Back to the future: Isomorphic javascript applications

unlucio
Senior Software Engineer - Namshi
Dive Master - PADI
Remote Nerd - WEBdeBS

Back to the future:
Isomorphic javascript
applications

An isomorphic javascript application:
What is an “isomorphic application”
Why did we need one
How did we build it @ Namshi:
Requirements
Choices
What did we actually do

Isomorphism
Isomorphism is a very general concept that appears in several areas
of mathematics. The word derives from the Greek iso, meaning
"equal," and morphosis, meaning "to form" or "to shape.”
wolfram.com
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Isomorphism.html

Isomorphic application
It’s a dynamic website capable of generating its html on
both server and client side, virtually using the same
exact code in both environments

and a website
is a bunch of nicely presented html
with an interactive layer on top

to be isomorphic
we need to stop at the html
take a note for future self!

Why do we need one?
Robots: search engines don’t cope with SPAs

Why do we need one?
Loading speed

Why do we need one?
Loading speed
Javascript doesn’t “fail safe”

SPA Page Isomorphic Page
~190Kb js Target 100Kb js

~ 40p page speed at least 90p page speed

~ 40p page speed at least 90p page speed
Angular.js ?????????

?????????
yup, we had to make a choice

We’re already using it on our SPAs

Well known dependency injection

Data bindings

Data bindings
Jade (and we like it)

It’s ok but…
Making it isomorphic needs
quite a bit of tooling around

New and fashionable…
…we’re eager to try it :)

The virtual DOM looks amazing

Flux (once you get it) seems quite a good idea

JSX…

JSX…
… but components are a nice idea too!

JSX…
… but components are a nice idea too!
and The Internet says it can be isomorphic too!

Examples and suggested techniques seems been
quite complex, with lots of structure and quite
opinionated

expectations slightly not met :’(

Yup, we’re back to square one…

ok… let’s try getting what we like…

ok… let’s try getting what we like…
data bindings
jade
ﬂux
components

So, how does it work?
Step 1
Understand the view
Data Content
Template
Interaction

Step 2
Strip the interaction layer
Data Content
Template
Interaction
Remember our note: stop at the html.

What do we get form the api:
Data Content
{
data: [],
meta: {},
search: {}
}
{
data: “”,
meta: {},
search: {}
}

What do we get form the api:
{
data: “”,
meta: {},
search: {}
}
This guy is html!

Choose a template engine
Template
Jade:
our current angular ones
Nunjucks:
renders on client and server

let’s bring back
what we liked about React

Flux
Our data source: API
State: the URL

Flux
Our data source: API
State: the URL
Add a little dispatcher to notify for data update

Show me the code!
Server entry point
var app = require('express')();
var tpl = require(‘../shared/tpl');
var url = require('url');
app.get('*', function(req, res) {
var path = url.parse(req.url).pathname;
api.getData(path).then(function(data) {
var html = tpl.render('main.html', data);
res.end(html);
});
});

Show me the code!
And it’s client counterpart
var page = require('page');
page('*', function (ctx) {
var path = url.parse(ctx.path).pathname;
dispatcher.broadcast('URL_CHANGE', {url: path});
api.getData(path).then(function (data) {
dispatcher.broadcast('DATA_UPDATE', data);
});
});
page.start();

Components
Activate on state update

Components
Receive data

Components
Receive data
Transform them if needed

Components
Receive data
Transform them if needed
Delegate to templates for ﬁnal html generation

Show me the code!
Title Component
var tpl = require('../tpl');
var vpo = require('vpo');
module.exports = function(data) {
return tpl.render('title.html', {
text: vpo.get(data, 'meta.seo.pageTitle')
|| vpo.get(data, 'title')
|| 'Namshi.com'
});
};

Show me the code!
Title Template
<title data-iso-component="title">{{ text }}</title>

Hey but what about
my interaction?

Hey but what about my interaction?
well, according to legend: turns out that back in the 90s
humans were able to use websites simply clicking on links and
without fancy UI wow-effects

Hey but what about my interaction?
Interaction We call them: widgets
they react to UI changes
they attach to iso-components
interact with data-nm-*
and use VUE.js

Show me the code!
var dispatcher = require(‘../../shared/dispatcher');
var menu = require('./menu');
var cart = require('../services/cart');
module.exports = function($dom) {
$dom.on('click', '#site_menu .search_trigger', function(e) {
dispatcher.broadcast(‘TOGGLE_SEARCH’);
e.preventDefault();
});
this.bind($dom, {data: { menu: menu, cart: cart }});
};

Show me the code!
<div id="site_header" data-iso-component="header"
data-nm-class="navigation_open: menu.shiftContent">
<ul id="site_menu">
<li><a href="" class="search_trigger">
<i>{{ 'search' | translate }}</i></a>
</li>
<li><a href="/cart/" class="cart_overview">
<span data-nm-text="cart.itemsCount">0</span></a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>

did we meet our target?
Isomorphism: yes :)

Isomorphism: yes :)
Size: 162kb (including templates)

Isomorphism: yes :)
Size: 162kb (including templates)
Page speed…

node.js
Browserify
Gulp
Nunjucks
Vanilla JS
express.js
VUE.js
Docker

Back to the future: Isomorphic javascript applications

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