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jQuery in Action question: better than "Ext Js"?

 
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Hi,

In a project I'm working on, we are using this javascript library: http://extjs.com/

This library is very nice, you can build sofisticated forms, table grids (looks like desktop), etc.
I'd like to know if jQuery does things like Ext Js, or they are completely different things? I've never worked with jQuery...
 
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I'm not familiar with Ext JS, but at first glance it looks like a UI element collection. jQuery is a foundation upon which many such element can be easily built. The UI plugin offers many such elements and there are literally dozens and dozens of plugins that provide more.

"Better" is always subjective. But perhaps Yehuda has more concrete knowledge in this area than I...
 
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When I look at ext-js vs jquery one thing comes to mind; Choices.

If I go to google and lookup ext-js plugins I get a bunch of results for things like "wordpress ext-js plugin" and "integrating ext-js with N framework".

If I go to google and search for jquery plugins I get what seems like an endless list of components, widgets, utilities, etc that were built with jquery as the foundation.

I'd say a better comparison would be ext-js with YUI. Both of which are fine I am sure but when I want a specific UI control for my application I like the fact that with JQuery I have choices. With ext-js it appears that you are pretty stuck with what they provide although you can skin everything.
 
Rogerio Kioshi
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Originally posted by Bear Bibeault:
I'm not familiar with Ext JS, but at first glance it looks like a UI element collection. jQuery is a foundation upon which many such element can be easily built. The UI plugin offers many such elements and there are literally dozens and dozens of plugins that provide more.

"Better" is always subjective. But perhaps Yehuda has more concrete knowledge in this area than I...



Yes, maybe my comparison was not very happy. Perhaps Ext Js might have used jQuery to be build, isn't it?
If you open one of "Ext Js" javascript libraries, you'll see a lot of code there. I think this code is not written manually, because each line has many many code.
 
Gregg Bolinger
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Originally posted by Rogerio Kioshi:
Perhaps Ext Js might have used jQuery to be build, isn't it?
If you open one of "Ext Js" javascript libraries, you'll see a lot of code there. I think this code is not written manually, because each line has many many code.



Nope. However, it would be difficult to write a library today and not "borrow" ideas from competing libraries. Also note that JQuery doesn't generate javascript code for you. Usually javascript files are obfuscated to limit the file size. Looking at the ext-js code could be a daunting task if looking at code with white spaces and blank lines removed.
 
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Originally posted by Gregg Bolinger:
When I look at ext-js vs jquery one thing comes to mind; Choices.

If I go to google and lookup ext-js plugins I get a bunch of results for things like "wordpress ext-js plugin" and "integrating ext-js with N framework".

If I go to google and search for jquery plugins I get what seems like an endless list of components, widgets, utilities, etc that were built with jquery as the foundation.

I'd say a better comparison would be ext-js with YUI. Both of which are fine I am sure but when I want a specific UI control for my application I like the fact that with JQuery I have choices. With ext-js it appears that you are pretty stuck with what they provide although you can skin everything.



Ext JS would be worthwhile to consider if you were considering Flash or Flex. It's a full-stack framework that builds your page, including layout, components, etc. from minimal or no HTML. It has a ton of facilities for things like setting up data stores, complex (and I mean complex) layout handling, and more. It's also a very large library.

It is not, however, very suited for progressive enhancement techniques, in which a perfectly good web site (that can be sucked in by Google, screen readers, or users with old browsers) is enhanced with the use of DOM and Ajax techniques. jQuery, on the other hand, represents the epitome of those techniques.

On a related note, it is possible to use Ext JS with jQuery as its base. Ext JS was original built on top of YUI, and then went on to support jQuery and Prototype/Scriptaculous, and finally built its own base library. All four options are still supported in Ext 2.0.
 
Bear Bibeault
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(I knew Yehuda would have some excellent input!)
 
Rogerio Kioshi
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Originally posted by Yehuda Katz:


Ext JS would be worthwhile to consider if you were considering Flash or Flex. It's a full-stack framework that builds your page, including layout, components, etc. from minimal or no HTML. It has a ton of facilities for things like setting up data stores, complex (and I mean complex) layout handling, and more. It's also a very large library.

It is not, however, very suited for progressive enhancement techniques, in which a perfectly good web site (that can be sucked in by Google, screen readers, or users with old browsers) is enhanced with the use of DOM and Ajax techniques. jQuery, on the other hand, represents the epitome of those techniques.

On a related note, it is possible to use Ext JS with jQuery as its base. Ext JS was original built on top of YUI, and then went on to support jQuery and Prototype/Scriptaculous, and finally built its own base library. All four options are still supported in Ext 2.0.



Ok, nice explanation
 
Don't get me started about those stupid light bulbs.
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