The Evolution and Rise of Angular.JS
The latest JavaScript library usage statistics posted on various websites indicate a steady increase in the popularity and adaption of AngularJS. But AngularJS was initially developed by Misko Hevery in 2009 as an enterprise application tool, and priced by megabytes. Harvey made the framework open source after failing to attract a higher number of subscribers. At present, AngularJS is one of the widely used open source web application frameworks. It is further being maintained by Google along with a community that includes both individual developers and enterprises. Its features further make AngularJS completely different from other JavaScript libraries available in the market.
Assessing the Evolution and Rise of AngularJS
Use HTML as Template Language : AngularJS is designed as a structural framework for building various dynamic web applications. It further enables developers to use HTML as a template language. The users can extend HTML syntax to express the components of the web application is a clear and readable way. As HTML cannot reorganize the JavaScript code, the user interface developed using AngularJS remains solid on multiple platforms. Further, the programmers can enhance the application’s compatibility and accessibility by using open technologies like HTML and JavaScript.
Clean MVC Framework : AngularJS supports both model-view-controller (MVC) and model-view-viewmodel (MVVM) architectures. But it does not implement MVC in a conventional way. The web framework does not require developers to split the entire website into MVC components, and write code for each component individually. The developers can simply divide the application into MVC components, and use the framework to manage and connect the components efficiently. Thus, the developers can always save the amount of time and effort required to string the code for individual MVC components seamlessly.
Simple Data Objects : AngularJS uses data models which are plain old JavaScript objects (POJO). So the JavaScript developers can easily modify the application’s features and functionality simply by making changes to the properties of the data model. At the same time, the web framework allows automatic synchronization of data between the model and view components of the website. As these data objects always refer to the model, it becomes easier for programmers to connect the view and controller by using the data objects as glue.
Flexible Filters : Unlike other JavaScript libraries, AngularJS use flexible filters to filter that data before they reach the application’s view. These filters are also effective in selecting specific items from an array, create a new array, and send it to the view. The programmers can use the filters to accomplish a variety of tasks including implementing pagination, reversing the order of items in an array, and create customized HTML tables. These filters can be further used as standalone functions which are not part of the web application.
Directives : While using AngularJS, developers have option to use directives as attributes on CSS, attributes, elements and other DOM elements. They can further use these directives to create custom HTML tags and custom widgets. The programmers also have option to manipulate the DOM, and store the modified DOM code inside the directives instead of the view. So the designers are simply required to focus on the user interface without dealing with the complex DOM manipulation.
Services and Templates : The users also have option to avail a variety of built-in services included in AngularJS. For instance, they can use the $http to make XMLHttpRequests. As each built-in service is designed as a singleton object, the developers are required to install it only once in the web application. Likewise, AngularJS can render views based on the information collected from the controller and model. So the developers have option to display all information in a single file or in multiple views.
Built-In Dependency Injection : AngularJS is further designed with a built-in dependency injection subsystem. The dependency injection makes it easier for developers to build, understand and test web applications more efficiently. In addition to connecting the web framework together, the built-in dependency injection further manages both controllers and scope. Thus, unit tests in AngularJS can use the dependency injection subsystem to pass mock data into the controller, and assess their behavior more accurately.
Despite being an open source web application framework, AngularJS has been updated at regular intervals. The current stable version of AngularJS was released by developers in November. The developers have also released developer preview version of AngularJS 2 in April 2015. So the developers can always download the most recent version of AngularJS to create a variety of single-page web applications rapidly.
Originally published at www.allaboutweb.biz on January 11, 2016.
