Tag Archives: Modern JavaScript

Lightning Web Components Have Arrived!

Yesterday, I had the huge honor of being able to attend (in person) the official launch of Lightning Web Components. What a day! Only 250 people were invited to this event, and I was one of them. And for any of you that did not get a chance to tune in to the live broadcast, you can check out the recording here.

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Our fearless leader Sarah Franklin leading off the broadcast 

I know I work for Salesforce, but Lightning Web Components are simply AMAZING!!! Built on native web standards, one of the things that was shared by Dory Weiss (the VP of Engineering at nCino) was that she thought using Lightning web components was as close to future proofing as she could come for her organization.

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Leah McGowen-Hare leading a panel of experts discussion

So what is it that makes Lightning web components (LWC’s) so amazing?

1.) Performance – Tests have already shown that LWC’s significantly out perform aura components (what used to be called Lightning components). Why are they so much faster? Well, aura components were built on the aura framework (hence the name). This adds a layer of abstraction (aka, more code that ends up getting executed). But, LWC’s are built entirely on “game changing” native web standards that are built-in to the browser. No extra code to execute.

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2.) Interoperability – LWC’s can be embedded inside of aura components, communicate with events and access the same underlying services. This is not an all or nothing thing. If you have already created a lot of aura components, there is no need for you to upgrade them immediately. You can take your time and target those components that are simple or having specific performance problems.

3.) Referential Integrity – LWC’s allow you to import static schema elements which gives you referential integrity. It makes your LWC’s metadata aware. This means that no one in your org can delete a field or object that is used in your JavaScript code. Boom!

4.) It’s FUN – In the words of Dave Carroll and just about every LWC pilot participant, developing LWC’s is fun! Gone are many of the pain points with developing aura components.

Ready to dive in?  Check out the following resources:

Developer Docs

Introducing Lightning Web Components

Trailhead Quick Start: Lightning Web Components

Introducing Lightning Web Components with Recipes, Patterns and Best Practices

 

 

Modern JavaScript Development – What is it and why should I care?

Are you an experienced software developer? Well, unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard at least once that you should learn more about JavaScript to remain relevant as a developer. You may have even heard the phrase “Modern JavaScript Development” tossed about like knowing what that means is just common knowledge. But is it? I don’t think so.

JSI am very happy to announce that a new Trailhead module I have been working on called, Modern JavaScript Development was just released. It is part of a new trail called Learn to Work with JavaScript. This trail not only features my module, but one written by the fabulous developer Evangelist, Peter Chittum that was released in September called JavaScript Skills for Salesforce Developers.

My module was written specifically for Trailblazers that only have a basic understanding of the syntax and features of JavaScript ES5. And if you don’t know what I mean by ES5, then it is also for you. Basically, if you have ever copied some JavaScript and maybe not understood everything it does, then this module is for you. Along with the one that Peter wrote.

And here are just some of the things you will learn in this module:

  • Describe the current state of JavaScript development.
  • Describe the difference between function and block scoping.
  • Recognize shorthand ES6+ syntax used to initialize variables.
  • Identify the new destructuring syntax used to separate data.
  • Identify the backtick character used to create template literals.
  • Recognize the fat arrow syntax for functions.
  • Explain why defining optional parameters in ES6+ results in cleaner code.
  • Describe the different uses for the ‘…’ operator.
  • Explain what’s different about how you create and invoke classes in ES6+.
  • Recognize the basic syntax and different importing styles used to define modules.
  • Demonstrate how asynchronous calls can be chained together using promises.
  • Demonstrate how an async function can be used to call a promise.
  • Identify the different elements used in a Jasmine testing script.
  • Create a simple Jasmine test suite and run it stand-alone.

Sound exciting? I hope so. And I hope you find the module useful. There is an awful lot that can be said about Modern JavaScript Development and ES6 specifically, but I tried to boil it down to just the most important things I thought you should be aware of.

And finally, if you want to learn even more about JavaScript and Salesforce, you should also check out Dan Appleman’s FREE Pluralsight course called Getting Started with JavaScript in Salesforce.