SND Module: UI Development Environment
For developing client-side code for the SND module, using ReactJS, Redux and TypeScript, it is recommended to set up the npm development environment. This allows the UI source files to be automatically rebuilt by Webpack when changes are detected and the updated ReactJS components to be hot swapped into the running web application. This makes it possible to see your changes applied without having to rebuild and refresh, preserving the context of your application.
Steps to set up:
- Install Node.js and npm. You will want this to match the versions in gradle.properties at the top level of your LabKey project. See the npmVersion and nodeVersion fields in the property file. These are the versions the deployed application will be built and packaged with so it is important to use those versions locally while developing.
- If the install doesn't add npm to your PATH, add it. Verify npm is installed and is the correct version by running 'npm -v' in your command line.
- Start your development machine in IntelliJ in debug mode.
- In the command line on your dev machine, go to the source directory of the SND module.
- Execute the command, npm start. This will run the webpack build then start monitoring for any changes in the source code.
- In your web browser navigate to the development web address for the SND module,
- <labkey context>/<folder>/snd-appDev.view#/
Technology Stack
npm: Package manager for JavaScript. Allows for easier installation and maintenance of JavaScript libraries, frameworks and tools like React.js. Uses package.json to manage dependencies and define commands. Chosen for its broad industry usage and large package registry (477,000).
Webpack: Module bundler and processor. Organizes, bundles and processes client-side code. Generally making fewer and smaller bundles to be loaded from the server. Creates a dependency graph to control the order of loading dependencies. Loaders allow different types of files to be bundled (.js, .html, .css, .jsx, .tsx). Good for single page apps and works well with ReactJS and TypeScript.
Babel: Compiler for next generation JavaScript. Converts next generation JavaScript to the target version of choice. Allows for usage of more modern syntax and paradigms, while maintaining backward compatibility. For our case, we're transpiling es6 features like arrow functions, JS classes, this scoping and promises back to es5.
TypeScript: Superset of JS that allows static typing. Supports interfaces and strong type checking similar to Java, but allows dynamic types like normal JS as well. Helps produce more readable and maintainable code. Transpiles to ES6 and JSX.
ReactJS: Create responsive, stateful UIs. Modular components that will update only their own html when their state changes without having to reload the page.
Redux: Global state storage. A data store we use for things like storing rows in a grid which we can then filter, sort, etc. A single store, but has tree of objects that must be updated through defined actions. Works well with ReactJS.
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