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Ember with Yii REST backend,demo application.

A one page web application built with Ember.js and Ember-Data.Uses the default REST Adapter of ember-data as a Persistence Layer and a Yii REST API as a backend.

Copyright 2012 Spiros Kabasakalis Licensed under the Apache License v2.0
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Author Spiros Kabasakalis.See credits below.

Notice

This demo app uses old ember.js(1.0 pre) and ember-data(CURRENT_API_REVISION: 5) versions.I currently have no plans to update it with latest versions. Also,this demo uses AMD with require js but I have not optimized (minified-combined) the scripts.Instructions on how to do so can be found at require.js.

Demo.

See Live Demo

Overview.

This is a very simple Contacts application.You can list,view,edit,create and delete contacts. I have based my demo application on Dan Gebhardt's demo application for Rails. I have added a login screen, AMD with require.js, and connected to a Yii backend REST API written by Antonio Ramirez (slightly modified) for his YiiBackBoneBoilerplate application. The process of putting all this together helped me understand and appreciate Ember.js as a very useful tool for building heavy client side web applications.All the logic is laid out in javascript,with Ember.js framework wiring it all up.The persistence layer is provided by ember-data.js which provides a default REST adapter out of the box.Of course it's possible to override the defaults and code the persistence layer of your choice. With ember.js you can utilize separation of concerns (SoC) in your project, divide the logic into models,views,controllers, use a folder structure that reflects MVC and therefore acquire huge benefit in terms of scaling and maintaining your application in an organized structure.

Setting It Up.

Clone the git repo - git clone git://github.com/drumaddict/ember-yii.git - or download it To install,follow these steps.

Hook up your Yii framework path in index.php.(Tested with version 1.1.12.)
In config/main and config/console.php fill in your database info.
Run the migration in migrations folder.(In console,navigate to protected folder and type yiic migrate and respond to dialog).Or just use the sql dump in data folder.
You may need to change the store.adapter.namespace property on app/application.js,the logout url in app/routes/app_router.js, and login url in app/controllers/login_controller.js (sendCredentials function),according to your application root folder path.
Use one of the two .htaccess files found in root folder.
Navigate to /site/app.The actionApp action in SiteController will render the site/contacts_app.php view without a layout. From there require.js will load the app/main.js file which functions as a bootstrap file for the contacts application.

Best Ember.js Tutorial.

Advice on & Instruction in the Use Of Ember.js. This is an extended ember tutorial that I suggest in order to understand ember thoroughly. It also mentions backbone and how it compares with ember,very useful if you are still overwhelmed and stuck with the choice of a js framework.

Personal View on js framework choice.

I have not investigated every possible js framework out there.I did look into backbone though. I liked the simplicity and good documentation,but it lacks a well defined structure.Ofcourse it is possible to overcome this with additional backbone libraries /dependencies like Backbone Marionette, but to me this is not an attractive idea,as you have to keep all these additions in sync with backbone,as the codebases evolve. Also I am not too keen on having to think about event binding cleanup,and this is something to consider when coding with backbone. Ember on the other hand,features a clear MVC separation of concerns.Binding data to views is automatic,just declare controllers and their associate views, and every time data changes,views update automatically without explicitly writing any code.I have a background in Flex Actionscript Framework and coding js with ember sometimes felt a lot like flex. For your research on js frameworks ,I suggest TODO MVC.Helping You Select an MV* Framework..