {

      // Backbone
      "backbone": {

         // Depends on underscore/lodash and jQuery
         "deps": ["underscore", "jquery"],

         // Exports the global window.Backbone object
         "exports": "Backbone"

      },

   }

The Shim configuration also takes the place for the old Require.js order plugin. Within the Shim configuration, you can list files and their dependency tree. An example is jQuery plugins being dependent on jQuery:

   shim: {

      // Twitter Bootstrap plugins depend on jQuery
      "bootstrap": ["jquery"]

   }

You do not need a shim configuration for jQuery or lodash because they do not have any dependencies.

MobileInit.js

MobileInit.js is only used if a mobile browser is detected.

The require method is used to asynchronously include all of the files/dependencies passed into the first parameter (jQuery, Backbone, Lodash, mobileRouter, etc) into the page.

After all of those files are included on the page, two internal jQuery Mobile properties are turned off to allow Backbone.js to handle all of the routing.

   // Prevents all anchor click handling
   $.mobile.linkBindingEnabled = false;

   // Disabling this will prevent jQuery Mobile from handling hash changes
   $.mobile.hashListeningEnabled = false;

Finally, a new router instance is instantiated to allow you to use Backbone's routing mechanism (keep reading below for more clarification).

You don't need to instantiate a new router instance if you aren't using a Backbone Router class.

DesktopInit.js

DesktopInit.js is only used if a desktop browser is detected.

This file is the exact same as MobileInit.js, except it has a few different dependencies (Twitter Bootstrap instead of jQuery Mobile, etc)

MobileRouter.js

MobileRouter.js is where you can include mobile specific scripts that you do not want included in your desktop application. This file starts with a define method that lists jquery, backbone, and View.js as dependencies. Keep in mind that jQuery and Backbone had already been previously loaded in mobile.js, but Require.js is smart enough not to load dependencies more than once.

It is best practice to list out all of your dependencies for every file, regardless of whether or not they expose global objects and are already included in the page. This is also especially important for the Require.js optimizer (which needs to determine which files depend on which other files).

If your dependencies do not expose global objects, then it is absolutely mandatory to list it as a dependency, since Require.js does not allow global variables (meaning your modules are private and cannot be accessed by other modules or code without explicitly listing them as dependencies).

The rest of the file is a pretty standard Backbone.js Router class:

There is currently only one route listed (which gets called if there is no hash tag on the url), but feel free to create more for your application.

You must keep the Backbone.history.start() method call, since this is what triggers Backbone to start reacting to hashchange events.

When your default route is invoked, a new View instance is created, which calls the render method immediately to append the header template to the page.

DesktopRouter.js

DesktopRouter.js has the exact same code as MobileRouter.js. The difference is this is where you can include desktop specific scripts that you do not want included in your mobile web application.

View.js

View.js will be used by both the mobile and desktop versions of your application. It starts with a define method that lists all of its dependencies.

The rest of the file is a pretty standard Backbone.js View class:

Backbone.js View's have a one-to-one relationship with DOM elements, and a View's DOM element is listed in the el property. After the el property is set, the View's model attribute is set to a new instance of the Model returned by Model.js (which was listed at the top as a dependency). Next, the View's render method is called within the View's constructor, aka initialize() method, and the View's template property is set and appended to the page using the Underscore.js template method ported to Lodash.

If you have read all of the documentation up until this point, you will most likely have already noticed that lodash is being used instead of Underscore.js. Apart from having a bit better cross-browser performance and stability than Underscore.js, lodash also provides a custom build process. Although I have provided a version of lodash that has all of the Underscore.js methods you would expect, you can download a custom build and swap that in. Also, it doesn't hurt that Lodash creator, John-David Dalton, is an absolute performance and API consistency maniac =)

Next, you will find an events object. Here is where all of your View DOM event handlers associated with the HTML element referenced by your View's el property should be stored. Keep in mind that Backbone is using the jQuery delegate method, so it expects a selector that is within your View's el property. I did not include any events by default, so you will have to fill those in yourself. Below is an example of having an events object with one event handler that calls a View's someMethod() method when an element with a class name of someElement is clicked.

   // View Event Handlers
   events: {
      "click .someElement": "someMethod"
   },

I am also declaring a render method within the View. Backbone expects you to override the render method with your own functionality, so that is what I did. All my render method does is append the View's template to the page.

You do not need to use Underscore.js templates. In fact, you don't need to use templates at all. I just included them so you would understand how to use them.

Finally, I am returning the View class.

heading.html

This file includes a template that is included via the Require.js text plugin. Templates are typically a useful way for you to update your View (the DOM) if a Model attribute changes. They are also useful when you have a lot of HTML and JavaScript that you need to fit together, and instead of concatenating HTML strings inside of your JavaScript, templates provide a cleaner solution. Look at Underscore's documentation to read more about the syntax of Underscore.js templates.

Model.js

Model.js is used by both the mobile and desktop versions of your application. It starts with a define method that lists jquery and backbone as dependencies.

The rest of the file is a pretty standard Backbone.js Model class.

Like other Backbone.js classes, there is an initialize() method that acts as the Model's constructor function. There is also a defaults object that allows you to set default Model properties if you wish.

Finally, The Backbone.js validate method is provided for you. This method is called any time an attribute of the model is set. Keep in mind that all model attributes will be validated (once set), even if a different model attribute is being set/validated. This does not make much sense to me, so if you prefer only the Model attributes that are currently being saved/set to be validated, then use the validateAll option provided by Backbone.validateAll.

Finally, a new Model class is returned.

Collection.js

Collection.js is used by both the mobile and desktop versions of your application. It starts with a define method that lists jquery, backbone, and UserModel.js as dependencies.

The rest of the file is a pretty standard Backbone.js Collection class that is used to store all of your Backbone Models. The Collection model property is set to indicate that all Models that will be within this Collection class will be of type Model (the dependency that is passed into the file).

Finally, a new Collection class is returned.

Gruntfile.js

This file is ready made for you to have your entire project optimized using Grunt.js, the Require.js Optimizer and AMDClean.js.

Grunt.js is a JavaScript command line task runner that allows you to easily automate common development tasks such as code linting, minification, and unit testing.

Running the Jasmine Tasks with Grunt has not been implemented yet.

AMDClean.js a build tool, created by Greg Franko, that converts AMD code to standard JavaScript. AMDClean is meant for small to medium sized projects that use one concatenated/minified JavaScript file. If you don't need some of the advanced features that Require.js provides (lazy loading, etc) then AMDClean.js will greatly reduces your applications file size.

Backbone-Require-Boilerplate sets you up to use Require.js in development and AMDClean.js in production. By default, Backbone-Require-Boilerplate is in development mode, so if you want to try out the production build, read the production instructions below.

Production Build Instructions

Navigate to the root directory of the Backbone-Require-Boilerplate folder and type grunt and wait a few seconds for the build to complete.

If you are on a Windows machine, you will have to type grunt.cmd

Once the script has finished, you will see that both DesktopInit.min.js and MobileInit.min.js, and the mobile.min.css and desktop.min.css files will be created/updated.

Next, update the production local variable inside of index.html to be true.

And that's it! If you have any questions just create in an issue on Github.

SpecRunner.html

This file is the starting point to your Jasmine test suite and outputs the results of your Jasmine tests.

spec.js

This file contains all of your Jasmine unit tests. Only seven tests are provided, with unit tests provided for Views, Models, Collections, and Routers (Mobile and Desktop). I'd write more, but why spoil your fun? Read through the tests and use them as examples to write your own.

The entire file is wrapped in an AMD define method, with all external module (file) dependencies listed. The Jasmine tests should be self explanatory (BDD tests are supposed to describe an app's functionality and make sense to non-techy folk as well), but if you have any questions, just file an issue and I'll respond as quickly as I can.

FAQ

What libraries have you included?

What Require.js plugins are you using?

Why are you not using the Require.js Internationalization plugin?

Why are you using Grunt for the build?

What Grunt plugins are you using?

What Grunt tasks can I use?

Why are you using the @import tag to include CSS files within desktop.css and mobile.css?

Do I have to manage different Require.js configuration settings for the Grunt build, Jasmine tests, and Mobile/Desktop applications?

Do I have to use everything the boilerplate gives me?

-No! Feel free to update the boilerplate to fit the needs of your application. Certain things that you might not want/need include templates, mobile and desktop versions, jQuery Mobile, etc. Also check out other boilerplate projects within the BoilerplateMVC project that may fit your needs better (i.e. BRB Lite).

Do I need a web server to test the boilerplate?

-Yep, because the Require.js text plugin dynamically pulls in template files via ajax (which is not allowed with the File:// local extension. Luckily for you I have provided an easy to use Node.js web server for convenience.

Why did you not include a package manager such as Bower, Volo, or Jam?

-I ultimately decided against including a package manager. I agree that using a package manager for this boilerplate is the ultimate solution, but the JS package management space is in a state of flux. A browser package management solution has not been adopted by the community yet. Obviously, this may change.

Can I contribute to this project?

-Please do! I am learning just like you. If you want to contribute, please send pull requests to the dev branch.

Change Log

1.7.0 - January 26, 2014

1.6.0 - May 22, 2013

1.5.0 - April 17, 2013

1.4.0 - April 6, 2013

A huge thank you to Nick Pack for helping to implement Grunt in this release

1.3.0 - December 31, 2012

1.2.0 - December 1, 2012

Special thanks to Mark Simon - This release would not have happened without him

1.1.0 - October 19, 2012

1.0.0 - September 19, 2012

Thanks to James Burke for helping with the updated build script!

0.9.0 - September 2, 2012

0.8.0 - August 22, 2012

0.7.0 - August 10, 2012

0.6.0 - June 13, 2012

0.5.0 - June 5, 2012

0.4.0 - June 1, 2012

0.3.0 - June 1, 2012

0.2.0 - May 29, 2012

0.1.0 - May 24, 2012

Contributors

License

Copyright (c) 2012 Greg Franko
Licensed under the MIT license.