Using Backbone.js with Drupal 7 and 8 (DrupalCon Session Notes)

What's new in JS?

• HTML5: LocalStorage, pushState
• JS templating engines: Mustache.js, Twig.js
• Representative State Transfer (REST)

In Drupal core now, with AHAH, FormAPI, etc. you write AJAX callback code in PHP.

Backbone.js

URL: http://backbonejs.org/
Based on Underscore

Features:

• Minimalistic
• Modular
• Perfect OOP design
• Lots of exentions: over 100

Who Uses Backbone.js?

• LinkedIn Mobile
• Foursquare
• Airbnb
• GroupOn Now!

Main Concepts

• Model
• Collection
• View
• Template
• Router
• History
• Events

Backbone.js in Drupal 7

• Bootstrapping: "Do it yourself". Manually write the code, templates, etc.
• REST: Services module, RESTful webservices module
• Backbone.js module: provides models and collections for Drupal entities via REST. i.e.: Drupal.Backbone.Collections.NodeView()

Backbone.js in Drupal 8

• It's in core
• Used for in-place editing
• Layouts
• Toolbar enhancements
• Mobile preview bar (Spark distribution)
• Web services initiative and Twig should work with Backbone.js.
• Mobile applications with Twig, Backbone.js, and PhoneGap or Trigger.io