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I have decided to write this article for those users of Ext 2.x that have already grown up from having one HTML
page with embedded script that creates one simple window or form, for those who are already decided that Ext is
the way and for those who are fighting with too long files hardly to search in and feeling that their applications
need a structure.
The number of approaches to a problem and number of solutions of it is equal to number of people that tackle it.
The way I am going to describe in the following text in not the only one and do not want to say that either an
application is going to be written my way or it is not good. Nothing like that.
What I do want to say is that this approach is workable, neatly structured, easily maintable, simply stated: It
works!
(Germans have very nice word: Jein which is combination of Ja = Yes and Nein = No.)
The answer to both above statement is Jein. When the application becomes big, then? The answer is simple: It
becomes big when you feel it is big. It is the point when you start to have troubles to orient yourself in number of
files or in you have troubles to find a specific place in one file, when you cease to understand relations of
components, etc. I am writing you here but imagine when a 2-3 grades less experienced programmer starts to have
this feelings.
We can safely state that each application is big as also a small application deserves to be well written and it may
likely become really big as we start to add new features, write new lines of code, new CSS rules, etc.
The best and the safest state of the mind at the start of a new application is: I’m starting the big application!
Link in the above structure means a soft link pointing to a real directory where files are stored. The advantage is
that you, for example, download new Ext version to a real directory then you change the link above to point there
and without changing a line in your application you can test if everything works also with this new version. If yes,
keep it as it is, if no, you just change the link back.
• css will hold all your stylesheets. If you have global stylesheets with company colors or fonts you can
create css directory as link too.
• ext link you your Ext JS Library tree as described above
• img link to your images. It can contain icons subdirectory as well.
• js will hold all javascript files the Application is composed of.
• index.html HTML file that is an entry point of your application. You can name it as you want and you
may need some more files for example for a login process. Anyway, there is one application entry
point/file.
• optionally you can create a directory or a link for your server side part of the application (I have
./classes). You can name it as you wish but consistently for all applications you write (./server,
./php are some good examples)
index.html
Minimal index.html file content is:
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./ext/resources/css/ext-all.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./css/application.css">
<script type="text/javascript" src="./ext/adapter/ext/ext-base.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="./ext/ext-all-debug.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="./application.js"></script>
<title>A Big Application</title>
</head>
<body></body>
</html>
Although you can do with the above file I would recommend to add a descriptive header to not only this file but to
all files you create. Also an “End of file” marker has its value. See File Patterns for example of such headers.
application.js
We need a file where the onReady function will be placed; let’s call it application.js. Minimum content is:
// vim: sw=4:ts=4:nu:nospell:fdc=4
/**
* An Application
*
* @author Ing. Jozef Sakáloš
* @copyright (c) 2008, by Ing. Jozef Sakáloš
* @date 2. April 2008
* @version $Id$
*
* @license application.js is licensed under the terms of the Open Source
* LGPL 3.0 license. Commercial use is permitted to the extent that the
* code/component(s) do NOT become part of another Open Source or Commercially
* licensed development library or toolkit without explicit permission.
*
* License details: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html
*/
Ext.BLANK_IMAGE_URL = './ext/resources/images/default/s.gif';
Ext.ns('Application');
Ext.QuickTips.init();
// code here
// eof
Your header and footer may vary but sure you need to set Ext.BLANK_IMAGE_URL to point to your server. This is
path to 1×1px transparent image file that is used by Ext as an image placeholder and if it points to an invalid
location you can get various rendering problems such as missing combo trigger images, missing icons or similar.
You may also need to create a new global object variable for your application (here it is Application).
What you need for sure is Ext.onReady that is the main application entry point – the place where you write your
application.
css/application.css
You will put your css stylesheet to this file, if any. If you need only a couple of rules it may seem as unnecessary
to create a separate file for them and it looks like the better idea to put them to <style> tags in the page head.
The reverse is true, remember you’re writing a big application, so everything has to have its place. If you put
styles in the page head sooner or later you will solve some rendering problems and you won’t know where the
styles are.
Wait a minute. This way we will have 10,000 lines in our application.js very soon and that is what we want last.
Obviously, some step is missing as if we’re going to create such a big file why we couldn’t write it in index.html
in the first place?
So, sit down, think it over, draw a sketch, make a list, whatever but result has to be that you know the components,
at least most important ones, your application will consist of.
Pre-configured classes
Now, that you are done with application analysis and identifying its components you can start to write the first
one. But how? The best approach is to write extension classes of Ext components that have all configuration
options, otherwise passed as the configuration object, built-in. I call such extensions pre-configured classes as they
rarely add much functionality to base Ext ones but the main purpose of having them is to have them configured.
For example, to have a “Personnel” grid with personnel specific column model, store, sorting options, editors, etc.
Application.PersonnelGrid = Ext.extend(Ext.grid.GridPanel, {
border:false
,initComponent:function() {
var config = {
store:new Ext.data.Store({...})
,columns:[{...}, {...}]
,plugins:[...]
,viewConfig:{forceFit:true}
,tbar:[...]
,bbar:[...]
}; // eo config object
// apply config
Ext.apply(this, Ext.apply(this.initialConfig, config));
Application.PersonnelGrid.superclass.initComponent.apply(this, arguments);
} // eo function initComponent
,onRender:function() {
this.store.load();
Application.PersonnelGrid.superclass.onRender.apply(this, arguments);
} // eo function onRender
});
Ext.reg('personnelgrid', Application.PersonnelGrid);
What we’re doing here? We’re extending Ext.grid.GridPanel creating the new class (extension)
Application.PersonnelGrid and we are registering it as the new xtype with name personnelgrid.
We are giving the general grid panel all the configuration options needed to become the specific personnel grid.
From this point on we have a new component, a building block for our application that we can use everywhere
(window, border panel region, standalone) where the list of personnel is needed. We can create it either as:
So far so good, we have almost everything in place and (almost) all we need to do more is to continue writing our
pre-configured classes, put them in ./js; directory, include them in index.html and build your application from
instances of them as puzzle is assembled from pieces.
Neither of them. Why? If we have a pre-configured class that creates and displays the west link list and we put the
above logic in it it can no longer exist without center region. We just cannot use it without center as then we have
no component to create tabs in.
If we put it in center, the result is same: center cannot exist without west.
The only component that should be aware of the existence of both west and center panels is their container with
the border layout and this is the only right place where to put inter-component communication.
What should we do then? The container (with border layout) should listen to events fired by the west and it should
create tabs in the center as responses to these clicks. The example of the component communication written this
way can be found here: Saki’s Ext Examples
Production Systems
As we keep on writing our application we happen to have large number of included javascript files very soon (I
have around 80 includes in one application at present and this number grows every day). This can degrade
performance of a production system.
The best way to solve it is to concatenate all javascript files in the right order to create one big and to minify it
with some of the javascript minfying or compression tools. Also, you do not need debug version of Ext Library for
production systems.
We would include:
• ext-all.js
• app-all.js and
• application.js
on a production system.
Conclusion
It’s almost all there is to it… There are specific techniques for specific Ext classes, there is a lot of another server
and client side know-how but the above is the overall concept.
Happy coding!
Important
If you have not already done so, study Writing a Big Application in Ext (Part 1) before you read this
article. It would be very hard, if not impossible, to understand concepts explained here before you fully understand
the first part.
Introduction
It has been almost one year since I have published the first part of this article. I have been successfully using the
concept of pre-configured classes personally to write a really big application (~150 javascript files, ~60,000 lines
of code, plus server-side and css). The application is fully modularized, each class in separate file and it has
proven that it can be easily developed, managed and debugged.
Unfortunately, the same has not been always true for other users, they were hitting various problems and Ext
Support Team have had to handle may questions and help requests. These accumulated to the degree where the
concept has been called “absolute abomination” (read absolutely hated) and it was stated that “it causes
problems”.
Note: As “fast cars” do not cause accidents but “slow drivers driving fast cars” do, the concept itself cannot be a
cause of the problems but its application can.
In any case, there must be some illogic if I can use the concept but others cannot.
Thus, I have looked deeper in it and I have isolated some pitfalls the users can run into on the course of
development. I will also write on “dos” and “don’ts” and on when to use a pre-configured class and when not. I
will not compare this concept to another application design concepts (factory functions, in-line configuration, on-
demand load, or other) because 1) I do not use them and 2) I do not want to turn this article into a Linux versus
Windows discussion.
It is fully up to you which application design concept you choose. However, if you do choose this one then follow
the rules I’m going to lay down.
Dull Copy&Paste
Do you know such people? They post on a forum:
And if somebody altruistic writes a fragment of “codez” for him in a sheer attempt to help the response is going to
be:
Do you see what happened? A dull “developer” ordered a code on the forum, he’s got some, copied&pasted it to
his application without a clue what the code does, maybe hasn’t even changed url that still points to your server
and the result is: it doesn’t work.
Well, this is an extreme (but not so rare as you would think), nevertheless, copying&pasting without
understanding of what the copied&pasted code does can lead only to frustrations.
I am not against Copy&Paste in general, it can save a lot of time and I also occasionally do it, but I am against
not-understanding or mis-understanding not only of coding but also of life.
The Rule: Do Copy&Paste but always with full understanding of what the code does.
1 this.getId();
2 Ext.ComponentMgr.register(this);
3 Ext.Component.superclass.constructor.call(this);
4
5 if(this.baseAction){
6 this.baseAction.addComponent(this);
7 }
8
9 this.initComponent();
Ext classes that do not inherit from Ext.Component do not have this.initComponent(); line in their
constructors.
The Rule: Always check if the Ext class you are going to pre-configure inherits from Ext.Component. You
have to use an another approach if it does not.
These methods are already implemented in the class you are extending and its parents so if you forget the line:
// in initComponent override
YourExtension.superclass.initComponent.apply(this, arguments);
// or in onRender override
YourExtension.superclass.onRender.apply(this, arguments);
// or in afterLayout override
YourExtension.superclass.afterLayout.apply(this, arguments);
The Rule: Never forget to call the parent method, unless you exactly know what you are doing.
initialConfig
The constructor of Ext.Component saves the config passed to it as initialConfig:
1 /**
2 * This Component's initial configuration specification. Read-only.
3 * @type Object
4 * @property initialConfig
5 */
6 this.initialConfig = config;
7
8 Ext.apply(this, config);
9 this.addEvents(/* abbreviated for clarity */);
10 this.getId();
11 Ext.ComponentMgr.register(this);
12 Ext.Component.superclass.constructor.call(this);
13
14 if(this.baseAction){
15 this.baseAction.addComponent(this);
16 }
17
18 this.initComponent();
You see what happens? The constructor saves initialConfig before initComponent is executed. Thus, all
configuration you write in initComponent is not saved. I have overlooked this in first versions of my templates
and examples mainly because there is only a couple of classes that refer to initialConfig and even in these classes
the absence of properly saved initialConfig causes problems very rarely. These Ext classes refer to
initialConfig:
• AnchorLayout
• BorderLayout
• Action
• GridPanel
• Tip
• Combo
• Form
Now, I have updated all my examples, extensions, templates and main site to include this “magic” pattern:
1 // create config
2 var config = {
3 // put your config here
4 }; // eo config object
5
6 // apply config
7 Ext.apply(this, Ext.apply(this.initialConfig, config));
8
9 // call parent
10 YourExtension.superclass.initComponent.apply(this, arguments);
The Rule: Ensure that your extension saves initialConfig.
listeners
If you try to install event handlers by setting property listeners in your config they will not work. Why? The
answer lies again in the order of actions in Ext.Component constructor:
1 Ext.Component.superclass.constructor.call(this);
2
3 if(this.baseAction){
4 this.baseAction.addComponent(this);
5 }
6
7 this.initComponent();
As you can see, the constructor calls its parent, that is Ext.util.Observable before initComponent.
Ext.util.Observable constructor executes:
1 Ext.util.Observable = function(){
2 if(this.listeners){
3 this.on(this.listeners);
4 delete this.listeners;
5 }
6 };
1
2 constructor:function(config) {
3 // parent constructor call pre-processing - configure listeners here
4 config = config || {};
5 config.listeners = config.listeners || {};
6 Ext.applyIf(config.listeners, {
7 // add listeners config here
8 });
9
10 // call parent constructor
11 AnExtension.superclass.constructor.call(this, config);
12
13 // parent constructor call post-processing
14
15 } // eo function constructor
Conclusion
If you decide to use my way of writing a big application then follow these rules:
1. Do Copy&Paste but always with full understanding of what the code does.
2. Always check if the Ext class you are going to pre-configure inherits from Ext.Component. You have to
use an another approach if it does not.
3. Never forget to call the parent method, unless you exactly know what you are doing.
4. Ensure that your extension saves initialConfig.
5. Define listeners in constructor method.
Happy extending!
Important
If you have not already done so, study Writing a Big Application in Ext (Part 1) and Writing a Big
Application in Ext (Part 2)before you read this article. It would be very hard, if not impossible, to
understand concepts explained here before you fully understand the first and second part.
Introduction
Helping on the forum and reading code of others that failed to extend Ext classes, revealed more errors that users,
especially beginners, commonly make. Therefore, I’ve decided to start this article that will collect these errors and
will explain why the errors are errors. I mean it as loosely ended as I may discover more errors and ways of
avoiding them so I plan just to add them to this article, not endlessly create parts 4, 5, etc…
1. Unnecessary Extending
2. Adding Objects to Prototype
3. Hard Coding ids
Unnecessary Extending
The main reasons for extending are:
• re-usability
• adding functionality
• combination of them
so we extend if we need a re-usable component or we need to add a functionality (new methods) or both. If we are
after re-usability the extension can be as simple as:
1 MyPortlet = Ext.extend(Ext.Panel, {
2 anchor:'100%'
3 ,draggable:true
4 ,defaultType:'mygraph'
5 });
You see what happens? We are going to use MyPortlet many times so instead of scatter the above configuration in
10,000 lines application code 100 times, we create this simple extension and we save 297 lines of code.
The other aspect is that if we upgrade our ‘mygraph’ to ‘mygraph_new’ the only place where to change it is our
extension saving us searching out code for all occurrences of ‘mygraph’ (100 times) and replacing it with
‘mygraph_new’ 100 times.
If we are after adding functionality, which can be also simple, we add some “logic”:
1 MyPanel = Ext.extend(Ext.Panel, {
2 onRender:function() {
3 MyPanel.superclass.onRender.apply(this, arguments);
4 alert('Rendered');
5 }
6 });
Here we add some logic to Panel, it does more that it did before.
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="ext/resources/css/ext-all.css">
<script type="text/javascript" src="ext/adapter/ext/ext-base.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="ext/ext-all-debug.js"></script>
<title id="page-title">Extending Error: Object in prototype</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
Ext.BLANK_IMAGE_URL = 'ext/resources/images/default/s.gif';
Ext.onReady(function() {
MyPanel = Ext.extend(Ext.Panel, {
layout:'fit'
,panelConfig: {
bodyBg:'red'
}
,initComponent:function() {
var config = {
bodyStyle:'background-color:' + this.panelConfig.bodyBg
}; // eo config object
// apply config
Ext.apply(this, Ext.apply(this.initialConfig, config));
MyPanel.superclass.initComponent.apply(this, arguments);
} // eo function initComponent
,applyBackground:function(color) {
this.panelConfig.bodyBg = color;
this.body.applyStyles({'background-color':color});
} // eo function applyBackground
}); // eo extend
p1.applyBackground('blue');
});
</script>
</head>
<body></body>
</html>
What do we expect? It is written in titles of panels: Top panel (p1) should have blue body background because we
set it to it after it is created. And bottom panel (p2) should have red because we just create default MyPanel.
But it is blue too!!! Why? The reason is simple: panelConfig is object that is created during class definition and
it is added to MyPanel prototype. Objects (arrays too) are accessed by reference so p1 and p2 share the same
instance of panelConfig. Setting bodyBg property in applyBackground method changes this single instance of
panelConfig object. So we create p2 with blue background too.
You see, here it is clearly and immediately visible that something went wrong but making this error can lead to
weeks of wasted debugging time in real applications. Imagine you have a store in prototype…
Loose End
That’s all for now but if I discover more errors I will add them above.
Stay tuned!