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2012
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Code and Slides from my Fall 2012 DevConnections Talks
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Working with Tile Notifications in Windows 8 Store Apps – Part I
One of the features that really makes Windows 8 apps stand out from others is the tile functionality on the start screen. While icons allow a user to start an application, tiles provide a more engaging way to engage the user and draw them into an application. Examples of “live” tiles on part of my current start screen are shown next:
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Getting Started Building Windows 8 Store Apps with XAML/C#
Technology is fun isn’t it? As soon as you think you’ve figured out where things are heading a new technology comes onto the scene, changes things up, and offers new opportunities. One of the new technologies I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with lately is Windows 8 store applications. I posted my thoughts about Windows 8 during the BUILD conference in 2011 and still feel excited about the opportunity there. Time will tell how well it ends up being accepted by consumers but I’m hopeful that it’ll take off.
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JavaScript Data Binding with AngularJS Part II – Binding a View to a Controller/ViewModel
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JavaScript Data Binding with AngularJS Part I – Getting Started
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Pluralsight Meet the Author Podcast on HTML5 Canvas Programming
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JavaScript Data Binding Frameworks
Data binding is where it’s at now days when it comes to building client-centric Web applications. Developers experienced with desktop frameworks like WPF or web frameworks like ASP.NET, Silverlight, or others are used to being able to take model objects containing data and bind them to UI controls quickly and easily. When moving to client-side Web development the data binding story hasn’t been great since neither HTML nor JavaScript natively support data binding. This means that you have to write code to place data in a control and write code to extract it. Although it’s certainly feasible to do it from scratch (many of us have done it this way for years), it’s definitely tedious and not exactly the best solution when it comes to maintenance and re-use.
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Mobile Friendly Websites with CSS Media Queries
In a previous post the concept of CSS media queries was introduced and I discussed the fundamentals of how they can be used to target different screen sizes. I showed how they could be used to convert a 3-column wide page into a more vertical view of data that displays better on devices such as an iPhone:
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Detecting HTML5/CSS3 Features using Modernizr
HTML5, CSS3, and related technologies such as canvas and web sockets bring a lot of useful new features to the table that can take Web applications to the next level. These new technologies allow applications to be built using only HTML, CSS, and JavaScript allowing them to be viewed on a variety of form factors including tablets and phones. Although HTML5 features offer a lot of promise, it’s not realistic to develop applications using the latest technologies without worrying about supporting older browsers in the process. If history has taught us anything it’s that old browsers stick around for years and years which means developers have to deal with backward compatibility issues. This is especially true when deploying applications to the Internet that target the general public. This begs the question, “How do you move forward with HTML5 and CSS3 technologies while gracefully handling unsupported features in older browsers?” -
Rendering Linear Gradients using the HTML5 Canvas
Related HTML5 Canvas Posts:
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Rendering Text with the HTML5 Canvas
In a previous post I walked through the fundamentals of rendering shapes such as squares and circles using the HTML5 Canvas API. In this post I’ll provide a simple example of rendering and rotating text. To render text you can use the fillText() or strokeText() functions which take the text to render as well as the x and y coordinates of where to render it. To rotate text you can use the transform functions available with the HTML5 Canvas such as save(), rotate(), and restore(). To run the live demos that follow click the Result tab in the blue bar of each demo.
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New Pluralsight Course: HTML5 Canvas Fundamentals
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Pluralsight Meet the Author Podcast on Building ASP.NET MVC Applications with HTML5 and jQuery
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Getting Started with CSS Media Queries
If you've ever printed a page and noticed that it looks different than the actual page displayed in the browser you've more than likely witnessed a CSS media type in action. By using CSS media types such as "print", backgrounds, navigation bars, and other items can be hidden as a user prints which makes the printed page look much more readable. An example of changing styles through a CSS media type as a page is printed is shown next. This type of code can be placed directly in a <style> element in a given page or in an external style sheet.
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jQuery Documentation Resources to Speed Up Your Development
We’ve been seeing a sharp increase in the number of people interested in getting started with jQuery lately in our training and consulting business which is exciting since it’s such a great framework to use for client-side coding. If you’ve been fighting with cross-browser issues and want to make client-side development fun again then jQuery is a great way to go in my opinion.
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jQuery Tip #7 - Consolidating jQuery Ajax Calls
Previous Tips:
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Pluralsight Meet the Author Podcast on Structuring JavaScript Code
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Testing Mobile Websites with Adobe Shadow
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jQuery Samples
Here are the jsfiddle samples that John Papa and I covered in our jQuery Fundamentals workshop at DevConnections last week. These were a few of the samples we wrote on the fly (so they’re not “perfect”) using http://jsfiddle.net and wanted to share. Additional jQuery samples covering selectors, DOM manipulation, Ajax techniques, as well as sample applications can be found here.
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Code and Slides: Building the Account at a Glance ASP.NET MVC, EF Code First, HTML5, and jQuery Application
This presentation was given at the spring 2012 DevConnections conference in Las Vegas and is based on my Pluralsight course. The presentation shows how several different technologies including ASP.NET MVC, EF Code First, HTML5, jQuery, Canvas, SVG, JavaScript patterns, Ajax, and more can be integrated together to build a robust application. An example of the application in action is shown next:
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Code and Slides: Techniques, Strategies, and Patterns for Structuring JavaScript Code
This presentation was given at the spring 2012 DevConnections conference in Las Vegas and is based on my Structuring JavaScript Code course from Pluralsight. The goal of the presentation is to show how closures combined with code patterns can be used to provide structure to JavaScript code and make it more re-useable, maintainable, and less susceptible to naming conflicts. Topics covered include:
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Code and Slides: Getting Started Building Windows 8 HTML/JavaScript Metro Apps
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Call for Speakers – Fall 2012 ClientDev Connections
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jQuery Tip #6 – Creating a Custom jQuery Selector
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Creating Metro Style Icons with Metro Studio
I normally don’t post about 3rd part software or giveaways but I’m really impressed with Syncfusion’s new Metro Studio product after downloading it today (registration required). It’s includes 600 free icons and you can easily customize the icons. I don’t know how long the free offering will last but it’s worth registering to get a key while it’s available (nobody from Syncfusion asked me to post about the program by the way – I just liked it). Here’s what the program looks like (very Metro-ish):
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New Pluralsight Course: Building ASP.NET MVC Apps with EF Code First, HTML5, and jQuery
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Looking Forward: Single Page Apps, Client-Side Databinding, Entity Change Tracking, and Windows 8
I had the opportunity to attend the MVP Summit and some other events that were also running up in Redmond, WA for Windows 8 and ASP.NET this past week and if there’s one thing I learned it’s that Microsoft’s developers definitely aren’t sitting around idly twiddling their thumbs. A slew of new technologies are on their way which adds to the fun if you’re someone who enjoys learning, being challenged, and having access to technologies that can help you be more productive. For me personally, that’s the fun of being in the development world. Change is part of the game and embracing it is key to being successful as a developer - at least in my opinion. While it’s true that not every new technology deserves attention (and I’d agree that some technologies seem to move too fast), there were several I saw that have some great potential. The good news is that they’re available to start using or experimenting with now if you’re interested.
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Video: Structuring JavaScript with the Revealing Module Pattern
This sample video from Pluralsight’s Structuring JavaScript Code course provides an introduction to the Revealing Module Pattern and demonstrates how it can be used to convert “function spaghetti code” to more structured code that’s re-useable and easier to maintain. If you’d like additional details about using the Revealing Module Pattern as well as other patterns that can be used to structure your JavaScript code view my post here.
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jQuery Tip #5: Using jQuery’s end() Function to Work with Sets
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jQuery Tip #4 – Use the on() Function for Event Handling
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Upcoming Pluralsight Course - Web Development with ASP.NET MVC, EF Code First, jQuery, and HTML5
Update: This course is now available here!
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jQuery Tip #3 - Using the data() Function
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jQuery Tip #2 - Manipulating the DOM in a Loop
One of jQuery's greatest strengths is its ability to manipulate the DOM with a minimal amount of code. It's so easy to change things that we often don't think about what's happening under the covers. For example, consider the following code that appends nodes to an object named parentDiv.
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jQuery Tip #1 – Defining a Context When Using Selectors
I really enjoy working with jQuery and have had the opportunity to use it a lot over the years on various projects. It’s an essential part of my “technology tool belt”. My company has also started providing new training classes on jQuery to various companies and I’ve had a lot of great questions come up about best practices, tips and tricks, when certain functions should be used over other functions, and more.
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Upcoming ASP.NET, HTML5 and Windows 8 Talks and Workshops at DevConnections 2012
It’s that time of the year again! DevConnections 2012 is right around the corner and we have a lot of great new workshops and sessions planned for the ASP.NET and Client-Dev (HTML5, Windows 8 Metro, JavaScript, jQuery, etc.) tracks.
