In Detail

Backbase is a very powerful and complex JavaScript library, with many user interface components to help make web development easier. It allows the development of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) that run within all major browsers but its powers and complexity mean that the choice of component can be overwhelming. Understanding when and how to use the right component might not always be straightforward. This book makes that easier.

This is a practical book that teaches you how to use the Backbase Client Framework effectively, with a complete overview and many examples. A core developer of the framework puts the technologies used into a wider perspective of existing web standards and a seasoned software architect explains why XML-based UI definition produces better web applications.

The transparent use of AJAX technologies, for example to submit forms, or to retrieve updates for data grids, can be taken for granted with the Backbase framework. Packed with examples, the book shows you how to get the most from the library of UI components, and then extend the library with its own custom language. With this book in hand, it is easy to enable AJAX within your web application. You will be able to use the Backbase framework effectively, from basic applications to complex, custom-defined UI components.

This book contains a complete overview of all the UI libraries available within the Backbase framework and shows examples for each element described.

The Backbase framework offers an innovative Tag Definition Language (TDL), which allows developers to create new UI components that can be used as XML elements, in the same way as using the built-in GUI library. Using TDL brings considerable development advantages, and this book explains how.

Significant attention is also given to architectural aspects of designing a web-application, showing sample applications using a model-view-controller approach.

Read the full Table of Contents for Backbase 4 RIA Development


What you will learn from this book

* The benefits of using an XML-based user interface definition
* An overview of all Backbase libraries, with examples
* Use of comprehensive sample applications utilizing the Backbase UI libraries
* How to develop effective client-server (AJAX) communication in an MVC-based client-server architecture
* What data binding is, what is available in the Backbase framework, and how to use it
* Performance and deployment tips

Approach

This is a practical book, where every example is tested and all source code is available with the book. Each chapter ends with work on a sample application using the new things learned. At the end of the book there is a complete, usable Travel Blog application.

Who this book is written for

This book is for web developers who want to develop applications using the Backbase Client Framework. It may also be interesting for web developers and web application architects who want to know more about XML-based web application architectures.