DNN-JavaScript-Libraries

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DNN-JavaScript-Libraries

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Common JavaScript libraries packaged as DNN JavaScript Library extensions

// repository documentation

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# DNN JavaScript Libraries

[![AppVeyor Build Status](https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/github/EngageSoftware/Dnn-JavaScript-Libraries?svg=true)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/bdukes/dnn-javascript-libraries)

Version 7.2 of the [DNN Platform](http://www.dnnsoftware.com) introduced the
JavaScript Library extension type. This allows common JavaScript libraries to
exist in a single place within a DNN site, instead of every module, skin, and
piece of content that wants to include them using their own. DNN presently
comes with libraries for jQuery, jQuery UI, jQuery Migrate, Knockout, and
Knockout Mapping.

In addition to these built-in libraries, new libraries can be installed into
DNN, and used by various components. DNN allows multiple versions of a
JavaScript library to be used, so one module can request a particular version
of a script, while another requests another. So long as they aren't on the same
page, they will get what they requested; otherwise, DNN will use the higher
version.

# How to add a new library

You'll need to install the dependencies (`yarn install`) and then use the `new`
script, which will prompt you for the various pieces of information

```
    yarn install
    yarn run new
```

After that, if you want to ship any other files with the library (e.g. CSS
files), you'll want to add those into the `dnn-library.json` file. You can then
commit your changes and submit a pull request on GitHub.

# Packages

The installable packages are included within this GitHub repository as
[releases](/EngageSoftware/DNN-JavaScript-Libraries/releases).

# Goal

The main benefits in using JavaScript Libraries are realized when they are used
by many separate components within a DNN site (i.e. when there is one common
set of libraries and separate, unrelated DNN skins and modules use those
libraries instead of packaging scripts directly into the extension). In order
to aid in that goal, we are attempting to create a central repository
of common JavaScript Libraries that can be used by many different DNN extension
developers.

# Usage

## Skins

Starting in DNN 7.3, there is a skin object called `JavaScriptLibraryInclude`
which can be used to request a JavaScript library (including jQuery, but also
any 3rd party library) from a skin. To do that, you need to register the skin
object at the top of your skin:

<%@ Register TagPrefix="dnn" TagName="JavaScriptLibraryInclude" Src="~/admin/Skins/JavaScriptLibraryInclude.ascx" %>

Then, in the body of the skin, use the skin object to request the library:

<dnn:JavaScriptLibraryInclude runat="server" Name="jQuery" />
    <dnn:JavaScriptLibraryInclude runat="server" Name="jQuery-UI" Version="1.10.3" />
    <dnn:JavaScriptLibraryInclude runat="server" Name="jQuery-Migrate" Version="1.2.1" SpecificVersion="LatestMajor" />

## HTML Skins

The skin object mentioned above can also be used from HTML skins. It would
look something like this:

## Code

There is also an API to request JavaScript Libraries from code. This is needed
in skins prior to DNN 7.3 and the introduction of the `JavaScriptLibraryInclude`
skin object, as well as from extension code (though extensions can also make use
of the skin object, if desired). The primary entry point for the API is the
`RequestRegistration` method of the `JavaScript` static class in the
`DotNetNuke.Framework.JavaScriptLibraries` namespace. There are three overloads
to `RequestRegistration`:

JavaScript.RequestRegistration(String libraryName)
    JavaScript.RequestRegistration(String libraryName, Version version)
    JavaScript.RequestRegistration(String libraryName, Version version, SpecificVersion specificity)

The overload which doesn't specify a version will request the latest version of
the library. In order to avoid your extensions breaking unexpectedly, it's
probably best to always specify a version number. The second overload, which
includes the version number will request that specific version of the library.
If that version isn't installed, it will instead display an error. The third
overload is probably the best to use for most scenarios. It allows you to pass
a value indicating how specific the version is, as a value of the
`SpecificVersion` enum. The possible values are `Latest`, `LatestMajor`,
`LatestMinor`, and `Exact`. `Latest` is the behavior of the overload with one
argument, `Exact` is the behavior of the overload with two arguments, while the
other two values allow you to get behavior that is in between strict and loose.

# JavaScript Library Features

When requesting that a JavaScript Library is registered, DNN ensures that
both that library's JavaScript file and all of its dependencies' JavaScript
files, get included on the page. The JavaScript library itself will define the
properties that determine how the file is included on the page. Specifically,
the library will indicate its preferred location (from page head, body top, and
body bottom), and can provide a URL to the script on a
<abbr title="Content Distribution Network">CDN</abbr> (along with a JavaScript
expression to use to verify that the CDN loaded the script correctly, so that
DNN can fallback to the local version if the CDN is down). The host
administrator can configure whether to use the CDN or not (it is off by
default).

The other main feature that JavaScript Libraries give you is de-duplication of
scripts. This means that if your module and your skin both request the
[html5shiv library](http://www.dnnsoftware.com/forge/html5shiv), it only gets
included on the page once (rather than both components including their own
version of the script). Likewise, if both components request different versions
of the script, just the higher version will be included.

# License

This code is released under the [MIT license](LICENSE.md).
However, the individual libraries are licensed by their respective owners.

DNN-JavaScript-Libraries

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