

Backbone.js Screencast - Introduction and Views - joeybeninghove
http://joeybeninghove.com/2011/08/16/backbone-screencast-introduction-views
A couple weeks ago I gave a webinar for Develop with Passion on Backbone.js. Unfortunately there was a problem with the recording, so I decided to redo what I covered in screencast form. In this screencast I give a basic introduction on how to bootstrap a new Backbone.js application and go in-depth on how to use Backbone Views in particular.
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bilalhusain
I just went through the presentation.

> It covers Backbone Views and little bit of Events. And covers them nicely.
> Although, I would NOT suggest it to a pro developer (mainly due to 1 hr).

> Backbone Model, Collection, Router, Sync etc will be, hopefully, covered in
> the next rounds. (Somethings will need to be revisited when wiring models
> etc)

> A lot of time the presentations digresses.

> Didn't talk about the setup - how haml, backbone is integrated; though I
> agree that it shouldn't be focus when starting.

> Thanks to the video, I learnt a couple of things - views can be passed
> tagName..., params.name, haml each block

> Finally, I'll add that Backbone looks even more cleaner in coffeescript
> (errors due to missing comma? no more a problem!)

And jotted down comment after each 10 minutes into the presentation.

> 10 minutes: not really backbone (jquery, javascript gotcha mostly) -
> admitted at minute 11

> 20 minutes: nice smooth sailing - el, tagName

> 30 minutes: learnt a few things new things! but a bit slow for me :(

> 40 minutes: mostly jquery/inheritence, next minutes are going to be about
> jquery templates

> 50 minutes: focus lost in favour of templates, haml (but probably better for
> web-developer learning it)

 _Teaching and motivating is a tough thing. Keep up the good work, waiting for
the next part._

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joeybeninghove
Awesome feedback, thanks a ton for that! I definitely know there are areas
where I can improve and will be working to do so in the future.

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websymphony
Thanks for the cast, was quite informative. Kudos to you for trying to help
others. Just a few suggestions for following casts. 1) Not sure if you are
aware of it but there is a framework that you can use for the screencasts,
just to make it look bit more professional:
<http://www.codeschool.com/code_tv/screencasting> 2) Try give more screen
space to code and browser. I personally, will rather have your code and your
voice do all the talking. 3) In the beginning maybe have an outline, or list
of concepts you are going to cover in the cast.

And for future casts topics request :). 1) Can you talk about testing backbone
with Jasmine, maybe Sinon too? 2) Design patterns for managing your backbone
code or how responsibilities should be shared among collections, models,
views?

Again thanks a lot for the effort.

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joeybeninghove
Cool, hadn't seen that framework before. I'll definitely check that out!

As for the video, I really like seeing other folks show themselves on video as
they code, as I think it makes it a bit more personal. So that's why I like
doing it myself for my own screencasts. I tried to make sure the position of
the video didn't cover up any key areas of the screen that contained important
information. But perhaps I could've done a better job at that.

And yes, I actually just gave my 2nd Backbone webinar the other day, which
touched on Jasmine testing a little bit, as well as models and collections.
You can view that here: <http://bit.ly/qIDB2u>

I do plan on doing a few more in this series to dive into some topics a bit
deeper. Your suggestions are great ones!

Thanks a ton for the feedback, I really do appreciate it!

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element12
Great stuff. Eagerly awaiting future casts :)

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avparker
Thanks for sharing.

I'm completely new to backbone and jQuery and I've only recently started
learning javascript (I have a C++/Java background, and only tinkered with
Rails a few years back).

I agree with bilalhusain, the talk does wander a bit, but as a jQuery newbie
it was quite useful for me. YMMV.

I liked how you built up the use of the framework, gradually adding events,
templating, iteration etc.

I would like to be able to follow along (doing the same steps myself), but I
didn't understand the starting point of your project (is it a sinatra app?).
Do you have instructions on how to get setup to that point? A screencast for
setup would be great, but even a list of pointers would be helpful.

Keep up the good work!

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thomasjoulin
I just finished to watch ! So far the best introduction to Backbone I've see
(I never used it, but seriously considering to). I'm not going to repeat the
criticism posted in comment, I agree with most of them, and I look forward to
new tutorials from you !

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michaelbuckbee
Thanks for taking the time to do the screencast and release it, I always find
screencasts are a quick way to get a feel for how a new technology is going to
work.

~~~
joeybeninghove
No problem, thanks for the feedback! I really enjoyed doing it, hopefully more
to come! :)

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smokinjoe
Great screencast.

Before I saw it, I could hardly spell backbone.js, now I can't wait to start
my first project.

