Inspecting Desktop Apps
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.
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.
Public classes and class members are available for use by any other class or application code and may be relied upon as a stable and persistent within major product versions. Public classes and members may safely be extended via a subclass.
Protected class members are stable public members intended to be used by the
owning class or its subclasses. Protected members may safely be extended via a subclass.
Private classes and class members are used internally by the framework and are not intended to be used by application developers. Private classes and members may change or be omitted from the framework at any time without notice and should not be relied upon in application logic.
static label next to the
method name. *See Static below.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).
Let's look at each part of the member row:
lookupComponent in this example)( item ) in this example)Ext.Component in this case). This may be omitted for methods that do not
return anything other than undefined or may display as multiple possible values
separated by a forward slash / signifying that what is returned may depend on the
results of the method call (i.e. a method may return a Component if a get method calls is
successful or false if unsuccessful which would be displayed as
Ext.Component/Boolean).PROTECTED in
this example - see the Flags section below)Ext.container.Container in this example). The source
class will be displayed as a blue link if the member originates from the current class
and gray if it is inherited from an ancestor or mixed-in class.view source in the example)item : Object in the example).undefined a "Returns" section
will note the type of class or object returned and a description (Ext.Component in the
example)Available since 3.4.0 - not pictured in
the example) just after the member descriptionDefaults to: false)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.
classInstance.method1().method2().etc();false is returned from
an event handler- 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
- 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Ext.button.Button class has an alternate class name of Ext.Button). Alternate class
names are commonly maintained for backward compatibility.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.
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:
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.
There are three basic ways to connect your app with Sencha Inspector:
sencha app watch with an additional special flagapp.json and Application.js filesWhich method is better for you depends on several factors:
Each of the methods has their pros and cons, but they are all relatively easy to employ.
You should use this method if you are planning to use Sencha Inspector during the development phase and especially if you are using Sencha Cmd. If you are using Sencha Cmd, this will also allow you to inspect app theming (Ext JS 6+), which offers a powerful method of dynamic theming.
To configure a development application, you have two options:
sencha app watch with an additional special flagapp.json and Application.js filesWithout adding any code to your application, you can run sencha app watch --inspect to start
the Sencha Cmd web server. The additional --inspect flag will automatically inject some code connecting
your application to Sencha Inspector.
Note: Be sure that Sencha Inspector is already running on your machine at port 1839 before running that command.
Your application will now be viewable in a browser at http://localhost:1841 and Sencha Inspector
should automatically detect it and allow you to inspect the application.
Alternatively you can add a few lines of code that will connect your application to Sencha Inspector.
First, open app.json and locate the "js" array. Next, edit it to include following lines:
"js" : [
..//existing scripts
{
// default settings
"path" : "http://local.senchainspector.com:1839/inspector.js",
// Or Use your Machine Name
//"path" : "http://MyComputerName:1839/inspector.js",
// Or Use your IP Address
//"path" : "http://123.456.78.90:1839/inspector.js",
"remote" : true,
"bootstrap" : true
}
]
After adding this configuration to app.json, you also need to add initialization code
to your app. Locate {appRoot}/app/Application.js and then modify it to include the launch()
method as in example below.
//Do not modify entire Application.js - "DemoClient" is just an example name
Ext.define('DemoClient.Application', {
extend: 'Ext.app.Application',
name: 'DemoClient',
stores: [
'Users'
],
//Add Sencha Inspector init to launch function
launch: function () {
// <debug>
try {
/**
* init() defaults to "http://local.senchainspector.com:1839"
* so we don't have to pass a URL
*/
SenchaInspector.init();
/**
* NOTE: The URL needs to match what you defined in app.json.
* If you connected app.json via a machine name or IP address,
* you'll need to explicitly configure that here too
*/
// SenchaInspector.init('http://MyComputerName:1839');
} catch (e) {}
// </debug>
}
});
Notice that we're wrapping the call to init() inside debug flags. Sencha Cmd will ignore
all code between those blocks during a production build.
Finally, use Sencha Cmd to run sencha app watch. This will allow you to preview your
application in browser at http://localhost:1841. If the configuration is correct, Sencha Inspector
should automatically detect it and allow you to inspect the application.
Sencha Inspector also works with Ext JS 4.2.x applications. However, you will need to take slightly different steps than above.
For Ext JS 4.2.x applications, you'll want to add the following code to your Application.js file:
launch: function() {
SenchaInspector.init();
}
Then, in index.html, add the following include to the <x-compile> blocks:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://local.senchainspector.com:1839/inspector.js"></script>
This method relies on using a "bookmarklet" to setup a connection between the app and Sencha Inspector. You should use this method if you are connecting with an Ext JS or Touch app that is:
There are some drawbacks to using this method. For instance, you cannot use Sencha Inspector to inspect an application's theme if connecting via bookmarklet.
A "bookmarklet" is a tiny bit of JavaScript code saved as a bookmark inside the browser. You use a bookmarklet by clicking it inside a browser, as you would a regular bookmark. The JavaScript code will then execute on the page in which it was loaded.
Sencha Inspector provides a way to configure the bookmarklet for the app you want to inspect.
Click the "Connect your app..." button in the top toolbar of the main Sencha Inspector window.
Click the "Create Bookmarklet" button in the window overlay
Drag the button on the screen to the bookmarks bar in your browser; this will create a new bookmark with the appropriate bookmarklet code for Sencha Inspector. (Note: you can change the settings of the bookmarklet by clicking "Advanced Settings")
Open the app that you want to inspect in the browser
Click the bookmarklet that you created.
If you followed all the steps above, Sencha Inspector should detect your app and allow you to inspect it.
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