Synopsis
As more and more of our work is done through a web browser, and more businesses build web rather than desktop applications, users want web applications that look and feel like desktop applications. Ext JS is a JavaScript library that makes it (relatively) easy to create desktop-style user interfaces in a web application, including multiple windows, toolbars, drop-down menus, dialog boxes, and much more. Both Commercial and Open Source licenses are available for Ext JS.
Ext JS has the unique advantage of being the only client-side UI library that also works as an application development library. Learning Ext JS will help you create rich, dynamic, and AJAX-enabled web applications that look good and perform beyond the expectations of your users.
From the building blocks of the application layout, to complex dynamic Grids and Forms, this book will guide you through the basics of using Ext JS, giving you the knowledge required to create rich user experiences beyond typical web interfaces. It will also provide you with the tools you need to use AJAX, by consuming server-side data directly into the many interfaces of the Ext JS component library.
About the Authors
Colin Ramsay began his web career hacking around ASP websites in a part-time developer job when he was at university. Since then he's been involved with a range of web technologies, which have provided a springboard for the formation of his UK-based web development company, run in tandem with his fledgling writing projects.
Shea Frederick began his career in web development before the term 'Web Application' was commonplace. By the late 1990s, he was developing web applications for Tower Records that combined the call center interface with inventory and fulfillment. Since then, Shea has worked as a developer for several companies-building and implementing various commerce solutions, content management systems, and lead tracking programs. Integrating new technologies to make a better application has been a driving point for Shea's work. He strives to use open source libraries as they are often the launching pad for the most creative technological advances. After stumbling upon a young user interface library called YUI-ext several years ago, Shea contributed to its growth by writing documentation, tutorials, and example code. He has remained an active community member for the modern YUI-ext library-Ext JS. Shea's expertise is drawn from community forum participation, work with the core development team, and his own experience as the architect of several large, Ext JS-based web applications. He currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and two dogs and spends time skiing, biking, and watching the Steelers. Shea is the primary author of the first book published on Ext JS, a book which helps to ease beginners into the Ext JS library. He is also a core developer on the Ext JS project along with writing columns for JSMag and running the local Baltimore/DC JavaScript Meetup. His ramblings can be found on his blog, http://www.vinylfox.com and open source code contributions on Github at http://www.github.com/VinylFox/.
Cutter is the Senior Web Developer for Dealerskins, a Nashville, Tennessee based hosting provider that develops websites for the Automobile Dealership market. Cutter began his web career when he began learning HTML 1 while in the US Army and stationed with the National Security Agency. Cutter got into application development as a Corporate Support Specialist for a regional ISP, just prior to becoming the IT Director of Seacrets, a large resort destination on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Cutter has extensive experience as a server- and client-side developer, with a popular blog dedicated to ColdFusion, Ext JS, and other web development technologies.
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