If you want to build your site’s frontend with the single-page application (SPA) model, this hands-on book shows you how to get the job done with Backbone.js. You’ll learn how to create structured JavaScript applications, using Backbone’s own flavor of model-view-controller (MVC) architecture.

Start with the basics of MVC, SPA, and Backbone, then get your hands dirty building sample applications—a simple Todo list app, a RESTful book library app, and a modular app with Backbone and RequireJS. Author Addy Osmani, an engineer for Google’s Chrome team, also demonstrates advanced uses of the framework.

• Learn how Backbone.js brings MVC benefits to the client-side
• Write code that can be easily read, structured, and extended
• Work with the Backbone.Marionette and Thorax extension frameworks
• Solve common problems you’ll encounter when using Backbone.js
• Organize your code into modules with AMD and RequireJS
• Paginate data for your Collections with the Backbone.Paginator plugin
• Bootstrap a new Backbone.js application with boilerplate code
• Use Backbone with jQuery Mobile and resolve routing problems between the two
• Unit-test your Backbone apps with Jasmine, QUnit, and SinonJS

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Fundamenta ls

Chapter 3. Backbone Basics

Chapter 4. Exercise 1: Todos- Your First Backbone.js App

Chapter 5. Exercise 2: Book Library- Your First RESTful Backbone.js App

Chapter 6. Backbone Extensions

Chapter 7. Common Problems and Solutions

Chapter 8. Modular Development

Chapter 9. Exercise 3: Your First Modular Backbone and RequireJS App

Chapter 10. Paginating Backbone.js Requests and Collections

Chapter 11. Backbone Boilerplate and Grunt-BBB

Chapter 12. Backbone and jQuery Mobile

Chapter 13. Jasmine

Chapter 14. QUnit

Chapter 15. SinonJS

Chapter 16. Conclusions

Appendix A. Further Learning

Appendix B. Resources

About the Author

Addy Osmani is a writer, speaker, and a JavaScript developer. He is a member of the jQuery core [Bug Triage/Docs/Learning] teams where helps with bugs, documentation, and developer evangelism.

When not working at AOL his personal OS projects include jQuery UI Bootstrap and TodoMVC, which help developers compare JavaScript MVC frameworks. Addy is the author of the popular ebook, Essential JavaScript Design Patterns.