Real-World Windows 8 Apps in JavaScript

Domenic Denicola

• https://github.com/domenic

• https://npmjs.org/~domenic

• https://github.com/NobleJS

Things I’ve done recently:

• http://es6isnigh.com

• Promises/A+

NOOK Study 2.1http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nookstudy170K+ LOC

The Advanced BasicsIMPORTANT STUFF THAT’S NOT OBVIOUS

Windows vs. WinJSWindows: shared between all app types

Mostly non-applicable stuff: Xaml, JSON, threading, …

Gems you might have to deal with:• Windows.Graphics.Display.DisplayProperties.resolutionScale• Windows.UI.Notifications.ToastNotificationManager.createToastNotifier• Windows.Globalization.DateTimeFormatting.DateTimeFormatter.shortDa

te.format

Useful-looking namespaces:• Windows.Devices.Sensors, Windows.Storage.Pickers,

Windows.Networking.PushNotifications, …

Windows vs. WinJSWinJS: JavaScript specific

Good/useful:• WinJS.Application: application lifecycle• WinJS.Resources: resource strings• WinJS.UI: controls

Bad/ugly:• WinJS.Utilities, WinJS.Fragments, WinJS.Navigation, WinJS.UI.Pages: use

other libs• WinJS.Class, WinJS.Namespace: yet another class library• WinJS.Binding: one-way databinding, WTF!

Let’s talk about those controls<div data-win-control="WinJS.UI.AppBar"> <button data-win-control="WinJS.UI.AppBarCommand" data-win-options="{ id: 'cmd', label: 'Command', icon: 'placeholder' }"> </button></div>Inert until WinJS.UI.processAll is called:

• Then they morph into fully-functioning controls

• In particular the element gets a winControl property

Let’s talk about those controlsThe good news:

• Implemented entirely in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS!

• Takes care of so much for you

• You can avoid the inline attributes (which can only refer to global variables) by using WinJS.UI.setOptions(element) after calling WinJS.UI.processAll(element).

Let’s talk about those controlsThe bad news:

Demo time

Cooking with GasWHAT REAL APPS NEED THAT STUPID DEMO APPS DON’T

It’s 2012. What do we expect?• A module system

• A package ecosystem

• A way to stop writing raw CSS/HTML/JS

• A build process!

Introducing: WinningJS-build

It’s 2012. How do we structure apps?• We use a MV* framework:

• Angular• Backbone• Ember• Knockout• …

• BUT! We need to integrate with WinJS controls• This needs custom solutions• WinningJS UI is one, but it’s immature and based on Knockout.• Come up with your own!

• Ditch the WinJS navigation/pages/fragments. We know how to solve these problems.

It’s 2012. How do we write code?

First, we write tests.

Too bad there’s no support for running them, at all.

This problem is not solved yet. Ideas:

• Stub everything, including the DOM/WinJS.*/Windows.*, and run your tests in Node.

• Create a “hidden screen” where you can manually run your tests.

• Automate somehow.

What’s Next

• We need more open-source efforts:• Libraries to wrap overcomplicated

WinJS/Windows• Integration into other MV* frameworks• Sample apps

• We need tooling:• Better scaffolding and build tools• Improve and extend Visual Studio…• … or branch out and make it work in a text

editor

• We need to solve the testing problem!

Talk to me. Let’s build something.