A few months ago I was approached by Packt Publishing to help out with one of their up and coming publications. After reading some of my blog posts and seeing some screencasts I'd done on Ext JS, they felt I'd be a good candidate to co-author a book on the subject. I quizzed them quite a bit before committing; the offer was so out of the blue that I felt I needed as much information as possible, but it's flattering to be offered such an opportunity anyway. When I felt I could make an informed choice, I accepted, and became part of the Learning Ext JS team.
The other authors are Shea Frederick and Steve "Cutter" Blades. Shea did the first block of chapters:
- Getting Started
Setup Ext JS to be used on your page and troubleshoot common installation problems. - The Staples of Ext
Explore some of the foundational components and configuration of Ext JS. - Forms
Create complex forms, database-driven combo boxes, and populate form fields with data. - Buttons, Menus, and Toolbars
Use toolbars to create compact complex navigation for your web application. - Gridsâ??Making Data Intuitive
Render database-driven grids that include paging, complex rendering, and user interaction. - Editor Grid
Go past the standard grid, and set up an editor grid that edits data in line. - In an AJAX World, You Need a Good Layout
Create a layout that provides a very flexible and attractive user interface.
I did the middle lot:
- Ext JS Does Grow on Trees
Demonstrating how to display and manipulate hierarchical data. - Windows and Dialogs
Focusing on displaying information in pop-up containers. - Effects
Add spice to your applications with compelling visual effects. - Drag and Drop
Learn how to move and rearrange elements within your application.
Steve rounded it all off with the final chapters:
- Itâ??s All About the Data
An introduction into the various types of data Stores, the kinds of data they can consume, how that data is defined, and how to get it. - Code for Reuse: Extending Ext JS
An introduction to creating custom application components by extending existing components of the framework. - The Power of Ext JS: What Else Can You Do?
A look at many of the utility classes of the library, including formatting and state management, as well as Community Components and resources.
It was certainly a learning experience. I thought I knew Ext JS pretty well before this, but having to fill 20 pages of text about a single part of the framework lead me to discover a lot of new things, not least how to fill out text to make it interesting, rather than a lecture. I'd like to thank the Packt team, my co-authors, and of course the Ext JS team for the opportunity - one I never dreamed I'd have.
Learning Ext JS is available for pre-order on the Packt Publishing web site, as well as some mainstream retail sites such as Amazon. If you do decide to purchase - and I strongly urge you to! - then please let us know what you think by leaving a review on the Learning Ext JS Amazon page.