MaskJS — is a markup | template | modular HMVC engine for modern and fast web(Browser), server(NodeJS) or mobile(PhoneGap) applications. Component-based architecture simplifies defining, implementing and composing loosely coupled independent elements into a single application.

Resources:

• :link: Atma.js

• :link: MaskFiddle

• :books: Wiki

• Examples

  • :link: Samples
  • :link: TodoMVC app

• Tools

  • :link: Chrome Debug Plugin
  • :link: Sublime Package
  • :link: Atom Package

☰

• 1 Markup
  • 1.1 Mask
  • 1.2 HTML
• 2 Libraries
  • 2.1 Components
  • 2.2 Bindings
  • 2.3 jMask
  • 2.4 jQuery
  • 2.5 Dependency Injection
• 3 Performance
• 4 NodeJS
• 5 Browser Support
• 6 Plugins
• 7 Quick Start
• 8 Contribute
  • 8.1 Build
  • 8.2 Test
• 9 Changelog

1 Markup

We support mask and html syntax for writing your templates. And you can even mix them within one template, as each of them has its advantages.

1.1 Mask Syntax

• Component and element-based markup
• Statements, Expressions, Interpolations
• Performance. No precompilation is required
• Small size. ~30% smaller than HTML Additionaly, there is a minification tool - Optimizer.
• DOM Builder [Template → Mask AST → Shadow DOM → Live DOM]
• HTML Builder (nodejs) [Template → Mask AST → HTML]

import CustomComponent from 'Foo.mask'

.container {
    h4 > 'Title'
    section.content {
        span > 'Hello ~name!'

        if (admins.includes(name)) {
            em > 'Admin'
        }
    }
    CustomComponent {
        button x-tap='changeName' >
            '~[bind: name]'

        for (tag of tags) {
            h4 > '~tag.title'
        }
    }
}

1.2 HTML Syntax

Here is nothing new for you. Old good HTML syntax to define the templates. But we highly encourage to use the mask syntax, as the templates are smaller, cleaner and with additional features.

<h4>~[name]</h4>
<Dialog>
    <div>Hello Foo</div>
</Dialog>

1.3 HTML within Mask

You can even use html blocks in a mask syntax

ul {
    <li> Foo
    <li> Bar
}

MaskJS has extremely extendable API based on interfaces and contracts. It supports Custom Tag Handlers, Custom Attribute Handlers, Model Utils.

MaskJS default build contains sub projects: CompoJS, Bindings, jMask.

2 Libaries

:package: All packages are already embedded into MaskJS sources.

2.1 Components

:orange_book: Read more...↵

Core of the HMVC engine. Simple compo sample:

export class CustomComponentCtr {

    // slots example
    @mask.deco.slot()
    onRefreshDate (){
        this.model.date = new Date();
    }
    @mask.deco.slot()
    domInsert (){
        alert(this.$.innerWidth());
    }

    // events example
    @mask.deco.event('click: button')
    onButtonClicked (){
        alert(this.model.date);
    }

    onRenderStart (model, ctx) {
        // override model
        this.model = { date: new Date(); }
    }
    onRenderEnd: function(elements, model, ctx){
        this.$ // is a domLibrary (jQuery-lite, jQuery/Zepto/Kimbo) wrapper over `elements`
    }

    dispose () {
        // do some cleanup
    }
};

import './CustomComponent.less'
import CustomComponentCtr from './CustomComponentCtr.ts'

define CustomComponent extends CustomComponentCtr {
    h1 {
        'Date ~[bind: _.formatDate(date)]'
    }
    button .btn x-tap='onRefreshDate' {
        i.material-icons > 'update'
        'Refresh'
    }
}

2.2 Bindings

:orange_book: Read more...↵ IE9+

MaskJS itself supports simple interpolations. It means the models are only accessed while render, but with this feature you can define single or dual bindings. As MaskJS is a DOM based engine, the bindings are instant.

Simple bindings sample:

h4 > '~[bind: fooDate.getSeconds() * barAge ]'

input type=date >
    dualbind value='fooDate';

input type=number >
    dualbind value='barAge';
/*\
 * `dualbind` component also supports much more properties and configurations
\*/

2.3 jMask

:orange_book: Read more...↵

jMask offers jQuery-alike syntax for the dynamic MaskDOM Manipulations.

2.4 jQuery

MaskJS is loosely coupled with the DOM Library, like jQuery-Zepto-Kimbo. It means, that it does not depend on any DOM library, but it is highly recommended to use one. Additionally there are some extensions, like

$.fn.appendMask
$.fn.prependMask
$.fn.beforeMask
$.fn.afterMask
$.fn.emptyAndDispose
$.fn.removeAndDispose
//e.g.
$('.foo').appendMask('h4 > "~[title]"', { title: 'Hello' });

So you would never need to use the HTML.

2.5 Dependency Injection

:orange_book: Read more...↵

You can annotate arguments for define declaration or for its constructor and if you don't provide the values on initialization MaskJS will do it for you using registered IoC container.

The library is not include, you can use any other DI library. MaskJS only requires an IoC container with a single method: .resolve(Type):Any.

import * as IStore from services;

define UserList (store: IStore) {

    foreach (user of store.getUsers()) {
        div > '~user.username'
    }

    // or in constructor
    function constructor (store: IStore) {
        this.store = store;
    }
}

3 Performance

We thoroughly pay attention to the performance, especially on the mobile CPU. The DOM based and the Shadow DOM approach is the fastest way to create hierarchical component structure.

Some benchmarks:

• Mask vs raw HTML Template Engines - :jsperf
• Mask vs Angular - :jsperf
• MaskDOM AST vs JSON parse - :jsperf
• Mask Markup vs HTML - :jsperf
• Mask Expressions vs Eval - :jsperf

4 Node.JS

MaskJS on the server

:orange_book: Mask.Node ↵ Server.Lib ↵

• HMVC benefits
• Models serialization/de-serialization
• Components render mode - server, client or both
• HTML rendered output with further bootstrapping on the client, so that the components are initialized, all events and bindings are attached
• Application start performance: browser receives ready html for rendering.
• SEO

5 Browser Support

• IE7+

6 Plugins

There are already many plugins, components and useful utilities. Some of them worth to checking out:

• Formatter Util
• Localization
• Animations
• Components

7 Quick Start

Most simple MaskJS sample to show where you could start from:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <body>
        <script type='text/mask' data-run='auto'>
            import Counter from './Counter';

            h4 > 'Counter with 1 second step'
            Counter x-interval=1;

            h4 > 'Counter with 5 seconds step'
            Counter x-interval=5;
        </script>
        <script src='https://unpkg.com/maskjs'></script>
    </body>
</html>

// Create the file `Counter.mask`
define Counter {
    var meta = {
        attributes: {
            'x-interval': 'number'
        }
    };

    var scope = {
        counter: 0,
        timer: null
    };

    slot domInsert () {
        this.scope.timer = setTimeout(() => {
            ++this.scope.counter;
        }, this.xInterval)
    }

    function dispose () {
        clearTimeout(this.scope.timer);
    }

    div > '~[bind: this.scope.counter]
}

8 Contribute

8.1 Build

$ git submodule init && git submodule update
$ npm install
$ npm run build

8.2 Test

$ npm install
$ npm test

9 Changelog

:bookmark: View complete list...↵ @latest

• 0.64.0

• Properties

  div [style.backgroundColor] = 'red';

@latest

• 0.60.0

• Await statements, components and also modules

  define Foo {
      function async onRenderStart () {
          this.model = await LoadUserExample();
      }
      h4 > '~userName'
  }
  
  // Component
  await Foo {
      @progress > i > 'Loading user';
  }
  
  // Promises
  await (this.getCurrentUser()) {
      @progress > i > 'Loading user';
      @done (user) {
          h4 > '~user.userName'
      }
      @fail (error) {
          .danger > '~error.message'
      }
  }
  
  // Modules
  import async Foo from './Foo';
  
  heading > 'Some heading'
  await Foo {
      @progress > 'Loading and initilizing the module'
  }

• 0.58.0

• Decorators for methods and nodes

  [IsAuthorized]
  div > 'Hello ~user'
  
  [LogCall]
  function doSmth () {
      // ...
  }

• Async and Private methods. For browsers which do not yet support async/await es2017 feature, please use postmask-babel plugin.

  slot private async upload () {
      await MyService.doSmth();
  }

• 0.57.13

• Modules

  • Namespace routing

    import FooService from services;
    
    h4 > '~FooService.doSmth()'

    You can also configurate the base path for the routing, e.g. mask.Module.cfg('baseNs', '/src/')

    If the module is not loaded or not set to the namespace repository, we will load it for you by the resolved path, e.g. '/src/services/FooService.js'

  • Prefix routing

    import MyButton from '@controls/MyButton';
    MyButton x-tap='clicked';

    You have to configurate the prefix first, e.g.:

    mask.Module.cfg('prefixes.controls', '/src/controls/{0}/{1}.mask');

• 0.57.0

• Typa annotations for arguments: (argumentName: argumentType, ...)

  import * as IFoo from '/service/IFoo.js';
  import * as IBar from '/service/IBar.js';
  define MyCompo (foo: IFoo) {
      function constructor (bar: IBar) {
          this.bar = bar;
      }
      span > `~[foo.someMethod()]`
  }

• 0.56.5

• Function scope: imports and define arguments

  import * as Service from '/services/UserService.js';
  define UserEditor (user) {
  
      slot save () {
          Service
              .changeUserName(user.id, user.name)
              .then(() => console.log('saved!'));
      }
  
      input > dualbind value='user.name';
      button x-tap=save > 'Save'
  }

• sync imports, as import loading for better performance is parallel, but bundles should be loaded in sync, as they register all resources then.

import sync from './MyComponentsBundle';
import FooCompo from './Foo';
// ...

• 0.55.1

  • HTML markup within Mask templates

• 0.55.0

  • Async imports.

    import async Foo from './Foo.mask';
    h4 > 'MyHeader'
    await Foo;

    h4 header is rendered during the Foo may still being loaded.

  • define and let support arguments

    define Foo (user) {
        h4 > '~user.name'
    }
    
    Foo(me);

    mask.render(template, { me: { name: 'TestUser' }});

:copyright: MIT - 2021 Atma.js Project