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templates and the single-page app of the future...

Garann Means
November 13, 2012

templates and the single-page app of the future (updated)

JavaScript templates are hardly a new idea. They've been around for years, and by now we have several popular forerunners. It's not always clear, however, what kind of templates we should use, and how to use them most efficiently. And there are less obvious uses that often only become apparent in the abstract or in hindsight.
We'll look at the metrics you should evaluate when choosing a template engine and different ways of actually implementing them. We'll go beyond the client and touch on some of the things that become possible with templates and Node.js. Hopefully, we'll come away knowing the right answers to all our template questions, and some new places to ask them.

Garann Means

November 13, 2012
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  1. timeline ☞static content ☞“classic” asp, php, et al ☞decoupled server-side

    templates ☞ajax & dom manipulation ☞single-page apps and client-side templates 3
  2. remember this: <html> <head> <% sub vbproc(num1,num2) response.write(num1*num2) end sub

    %> </head> <body> <p>Result: <%call vbproc(3,4)%></p> </body> </html> 5
  3. templates circa ajax server client server page ajax template template

    template template template template template template template ajax 6
  4. templates post-ajax ☞sending JSON, not html ☞rendering via dom manipulation

    ☞decoupled server-side ☞fallback for non-js clients ☞tied to request-response 7
  5. yeah, but.. ☞too much dom manipulation makes a mess ☞it

    was really slow ☞lots of duplicate code ☞rendering coupled to user interaction 9
  6. verbose logic ☞can use pure data ☞mimics classic server-side templates

    ☞less parsing required ☞initial implementations pretty ugly ☞modern implementations among the fastest 12
  7. logic-less ☞needs presentation-ready data ☞decouples presentation and code ☞easier for

    designers? ☞template is a dumb renderer ☞which is safer 13
  8. remember this? <html> <head> <% sub vbproc(num1,num2) response.write(num1*num2) end sub

    %> </head> <body> <p>Result: <%call vbproc(3,4)%></p> </body> </html> 14
  9. string concatenation ☞how it’s (mostly) done ☞fast ☞flexible ☞output not

    really reusable ☞have to search for individual elements 16
  10. dom elements ☞not common ☞engines using html attributes may not

    return a dom ☞allows “data view” type control ☞references to elements and their relationships 17
  11. non-template-tag format ☞most template engines don’t care about format ☞can

    be used for things besides html ☞some rely on html ☞some assume haml (or similar) 18
  12. typical sitch ☞mustaches {{...}} ☞some logic (conditions, loops, partials) ☞pre-compilation

    for reuse ☞server- or client-side ☞string concatenation for speed ☞format agnostic 20
  13. simple template <h1>Welcome back, {{username}}!</h1> <h2>Your friends:</h2> <p> {{#friends}} <a

    href=”/user/{{name}}”>{{name}}</a> {{#if online}} <span class=”online”>online</span> {{/if}} {{/friends}} </p> 22
  14. data var userObj = { username: “tmplM4st3r”, friends: [ {

    name: “1337tmpls”, online: true }, { name: “hbars4lyfe”, online: true }, { name: “belieber42”, online: false } ] }; 23
  15. rendered <h1>Welcome back, tmplM4st3r!</h1> <h2>Your friends:</h2> <p> <a href=”/user/1337tmpls”>1337tmpls</a> <span

    class=”online”>online</span> <a href=”/user/hbars4lyfe”>hbars4lyfe</a> <span class=”online”>online</span> <a href=”/user/belieber42”>belieber42</a> </p> 24
  16. loading ☞most template engines will accept any string ☞script tag

    with non-rendered type ☞external file loaded via ajax or a loader ☞string concatenated into js during build ☞more fragile 25
  17. loading & compiling var $container, myTmpl, userObj; $.get( “templates/user.tmpl”, function(

    tmpl ) { myTmpl = Handlebars.compile( tmpl ); $container.html( myTmpl( userObj ) ); }, “text” ); 26
  18. loading & compiling function renderUser( cb ) { if (

    myTmpl ) { cb(); return; } $.get( “templates/user.tmpl”, function( tmpl ) { myTmpl = Handlebars.compile( tmpl ); cb(); }, “text” ); } renderUser( function() { $container.html( myTmpl( userObj ) ); }); 27
  19. uh oh.. socket.on( “friendOffline”, function( friend ) { var friends

    = userObj.friends; $.each( friends, function( i, f ) { if ( friend.name === f.name ) { f.online = friend.online; } }); renderUser( function() { $container.html( myTmpl( userObj ) ); }); }); 28
  20. alternatively socket.on( “friendOffline”, function( friend ) { $( “a[data-name=” +

    friend.name + “]” ) .next( “span” ) .remove(); }); 29
  21. But what if.. <h1>Welcome back, {{username}}!</h1> <h2>Your friends:</h2> <p> {{#friends}}

    <div data-name=”{{name}}”> {{> friend }} </div> {{/friends}} </p> 30
  22. defining a partial Handlebars.registerPartial( ‘friend’, ‘<a href=”/user/{{name}}”>{{name}}</a>’ + ‘{{#if online}}’

    + ‘<span class=”online”>online</span>’ + ‘{{/if}}’ ); var friendTmpl = “{{> friend }}”; 31
  23. and so! socket.on( “friendOffline”, function( friend ) { $( “div[data-name=”

    + friend.name + “]” ) .html( friendTmpl( friend ) ); }); 32
  24. composition choices ☞how much dom manipulation is needed? ☞how likely

    is re-rendering? ☞how difficult is it to find the child element? 33
  25. mvc ☞view and template often synonymous ☞in practice, need a

    view-model ☞controller determines when to render ☞need non-mvc concepts ☞rendering container ☞event handlers 35
  26. abstracted rendering ☞a complete view should only need to be

    told when to render ☞everything may not be a complete view ☞e.g. partials ☞everything may not map perfectly to a model 37
  27. templates filling in gaps ☞non-application parts of the page ☞pieces

    of proper models ☞non-data input structures (e.g. confirmation) ☞sub-views within proper views 38
  28. templates without mvc ☞map to states, not data ☞generic renderer

    or tight coupling ☞triggered by event, object.observe() ☞may need more partials ☞more data potentially hard-coded 39
  29. with subscribers function Renderer() { this.render = function( data )

    { data.container.html( Handlebars.compile( data.tmpl )( data.obj ) ); }; return this; }); Renderer.subscribe( ‘formInit’, this.render ); Renderer.subscribe( ‘formInvalid’, this.render ); Renderer.subscribe( ‘formSubmitted’, this.render ); 40
  30. with observers UserData.prototype = { get value() { return this._value;

    }; set value( val ) { this._value = val; this._container.html( Handlebars.compile( this._tmpl )( val ) ); }; }; 41
  31. in any architecture ☞decouple markup from code ☞reduce need for

    dom manipulation ☞move rendering to an abstraction 42
  32. dumb views ☞server-side mvc is different ☞more models ☞more controllers

    ☞less views ☞view is single-use ☞user interaction not relevant 46
  33. presentation logic ☞still needed for rendering ☞does this belong on

    the server? ☞is it necessary? ☞can it be shared? ☞isomorphic view-models and validation 47
  34. type of template matters ☞may be better for haml et

    al ☞server-side dom pointless ☞except for scraping/crawling ☞performance matters less ☞but are you only using templates on the server? 48
  35. the good stuff ☞use the template for initial load ☞reuse

    it to render new data ☞same template for: ☞server-side controller (url) ☞client-side controller (location.hash) 50
  36. shared access ☞easiest to use same loader ☞e.g. Require with

    text plugin ☞no need to create two versions 51
  37. managing partials ☞can be difficult depending on template engine ☞argues

    for larger templates ☞namespaces work differently ☞scope unreliable 52
  38. full-stack frameworks ☞reuse the framework, reuse the templates ☞not there

    yet ☞but people are working on it ☞express, geddy use templates available on client ☞meteor, derby use their own 54
  39. where that leaves us ☞client-side templates: check ☞complex client-side apps:

    check ☞reuse on the server: check ☞one unified do-it-all solution: ..to be continued! 55