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Terms, Icons, and Labels

Many classes have shortcut names used when creating (instantiating) a class with a configuration object. The shortcut name is referred to as an alias (or xtype if the class extends Ext.Component). The alias/xtype is listed next to the class name of applicable classes for quick reference.

Access Levels

Framework classes or their members may be specified as private or protected. Else, the class / member is public. Public, protected, and private are access descriptors used to convey how and when the class or class member should be used.

Member Types

Member Syntax

Below is an example class member that we can disect to show the syntax of a class member (the lookupComponent method as viewed from the Ext.button.Button class in this case).

lookupComponent ( item ) : Ext.Component
protected

Called when a raw config object is added to this container either during initialization of the items config, or when new items are added), or {@link #insert inserted.

This method converts the passed object into an instanced child component.

This may be overridden in subclasses when special processing needs to be applied to child creation.

Parameters

item :  Object

The config object being added.

Returns
Ext.Component

The component to be added.

Let's look at each part of the member row:

Member Flags

The API documentation uses a number of flags to further commnicate the class member's function and intent. The label may be represented by a text label, an abbreviation, or an icon.

Class Icons

- Indicates a framework class

- A singleton framework class. *See the singleton flag for more information

- A component-type framework class (any class within the Ext JS framework that extends Ext.Component)

- Indicates that the class, member, or guide is new in the currently viewed version

Member Icons

- Indicates a class member of type config

- Indicates a class member of type property

- Indicates a class member of type method

- Indicates a class member of type event

- Indicates a class member of type theme variable

- Indicates a class member of type theme mixin

- Indicates that the class, member, or guide is new in the currently viewed version

Class Member Quick-Nav Menu

Just below the class name on an API doc page is a row of buttons corresponding to the types of members owned by the current class. Each button shows a count of members by type (this count is updated as filters are applied). Clicking the button will navigate you to that member section. Hovering over the member-type button will reveal a popup menu of all members of that type for quick navigation.

Getter and Setter Methods

Getting and setter methods that correlate to a class config option will show up in the methods section as well as in the configs section of both the API doc and the member-type menus just beneath the config they work with. The getter and setter method documentation will be found in the config row for easy reference.

History Bar

Your page history is kept in localstorage and displayed (using the available real estate) just below the top title bar. By default, the only search results shown are the pages matching the product / version you're currently viewing. You can expand what is displayed by clicking on the button on the right-hand side of the history bar and choosing the "All" radio option. This will show all recent pages in the history bar for all products / versions.

Within the history config menu you will also see a listing of your recent page visits. The results are filtered by the "Current Product / Version" and "All" radio options. Clicking on the button will clear the history bar as well as the history kept in local storage.

If "All" is selected in the history config menu the checkbox option for "Show product details in the history bar" will be enabled. When checked, the product/version for each historic page will show alongside the page name in the history bar. Hovering the cursor over the page names in the history bar will also show the product/version as a tooltip.

Search and Filters

Both API docs and guides can be searched for using the search field at the top of the page.

On API doc pages there is also a filter input field that filters the member rows using the filter string. In addition to filtering by string you can filter the class members by access level, inheritance, and read only. This is done using the checkboxes at the top of the page.

The checkbox at the bottom of the API class navigation tree filters the class list to include or exclude private classes.

Clicking on an empty search field will show your last 10 searches for quick navigation.

API Doc Class Metadata

Each API doc page (with the exception of Javascript primitives pages) has a menu view of metadata relating to that class. This metadata view will have one or more of the following:

Expanding and Collapsing Examples and Class Members

Runnable examples (Fiddles) are expanded on a page by default. You can collapse and expand example code blocks individually using the arrow on the top-left of the code block. You can also toggle the collapse state of all examples using the toggle button on the top-right of the page. The toggle-all state will be remembered between page loads.

Class members are collapsed on a page by default. You can expand and collapse members using the arrow icon on the left of the member row or globally using the expand / collapse all toggle button top-right.

Desktop -vs- Mobile View

Viewing the docs on narrower screens or browsers will result in a view optimized for a smaller form factor. The primary differences between the desktop and "mobile" view are:

Viewing the Class Source

The class source can be viewed by clicking on the class name at the top of an API doc page. The source for class members can be viewed by clicking on the "view source" link on the right-hand side of the member row.

Architect 4


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Using Resources

Resources are "extra" files that your application needs to work properly. For example, a custom CSS for styling your app's visual components is a Resource, as is a JavaScript utility file that contains business logic for the application. Architect lets you include these external Resources by adding them as items under the Resources node through the Inspector.

Add new Resources to your project either by dragging them from the Resources section in the Toolbox, or by clicking the Add button ("+") above the Inspector and choosing the type of Resource to add. You can control the order in which your app loads Resources by dragging them up or down the Inspector.

Architect recognizes the following types of Resources, each of which is discussed individually here:

Themes and CSS/SCSS files are also included as Resources in your project.

In Architect, you can instantiate a class from a Resource. Instructions for this are included at the end of this guide.

Library Resource

Every project has a special "Library" Resource, which cannot be removed. This Resource contains information about where the core library is located. By default, they are set to load from a location on Sencha's CDN but you can change it to load from a different location, for example a custom build of the library or a path on your local network.

Library Options

Like other Resources, you can configure library options by selecting Library in the inspector and changing them in the config panel. Some of the options include:

  • Change the location to load the library
  • Include the debug version of the library JS
  • Include (or not) the the library JS
  • Include (or not) the library CSS

These configurations allow you to do things like use a complete custom theme, deliver the library from a different domain, or enable the debug version of the library. For details about using a complete custom theme, see Application Styling.

Upgrading the Library

Architect makes every attempt to allow users to upgrade between minor revisions of the same framework such as Ext JS 4.1 to 4.2. For instance in Architect 2.2, support was added for Ext JS 4.2. Your 4.1 projects can now be upgraded to 4.2 by right clicking on the Library Resource in the project inspector and choosing "Upgrade to Ext42". An upgrade performs necessary transformations to your configs and settings to bring it up to par for the new framework. Typically this is minimal.

Be aware that Architect doesn't support downgrading to a lesser framework once you've done the upgrade. An archive of the project is saved during the upgrade so you can revert to that if needs be.

JavaScript Resources

Use a JavaScript Resource to include a JavaScript file, such as a third-party utility library in your application. After adding a JavaScript Resource to the Resources node in the inspector, set its url config to the location of your JavaScript file. You can also optionally give it an id attribute or set it to use deferred execution by checking the defer config.

Architect will not load custom JavaScript Resources in the canvas, they will only be included in your deployed application.

If you specify a relative path in the URL config, it will be resolved relative to the main app.html file when deployed. A relative path also allows you to edit the contents of the file within Architect's code editor; select the JS Resource in the inspector and switch to code view, then edit the JavaScript code to update the target .js file. If no file exists at the specified local path, Architect creates it when you save or build the project.

Direct Resource

Use a Direct Resource to configure the location of an external Ext.Direct API descriptor. This is required if you wish to use a Direct Proxy in your data stores. You can only add one Direct Resource to a project.

After adding the Direct Resource to the Resources node in the inspector, set its url config to the location of the Ext.Direct API. This URL must return a proper Direct REMOTING_API descriptor. Architect attempts to load it, and, if the response is valid, displays the message "Successfully Updated Ext.Direct API"; any Direct Proxy within your application will now provide the API's methods as options in its directFn config. If the load is unsuccessful, you will see the message "Ext.Direct Remoting Specification failed to load."

Editing Resources

Architect enables editing of certain Resources using the code editor. If the Resource is local, you can edit it in Architect by either double clicking on the Resource or selecting Edit Code in the Resource's context menu or in the Action menu. A Resource is locked when you first edit it, unless it is a new file.

Selecting the Reload button or action in the Resource's context menu (see the image below) reloads the Resource's code from the source.

Warning: This action overwrites current changes.

Instantiating a Class from a Resource

Architect supports instantiating a Class from a Resource. This enables a user to specify a createAlias on any child component that is implemented in Base.js (in other words, part of a View, Model, Store, or Controller). A top level component must specify the class from which it extends and must maintain information about its ancestor so that it can be rendered.

For example, to create a top-level class called MyCustomGrid that uses a DynamicGridPanel that extends from a Grid Panel, drag out a GridPanel from the toolbox and set the extend to DynamicGridPanel. This allows the component to continue using all of the validation rules related to parents and children and to continue rendering.

See Working with Classes for more information about using the createAlias feature.

Architect 4