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Rails developers can draw from a huge pool of libraries to build their applications. Dozens of options are available just for templating: do you use ERB, HAML, SASS, or do you prefer a JavaScript approach with Backbone.js or Knockout.js? The possibilities are endless, so we want to find out what our readers are using, or planning to use in the future.
In a first step (RFP), we asked you for suggestions. We received many answers, and after asking about deployment and management, we now ask a second question about frontend. On the x-axis, you can show us what you’re using right now, or what you’ve moved away from and what you plan to adopt next. The y-axis indicates how valuable you think the specific technology or library is.
Here are the options:
- Backbone.js: light-weight JavaScript MVC library
- Bootstrap: Twitter’s front-end framework
- CarrierWave: simple and easy file uploads for Ruby apps
- CoffeeScript: nicer-looking JavaScript alternative
- Dojo: tool kit for JavaScript based applications
- ERB: Ruby’s template system
- FormTastic: form builder for Rails
- HAML: concise markup language to describe HTML
- JS Templates: a meta item for all JS template systems not mentioned explicitly
- Kaminari: a paginator for Rails
- Knockout: dynamic JavaScript UIs following the MVVM pattern
- LESS: extending CSS with dynamic behaviour
- mustache: templating for HTML, source code, etc
- Rails Templates + JS: a meta item if you prefer to let Rails handle the templating
- SASS: more powerful syntax for CSS SimpleForm: flexible and powerful forms DSL
Community comments
AngularJS
by Robert Christian,
+1 Angular.js
by Alexander Pugachev,
Angular.js!
by Christian Rijke,
+1 Angular.js, +1 Ember.js
by Loren Johnson,
Backbone
by iitamar guzman,
what's it mean
by will mason,
AngularJS
by Robert Christian,
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Where is AngularJS on this list? Currently, according to Google, AngularJS has more momentum than Backbone and Knockout for client side MVC.
+1 Angular.js
by Alexander Pugachev,
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I was working with Backbone, Knockout and Angular.js. Angular.js is at least worth mentioning in the list though in my opinion it is jsut better then Backbone and Knockout.
Angular.js!
by Christian Rijke,
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Angular.js is definitely missing here. And ember.js.
+1 Angular.js, +1 Ember.js
by Loren Johnson,
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IMHO these are the two JS frameworks to be paying attention to in the Rails front-end circuit.
Backbone
by iitamar guzman,
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We moved away from backbone, we would like to try AnguraJS
what's it mean
by will mason,
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I have to wonder who compiled the questions? Backbone's own site says, use jQurey, there's no jQuery on the list and ERB isn't a replacement for Dojo or Backbone, so why are they listed against each other? Confusing and misguided (is the nicest conclusion).