Development of a big web application is a hard task. Because of this, people try to use different useful and flexible approaches to build the architecture of their applications. One such approach is Knockout.js. It is a JavaScript library that provides you with a sophisticated way to communicate between your UI and the underlying data model to create rich web user interfaces based on the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern. Knockout.js provides a simple two-way data binding mechanism between your data model and UI, which means that any change to your data model is automatically reflected in the UI and vice versa. Instead of using pure Knockout.js, you can use Knockout MVC. It is a library for ASP.NET MVC, which is a wrapper for Knockout.js that helps to move the entire business logic to the server side; the complete JavaScript code necessary on the client side will be generated.
This book will provide you with the skills you need to successfully create a Knockout.js-based application of varying complexity, from a simple Knockout.js web page in pure JavaScript to a complex ASP.NET web application. You will learn how you can use the MVVM design pattern, including the dependency tracking system and observable properties for creation of powerful sites with a clear separation of model, logic, and view layers.
Chapter 1, Introduction to Knockout.js, teaches basic Knockout.js concepts (overview), such as MVVM design pattern (including the creation of Model, ViewModel, and View), binding, observables, and subscribe machinery. Also, we'll consider an installation process for the library.
Chapter 2, Creating a Simple Knockout.js Application, covers how to use advanced Knockout.js features, such as working with observables arrays, special bindings, and computed observables.
Chapter 3, Integrating Knockout.js in ASP.NET MVC Applications, uses our Knockout.js experience to create a simple ASP.NET MVC application. We'll create a simple application in pure Knockout.js + ASP.NET MVC without external libraries. We'll cover how to create a Model in C# and connect it with the MVVM structure in JavaScript.
Chapter 4, Creating a Web Application with Knockout MVC, discusses how to move the entire business logic to the server side; the complete JavaScript code necessary on the client side will be generated automatically based on the described C# (or VB.NET) model.
Chapter 5, Advanced Features of Knockout.js, covers how to use advanced Knockout MVC features. The basic set will be enough for a very simple application. Any real application needs special concepts, such as regions, complex bindings, combined contexts, and so on. You may need to transfer some parameters to the server, write your own user scripts, or perform lazy loading of your data in the case of big data.
Chapter 6, Advanced Features of Knockout MVC, discusses how to use advanced Knockout MVC features. The basic set will be enough for a very simple application. Any real application needs special concepts, such as regions, complex bindings, combined contexts, and so on. You may need to transfer some parameters to the server, write your own user scripts, or make lazy loading of your data in the big data case.
Appendix, A Brief on Knockout MVC References and Features, lists some references and features that will be useful to readers.
For this book, you need to have the following software set up:
Web browser: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome
Text editor: Notepad++ or Sublime Text
C# IDE with ASP.NET support: Visual Studio C# Express or Visual Studio Community
You can work on Windows, Mac OS, or Linux.
This book is intended for .NET developers who want to use the MVVM design pattern to create a powerful client-side JavaScript linked to server-side C# logic. Basic experience with ASP.NET, Razor, and creating web applications is needed. Also, elementary knowledge of C# or JavaScript is expected.
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "The model has two additional methods: GetName and GetBooks."
A block of code is set as follows:
var self = this; self.Name = ko.observable(); self.Books = ko.observableArray();
When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:
var PersonViewModel = function() {
var self = this;
self.children = ko.observableArray(person.children);
self.selectedChildren = ko.observable([]);
Any command-line input or output is written as follows:
PM> Install-Package bootstrap
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "In our case, we need to select the Empty MVC controller template."
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