Ext Js 3.0 is Finally Released!

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:08:00 -0400

Yes, Ext Js 3.0 has finally arrived! This long awaited update to the popular library has finally hit the download page as a production ready build (though the Release Candidates have been pretty stable as it is). There are many great enhancements to Ext, including an even more consistent underlying model (how could it get more consistent?), and some exciting new data marshalling features. A quick perusal of the updated Samples & Demos page gives us immediate insight into some of the new features that are available:

Row Editor Grid - for full record edits
Buffered Grid View - for faster rendering of large datasets
Tab Panel Scroller Menu - for Tab Panels with lots of tabs
Group Tabs - a vertical tab implementation
Charts - several different chart types
Check Tree - a tree view with a twist
HBox and VBox layouts
Toolbar Overflow
Toolbar Button Groups
ListView - a very lightweight grid implementation
Updated QuickTips

There's a lot more that you'll have to dig to see, like improved browser support, a better container model, and (experimental) ARIA support (for accessabiltiy). Some of the greatest enhancements come in the way of the data marshalling capabilities added via the new Ext Direct. With Direct, Ext is providing the remoting specifications so that anyone can write data marshalling services around their favorite backend language. Ext has even published Example Server Side Stacks as a jumping off point to beginning with data marshalling via Direct. [Side Note: Aaron Conran, the team lead on the Ext Js team, is a long time ColdFusion guy, and he wrote the example CF stack.) By configuring your Direct API, you can utilize data readers and writers (they're new!) easily, even passing multiple requests within a single Ajax request. [Another Side Note: CFQueryReader is fully functional with and without Direct.] One of the nicest features of this release is the backwards compatability. There are little to few changes that most will have to make, to upgrade their applications from 2.x to 3.0. And, it was announced, on a recent User Group Tour stop, that Adobe is including Ext Js 3.0 in ColdFusion 9. This opens up the possability of some very nice, new CFAjax components to come. All in all a fantastic release. I've had the opportunity to play with 3.0 for a while now, watching the SVN updates daily, and my hat's off to the Ext Js crew for another excellent release.

ColdFusion PreRelease Tour Coming to Nashville

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:43:00 -0400

Greg Wilson, Adobe Platform Evangelist, is coming to Nashville to give us a sneak peak at ColdFusion 9, Codename: Centaur, and Bolt, the new ColdFusion IDE. According to various posts from cf.Objective, and other tour dates, there appear to be some major enhancements in integration capabilities, Flex and AIR interaction, and more. You don't want to miss out on this special event, giving you the inside scoop! Click on the link above to register.

Cutter's Crossing - Centaur Tour

Ext Js 3.0 is Finally Released!

ColdFusion PreRelease Tour Coming to Nashville