Book Image

Learning Ext JS

By : Colin Ramsay, Shea Frederick, Steve 'Cutter' Blades
Book Image

Learning Ext JS

By: Colin Ramsay, Shea Frederick, Steve 'Cutter' Blades

Overview of this book

<p>As more and more of our work is done through a web browser, and more businesses build web rather than desktop applications, users want web applications that look and feel like desktop applications. Ext JS is a JavaScript library that makes it (relatively) easy to create desktop-style user interfaces in a web application, including multiple windows, toolbars, drop-down menus, dialog boxes, and much more. Both Commercial and Open Source licenses are available for Ext JS.<br /><br />Ext JS has the unique advantage of being the only client-side UI library that also works as an application development library. Learning Ext JS will help you create rich, dynamic, and AJAX-enabled web applications that look good and perform beyond the expectations of your users.<br /><br />From the building blocks of the application layout, to complex dynamic Grids and Forms, this book will guide you through the basics of using Ext JS, giving you the knowledge required to create rich user experiences beyond typical web interfaces. It will also provide you with the tools you need to use AJAX, by consuming server-side data directly into the many interfaces of the Ext JS component library.</p>
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
15
Index

It's ok to love

In truth, many of the functions we're going to cover in this chapter are superficial in nature. They add some whizz-bang transitions that are not strictly essential. There are two lines of defense for criticism. Firstly, a good developer understands that users are not machines—they're people—and a little bit of whizz-bang is good for everyone. Secondly, and perhaps more scientifically, it's much better to have a transition to signify a change than simply have something appear. A transition draws the eye and gives the user the opportunity to consume the visual cue that was presented.

A sudden change on screen results in a "what happened" response; a smooth transition provides a hint as to what's going on. As we tour the various features of Ext.Fx, bear in mind that they can be used for more than just eye-candy; they're great for adding value to your user experience.