Enyo 2.3.0-pre.10 Release Notes

Welcome to Enyo 2.3.0-pre.10, a pre-release version of Enyo 2.3.0. The following items have changed since the Enyo 2.2 release. (Note that this list is not comprehensive; see the commit history in GitHub for a complete list of changes.)

Enyo

• This release adds support for the MVC model of application development. This includes changes to properties to support bindings, computed properties, and property change observers; highlights are called out below.

  • Added enyo.Application, a new kind to include non-visible elements and rendered components. It is defined in the new Application.js file in the kernel module.

  • Added data module, which houses code used for manipulating data in an MVC environment. This module includes the following kinds:

    • enyo.Model, a special object whose properties define the schema (i.e., set of attributes) for a data record; it is not derived from any other Enyo kind

    • enyo.Collection, used for working with groups of models

    • enyo.ModelController, used in data binding

    • enyo.Store, a runtime database of data records

    • enyo.Source, used for retrieving data from external services

  • Added data layer components (under ui/data) enyo.DataList and enyo.DataGridList, both subkinds of the abstract enyo.DataRepeater kind.

  • Added enyo.Router, a new kind that acts as an application controller that responds to changes in the Web page URL. This allows developers to modify application state on startup based on the initial URL, as well as track the current state by updating the URL as the application runs. enyo.Router is defined in the new Router.js file in the kernel module.

  • Significantly expanded kernel module, adding new files Binding.js, Controller.js, ViewController.js, and dev.js (in addition to the aforementioned Application.js and Router.js). Also made major additions to existing lang.js and Object.js files.

  • Added new ext module, which contains several subkinds of enyo.Binding, as well as macroize.js (previously found in the kernel module).

  • Added new file ready.js in the boot module.

  • Added enyo.View as an alias for enyo.Control.

  • Under tools, added unit tests for new MVC functionality.

• Introduced new API for getting and setting object property values.

  The existing getter and setter methods, getProperty() and setProperty(), have been replaced by the simpler get() and set(). To retrieve a property's value, instead of calling getProperty("<propertyName>") on an object, you should now call get("<propertyName>").

  Likewise, when setting a property's value, instead of calling setProperty("<propertyName>", <value>) on a given object, you should now call set("<propertyName>", <value>).

  The framework's automatic support for propertyName<Changed> methods for published properties has not changed. So, for example, a call to set("myProp", 5) will still automatically call the myPropChanged() method (assuming that you've defined such a method, and that the value of myProp was not already 5).

• In Oop.js, changed enyo.kind() to delay most of its work until the kind is used for the first time. This behavior is enabled by default for named kinds with no static members; it may be turned off by setting the kind's noDefer property to a truthy value, as is done in enyo.Object, enyo.Component, enyo.Control, and enyo.Signals.

  In a related development, kinds may now define "protected statics". These are static members designed for use only within the given kind and its subkinds. The presence of protected statics will not prevent the deferral of kind creation, whereas the presence of regular statics will.

  Finally, as a result of these modifications, in the configuration object passed into enyo.kind(), the value of the kind property will need to be quoted (e.g., kind: "enyo.Control"). Previously, the quotation marks were optional.

• To improve performance, modified internal code in Enyo Core so that override methods use enyo.inherit(), following the double function pattern outlined by dcl.js. Application code will continue to use the existing this.inherited() syntax.

• In enyo.Component, added new functionality and addressed outstanding issues:

  • New componentOverrides property simplifies the creation of subkinds by letting developers alter items in the superkind's components block without having to copy all of the block's contents into the subkind.

  • New methods startJob() and stopJob() are used to manage job methods that should be associated with a specific component; they are automatically stopped if the component is destroyed.

  • New throttleJob() method allows you to execute a method immediately and then prevent the method from being called again for a specified period of time.

  • New silence() and unsilence() methods are used to stop and restore event propagation through the component. This is useful when you're changing a lot of properties and want to keep observers from reacting to changed events until all of your work is complete.

  • Added special handling for notifications originating from addComponent().

  • To reduce startup time, deferred creation of __jobs hash until it's actually used.

  • Fixed event dispatching so that delegated events are only dispatched to the immediate owners; added related test case to ComponentDispatchTest.js.

• Added support for progress events during asynchronous activities. Progress events are sent by enyo.Async.sendProgress() and handled by enyo.Ajax.updateProgress(). Also added associated unit test.

• Added HTML5 fullscreen support to Enyo controls. Changes include modification of Control.js and additions of fullscreen.js and "FullscreenSample". (This is temporarily disabled for webOS because it isn't working yet on the OS side.)

• Added support for loading framework source from embedded on-device location.

• Added new kinds enyo.Media and enyo.Audio. Also added enyo.Anchor, which implements an HTML anchor (<a>) tag; title and href are available as published properties.

• Moved code for drawers, previously in onyx.Drawer, into the core Enyo ui library as the new kind enyo.Drawer. Also added new onDrawerAnimationEnd event, which may be used to detect changes in the drawer's open/closed status.

• Moved focus() and blur() methods from enyo.Input to enyo.Control, since they are generally useful for any DOM node. Also in enyo.Control, fixed behavior of getStyle() and added protected property rtl, which indicates direction of layout. rtl should be set to true for right-to-left scripts (default is false). This property will typically only be used by developers who are creating their own subkinds of enyo.Control.

• Added enyo.design, which is used to specify design information for the Ares designer tool.

• Added new version.js file, which defines enyo.version, a string that indicates the framework version (currently, 2.3.0-pre.10-dev). Then, added version.js to list of boot scripts in enyo.js (so that enyo.version is available to non-minified files) and to list of dependencies in package.js.

• Added CHANGELOG.md, which is intended to be a continuously-updated list of changes that affect existing APIs.

• Added jobs.js, which defines enyo.jobs, a low-level mechanism for queueing tasks and sorting them by priority. Normally, it will not be used by application code. Also added related sample, "AnimatorSample".

• In enyo.Object, added new bindSafely() method, which acts like enyo.bind(), but handles the case in which the bound method is called after the object has been destroyed.

  In addition, removed enyo.Object.overload() and rewrote enyo.Object.addGetterSetter() to make use of enyo.getPath.fast() and enyo.setPath.fast(), which were added to lang.js

  Finally, in set() method, added documentation for optional force parameter; if true, the property whose value is being set will be updated (and notifications will be sent) even if the passed-in value is the same as the existing value.

• In job.js, added enyo.job.throttle(), which enables job throttling outside the context of a specific component.

• In dispatcher.js, added enyo.dispatcher.stopListening(), which removes listeners for a particular kind of event, and enyo.unmakeBubble(), which stops listening for events bubbled by enyo.makeBubble(). Also added support for animationEnd and webkitAnimationEnd events.

• Renamed phonegap.js as cordova.js and modified enyo.ready() to add listener for deviceready event before setting up signals for other Cordova events. Also added Enyo support for the localechange event supplied by cordova-webos (i.e., signals will be sent).

• In loader.js and boot.js, fixed issue causing enyo.load() to not wait until all files have loaded before calling the callback function.

• In boot.js, changed enyo.ready() to call enyo.asyncMethod() instead of run(), to guarantee that all callbacks are asynchronous. Also added "charset"` to the generated script elements for Internet Explorer.

• Added new method enyo.easedComplexLerp() in animation.js and put it to use in Animator.next(). The new method allows for more complex animations than are possible with the existing enyo.easedLerp().

• In enyo.Async, fixed issue causing exceptions when setting properties on the subkind enyo.Ajax. (The constructor() method was missing a call to this.inherited(arguments).)

• In enyo.Ajax, changed contentType check from exact string match to regular expression, to allow values such as 'application/json; charset=utf-8'. Also, fixed improper retention of failed state between calls to go() and removed check for webOS platform when determining whether synchronous (blocking) AJAX requests are allowed.

• Added overrideCallback property to enyo.JsonpRequest, along with inline documentation and associated unit test.

• In xhr.js, fixed request() to only apply cache-control code to iOS 6, not to iOS versions greater than 6.

• In modal.js, updated release() to search for a passed-in target to release from the list of captured events, instead of simply releasing the last captured event. This fixes an issue in which popups could close unexpectedly.

• In FloatingLayer.js and Popup.js, modified enyo.FloatingLayer so it recreates itself when document.body is wiped out by a fresh render.

• Added detection of webOS 4/Open webOS, Tizen, BlackBerry PlayBook, and Internet Explorer 11 platforms to platform.js.

• In Oop.js, fixed issue in enyo.kind.features.push() that could allow feature mixins to be run more than once, overwriting the custom subclass method. Also added enyo.kind.allowOverride flag for use in Ares; it allows flagged kinds to be redefined.

• In UiComponent.js, modified getBubbleTarget() to allow events to bubble properly from a control to an owning component that is not a UiComponent. Also fixed issue in which setting the addBefore property could update the children array but not update the controls array with the same ordering.

• In Repeater.js, updated decorateEvent() to prevent index value from being overwritten when dealing with nested repeaters.

• In RichText.js, updated valueChanged() to prevent scroll reset on keypress. Also added proper support for disabled property, including new disabledChanged() method.

• Modified enyo.Scroller to provide current scroll bounds in generated events. Also, updated documentation for getScrollBounds().

• In enyo.TouchScrollStrategy, added published property interval, which facades the animation time step from enyo.ScrollMath.

• In enyo.TransitionScrollStrategy, added stub version of intervalChanged().

• In enyo.ScrollMath, modified stop() to avoid unnecessary calls to system timer code.

• In enyo.Image, added new published property alt, which corresponds to the "alt" attribute of an HTML <img> tag.

• Updated msevents.js to include button status info in generated events.

• Modified core code so that IE8 passes unit tests. Also, fixed positioning issues affecting IE8 in dom.js.

• Also in dom.js, added methods enyo.dom.hasClass(), enyo.dom.addClass(), and enyo.dom.removeClass(). Put the new methods to use in enyo.Control to prevent duplication of effort across multiple renders.

• In drag.js, reworked code for cloning events in beginHold(), as it was causing crashes in ImageView.

• Made several changes to lang.js:

  • Added fast implementations of enyo.setPath() and enyo.getPath() that only work with local property names. These are used internally by a new unit test for published properties; they are not for public use.

  • Modified enyo.setPath() to take force parameter into account when deciding whether to send change notifications to observers, and fixed enyo.getPath() to return null if path is not defined.

  • Updated enyo.trim() to use JavaScript's built-in trim() method when available.

• In langTest.js, added tests for enyo.isObject() and enyo.isArray().

• In ready.js, added legacy WebKit support for enyo.ready().

• Fixed enyo.Drawer and "GestureSample" to stop propagation of animation events.

Onyx

• Added new onyx.Submenu kind, which enables the creation of nested menus. Instances are meant to live alongside onyx.MenuItem objects within an onyx.Menu.

• Added version.js file, which specifies current version of Onyx library (enyo.version.onyx). Initial value is 2.3.0-pre.10-dev. Also added version.js to list of dependencies in package.js.

• In onyx.Menu, added support for specifying a menu's scroll strategy.

• Added onyx.design, which is used by libraries to specify their associated design information. It replaces design.js and is discoverable via package.js.

• Added library manifest file, deploy.json.

• Moved onyx.Drawer from Onyx library into Enyo core, as enyo.Drawer, with onyx.Drawer now aliased to enyo.Drawer.

• Cleaned up code for better compatibility with JSHint 2.1, which is used in Travis CI tests.

• In Popup.js, modified getScrimZIndex() to ensure selection of proper z-index values for popups that should appear on top of other popups. Also made static fields protectedStatic to hide their internal state.

• In ContextualPopup.js, added ability to set ontap handlers for the action buttons.

• Tweaked the Button, IconButton, and Slider controls to work better on FirefoxOS.

• In DatePicker.js, fixed issue causing DatePicker controls to be unusable inside a Repeater.

• In IntegerPicker.js, fixed issue in selectedChanged() causing two-way data bindings to not work properly. Also fixed max/min validation in valueChanged().

• In MoreToolbar.js, fixed issue that could cause a crash when resizing a window.

• In TimePicker.js, fixed issues causing two-way data bindings to not work properly. Also moved check for null is24HrMode property after globalization/localization code.

• In "SliderSample", fixed issues preventing proper updating of values on slider movement.

Layout

• Added several new layout-related kinds:

  • enyo.ContextualLayout, a layout strategy intended for use in a popup in a decorator/activator scenario, where the popup is positioned relative to the activating control

  • enyo.FittableHeaderLayout, a subkind of enyo.FittableColumnsLayout in which items are laid out in a set of naturally-sized vertical columns, with one column designated to expand horizontally to fill any leftover space

  • enyo.GridList, which extends enyo.List to display items in a grid pattern, with multiple items per row based on the available container width

  • enyo.GridListImageItem, a convenience component that may be used inside an enyo.GridList to display an image grid

  • enyo.GridFlyweightRepeater, which extends enyo.FlyweightRepeater to display items in a grid pattern

• Added version.js file, which specifies current version of Layout library (enyo.version.layout). Initial value is 2.3.0-pre.10-dev. Also added version.js to list of dependencies in package.js.

• Added layout.design, which contains information on the layouts available in the Layout library; it replaces design.js and is loaded by default.

• Added library manifest file, deploy.json.

• In enyo.List, added support for horizontal layouts; also removed unnecessary call to inEvent.preventDefault() and fixed issue causing horizontal lists to not have a scrollbar until they are resized.

• In enyo.Panels, added method selectPanelByName(), which selects a pane based on its name instead of its index. Also, fixed removeControl() to correctly update the active panel if you remove the one that's currently selected, as well as addressing issue causing problems with panel transition animations.

• Modified enyo.Arranger to allow panels to opt out of acceleration/transform on a per-instance basis. Also allowed sliding panel acceleration to be set to auto.

• In FittableLayout.css, added special case for tables in a FittableColumnsLayout. Also added special case for locales with right-to-left text alignment.

• Updated "ListPulldownSample" to use Flickr search API instead of Twitter API.

Canvas

• Added Line.js, which defines enyo.canvas.Line, a Canvas control that draws a line according to the developer's specifications.

• Added documentation for existing Canvas controls.

• Added version.js file, which specifies current version of Canvas library (enyo.version.canvas). Initial value is 2.3.0-pre.10-dev. Also added version.js to list of dependencies in package.js.

• Added library manifest file, deploy.json.

Globalization/Localization

• Introduced enyo-ilib, a wrapper for the ilib globalization/internationalization library. This is a replacement for the now-deprecated g11n library.

• Fixed deploy.sh to not create duplicate subdirectories.

Bootplate

• Introduced new bootplate-mvc repo, an application template using the new MVC pattern.

• In deploy.sh, fixed issue causing problems when development path name contains whitespace.

• In .gitmodules, replaced absolute URL paths to github.com with relative paths to allowing forking of the project.

Samples

• Added new samples "DataListSample", "DataRepeaterSample", and "ComponentOverrideSample".

• Removed obsolete "Playground" sample.

• In sampler repo's .gitmodules file, replaced absolute URL paths to github.com with relative paths to allowing forking of the project.

• In Sampler app's App.js file, added platform checks for improved compatibility with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Also made fix to not clobber existing namespaces.

• Updated samples with "no telephone number detection" and "no translation" meta tags.

• In "ButtonSample", modified sample control to use .png file instead of .ico file for improved compatibility with Windows Phone 8 browser.

• In "PlatformSample", modified updateWindowSize() for improved compatibility with IE8.

• In "RepeaterSample", modified setupItem() to stop event propagation.

• Fixed "ListPulldownSample" to work properly as a Windows 8 application.

• In "ContextualPopupSample", fixed double-inclusion of Onyx source.

• Revised "PopupSample" to test fix for unexpected dismissal of popups.

Tools

• Added support for Travis CI continuous integration system, which uses JSHint and PhantomJS to run tests on repos after each commit.

• Added .jshintrc files to the root folder of most repos; these are now used when writing new code and validating old code. Set "es3": true so that JSHint detects trailing commas. (Subsequently removed trailing commas from a number of source files.)

• Updated minifier support in Enyo to use less 1.3.3 and uglify-js 2.2.5. Flag tweaks should result in ~5% reduction in gzipped-file size.

• Added support for new "beautify" option in minification and deployment scripts, tools/minify.js and tools/deploy.js. When this switch is activated (by specifying -B on the command line), the scripts will create output files in which line breaks are not removed from code. The improvement in human-readability makes the beautified files useful for debugging.

• Made numerous changes to enable use of deploy.js and minify.js outside of the source tree.

• In deploy.js, added support for manifest file (deploy.json). Also added -T/--test switch to generate a build directory in the source tree for testing.

• Addressed problems with asset paths in deploy.js and minify.js seen when deploying apps that don't follow the Bootplate pattern.

• In minify.js, updated concatCSS() to handle CSS rules such as url(""), url(), and url('').

• Modified walker.js to keep package name in re-mapped sources, to allow deployment of multiple themes in a single library.

• Updated lessc.js to work with multiple .less files in package.js; also added -w flag, which watches the file and any dependencies, and recompiles if changes are detected.

Work in Progress

The following components are considered "Work-in-Progress" (WIP), meaning code has been committed but is still under development and should not be considered API-stable.

All WIP components are included in a wip-package.js rather than the standard package.js, so apps will not have access to these kinds by default. If you need to use them, you may include the relevant wip-package.js file in your app, but be aware that breaking changes are likely.

• Layout

  • enyo.FlexLayout and related kinds

• Onyx

  • onyx.TabBar, onyx.TabBar.Item, and onyx.TabPanels