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Developer(s) | The MooTools Dev Team |
---|---|
Initial release | September 8, 2006[1] |
Stable release | 1.6.0
/ January 14, 2016[2] |
Repository | https://github.com/mootools/mootools-core |
Written in | JavaScript |
Type | Ajax framework / JavaScript Framework |
License | MIT License[3] |
Website | mootools |
MooTools (My Object-Oriented Tools)[4] is a lightweight, object-oriented JavaScript framework. It is released under the free, open-source MIT License.[5]
Overview
MooTools provides the user with a number of options beyond native JavaScript. These include:
- An extensible and modular framework allowing developers to choose their own customized combination of components.[6]
- MooTools follows object-oriented practices and the DRY principle.[7]
- An advanced effects component, with optimized transitions such as easing equations used by many Flash developers.[8]
- Enhancements to the DOM, enabling developers to easily add, modify, select, and delete DOM elements. Storing and retrieving information with Element storage is also supported.[9]
The framework includes built-in functions for manipulation of CSS, DOM elements, native JavaScript objects, Ajax requests, DOM effects, and more. MooTools also provides a detailed, coherent application programming interface (API),[10] as well as a custom downloads module allowing developers to download only the modules and dependencies they need for a particular app.[11][12]
History
Valerio Proietti first authored the framework and released it in September 2006[13] taking as his inspiration Prototype and Dean Edward's base2. MooTools originated from Moo.fx, a popular JavaScript effects library released in October 2005 by Valerio Proietti as an add-on to the Prototype Javascript Framework.[14] It can be used as a lighter alternative to script.aculo.us or other, bigger libraries. It provides simple, basic effects, and guarantees a small library size.
Whereas Prototype extended—prototyped—many of JavaScript's native String, Array, and Function objects with additional methods, Proietti desired a framework that (at the time)[15] further extended the native Element object as well[13] to offer greater control of the Document Object Model (DOM).[16]
Components
MooTools includes a number of components, but not all need to be loaded for each application. Some of the component categories are:
- Core: A collection of utility functions that all the other components require.[17]
- More: An official collection of add-ons that extend the Core and provide enhanced functionality.[18]
- Class: The base library for Class object instantiation.[19]
- Natives: A collection of JavaScript Native Object enhancements. The Natives add functionality, compatibility, and new methods that simplify coding.
- Element: Contains a large number of enhancements and compatibility standardization to the HTML Element object.[20]
- Fx: An advanced effects-API to animate page elements.[21]
- Request: Includes XHR interface, Cookie, JSON, and HTML retrieval-specific tools for developers to exploit.[22]
- Window: Provides a cross-browser interface to client-specific information, such as the dimensions of the window.[23]
Browser compatibility
MooTools is compatible and tested with:[24]
- Safari 3+
- Internet Explorer 6+
- Mozilla Firefox 2+
- Opera 9+
- Chrome 4+
Emphasis on modularity and reusability
Every JavaScript framework has its philosophy, and MooTools is interested in taking full advantage of the flexibility and power of JavaScript in a way that emphasizes greater modularity and code reuse. MooTools accomplishes these goals intuitively to a developer coming from a class-based inheritance language like Java with the MooTools Class object.
Class is an object of key/value pairs containing either properties or methods (functions). Class is effortlessly mixed and extended with other Class instantiations allowing for the most excellent focus of MooTools: Code reuse achieved through maximizing the power of JavaScript's prototypical inheritance but in a Class object syntax more familiar to classical inheritance models.[25]
Object-oriented programming
MooTools contains a robust Class creation and inheritance system that resembles most classically based Object-oriented programming languages. For example, the following is MooTools' equivalent of the examples in Wikipedia's polymorphism page:
var Animal = new Class({
initialize: function(name) {
this.name = name;
}
});
var Cat = new Class({
Extends: Animal,
talk: function() {
return 'Meow!';
}
});
var Dog = new Class({
Extends: Animal,
talk: function() {
return 'Arf! Arf!';
}
});
var animals = {
a: new Cat('Missy'),
b: new Cat('Mr. Bojangles'),
c: new Dog('Lassie')
};
Object.each(animals, function(animal) {
alert(animal.name + ': ' + animal.talk());
});
// alerts the following:
//
// Missy: Meow!
// Mr. Bojangles: Meow!
// Lassie: Arf! Arf!
See also
- Ajax framework
- Rich Internet application
- Web 2.0
- Comparison of JavaScript frameworks
- XMLHttpRequest
- JavaScript framework
- JavaScript library
References
- ^ Original release announcement
- ^ "Release 1.6.0 · mootools/Mootools-core". GitHub.
- ^ "MooTools". mootools.net.
- ^ "MooTools at FOSDEM slides" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
- ^ The Official MooTools Website
- ^ MooTools' Core Download Page
- ^ MooTools Class Object Archived 2008-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools' Effects (FX) Class Archived 2008-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools' Element Class - A comprehensive list of Element manipulation methods. Archived 2008-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ A Better Way to Use Elements
- ^ MooTools Core Builder
- ^ MooTools More Builder
- ^ a b Newton, Aaron (September 18, 2008). MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript and Ajax Development (1st ed.). Apress. pp. xvi. ISBN 978-1-4302-0983-6.
- ^ Newton, Aaron (September 18, 2008). MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript and Ajax Development (1st ed.). Apress. pp. xv. ISBN 978-1-4302-0983-6.
- ^ Version 1.6.1 of Prototype includes "an element metadata storage system." Prototype 1.6.1 released Archived 2010-03-01 at archive.today by Sam Stephenson, written September 1st, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
- ^ Note that MooTools does not extend the native Object—all JavaScript primitives like String and Function inherit from it—but instead provides a convenient Hash for the purpose: Think of it like having a set of utility methods that allow for nearly effortless object manipulation of regular JavaScript objects that are otherwise unaffected by the process. (Newton, Aaron (September 18, 2008). MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript and Ajax Development (1st ed.). Apress. pp. xvi. ISBN 978-1-4302-0983-6.)
- ^ MooTools Core Archived 2009-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools More Archived 2009-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools Class Archived 2008-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools Element Archived 2008-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools Fx Class Archived 2008-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools Request Class Archived 2008-07-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ In addition to getting the size for any Element, you can easily get the dimensions of the window Archived 2008-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MooTools lists its compatibility on its homepage.
- ^ jQuery versus Mootools
Further reading
- "The Introduction to MooTools Architecture". Applied Mechanics and Materials.
- "Interactive Consultation Based on MooTools Long Polling Techniques". Applied Mechanics and Materials.
- Orchard, Leslie M.; Pehlivanian, Ara; Koon, Scott; Jones, Harley (August 31, 2009). Professional JavaScript Frameworks: Prototype, YUI, ExtJS, Dojo and MooTools (1st ed.). Wrox Press. p. 888. ISBN 978-0-470-38459-6.
- Newton, Aaron (September 18, 2008). MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript and Ajax Development (1st ed.). Apress. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4302-0983-6.
- Lecomte, Xavier (June 1, 2012). Découvrez MooTools : Un framework JavaScript pour un site dynamique et interactif (FR) (1st ed.). DigitBooks. p. 260. ISBN 978-2-8150-0215-8.