Show HN: An e-book about integrating front end libraries | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: An e-book about integrating front end libraries

maxoffsky.com

38 pointsmsurguy12 comments

I'm not exactly the target audience (pretty handy with the front-end already) but I do know a lot of back-end developers who would find immense value in this book. A lot of the help I provide to more back-end focused devs is along the same lines: "here's what we need to do - here's why - here's a library/tool that makes this easier". I've actually been thinking lately about writing a similar book. Kudos to the author for putting this out there!

Thanks! I would really appreciate if you could point them to this book. Also if you have any tips for me reaching the target audience - feel free to voice your opinion here or on twitter - @msurguy

I have no basis for saying this, but I feel like I wouldn't want to work on a app built by a developer who taught themselves frontend with this book.

The focus on "AJAX contact forms, AJAX file uploads, Avatar Cropping" in the blurb is odd. It sounds like you'll be getting a rundown on some handrolled jQuery stuff.

Thanks for the tip. What's wrong with using jQuery? When you do the hiring are you looking for someone who takes up a couple months and rolls their own libraries or someone who can get the job done quickly by using existing open source projects? The AJAX file uploaders are super tricky, the one used in the book has a jQuery wrapper but can work without it, you'd only spend about 300% more time integrating it.

I think his point is more that it's typically easier and better to use preexisting contact form and file upload solutions, instead of writing your own (with jQuery or otherwise).

Personally I can see the benefit of banging out a form in jQuery instead of having to research and integrate another system, but something about the chapter summaries seem strange. It sounds like it's more about building custom front-end components than integrating different libraries (which is what I expected from the title).

Thanks for the clarification. The chapter summaries on the maxoffsky.com/frontend page?

Yeah, in particular the lines:

* Creating AJAX contact form

* Building AJAX registration/login forms

Maybe it's just me, but that language kind of reminds me of the copy-paste era of Javascript development, where developers who don't understand JS semantics jump right into messing with login systems. Like 10 years ago it would have been "Building DHTML page counters". OFC I don't know if that impression reflects the actual material or not, though.

IMO if you're going to tell someone how to build AJAX contact forms, you would be better served writing a library to do it for them with a comprehensible API that makes it hard for people to fuck it up, or to start by explaining the basics of jQuery AJAX and selectors and event handlers and let people build the idea themselves from solid foundations. If someone really groks jQuery (or even vanilla JS), writing a contact form is a little tedious but not something that needs a tutorial or guide.

Sure. I'll clarify about the material and progression so that it's clear.

First you build the HTML of the form (chapter 1 covers that). Then you learn how to work with visual feedback (spinners and alerts, chapters 2 & 3). Then creating AJAX contact form integrates the stuff from chapters 1-3 to create AJAX contact form and connect it with the backend. Chapter 5 goes a step further - building login and registration forms using stuff from chapters 1-4 plus inline validation, integrating all previous components and things you built.

The book isn't for noobs. The prerequisites section (https://leanpub.com/frontend/read#leanpub-auto-about-the-aut...) clearly explains that so the developers who don't understand JS semantics or don't know the basics of web applications should learn something else before they get back to this book.

I check rapidly the free sample and I found the use of Laravel framework to be irrelevant. All examples could have been done with simple Html and others front-end libraries. It will confuse novice people. Should have just focused on front end.

Thanks for the feedback! The purpose of the book is to feature complete integration of various libraries and frameworks with a backend. Laravel is chosen as an example framework so that the developer can have a complete solution instead of just some theory.

In the prerequisites to the book it clearly states that novice developers will have a hard time unless they have some backend experience.

I like the approach you have taken, GP is wrong.

Seeing the integration with a back end (any backend tbh) is better.

Thanks! The diagrams shows complete cycle and the code provided is open source and detailed step by step :)

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