As the usage of Angular (4) continues to increase in the javascript world, conversations have evolved around a number of topics including lazy loading best practices, the use of Nativescript with Angular to build native mobile apps, and the transition from AngularJS to Angular.
Learn about the latest Angular news in these videos and interviews with Angular Core Team member Stephen Fluin (@stephenfluin), Google Developer Expert for Angular Minko Gechev (@mgechev), Angular author Manfred Steyer (@ManfredSteyer), NativeScript Developer Advocate Jen Looper (@jenlooper), and Angular speaker Sergio Cruz (@hashtagserg).
The State of Angular 4 with Stephen Fluin
An update on what’s new in Angular, information on how to take advantage of the latest features, and how some changes under the hood benefit developers.
Linting Angular with Minko Gechev at Modern.web
Following best practices is essential for the final success of any project. Unfortunately, the process of enforcing them is manual and error-prone — through code reviews. In the talk I will show how to automatically encourage best practices and verify common style by using static code analysis with codelyzer.
Manfred Steyer on Angular Lazy Loading — Improving Startup Performance, Challenges, Testing Modules
In this interview Manfred Steyer shares everything you need to know about lazy loading. Manfred runs workshops and training around Angular.
When asked about when to use lazy loading, Manfred says “always”. Reason being, it’s easy to use and increases the speed of startup performance. He states it is best to use lazy loading for bigger applications as opposed to small ones, that have only one or to models and a couple of components.
Manfred talks about the challenges that arise when carrying out lazy loading; two of which are late execution of an application, and ending up with two versions of a single service for certain scenarios. He also gives a rundown on how to test lazy loading modules and a general rule for writing apps that can lazy load.
Jen Looper on NativeScript, Native Mobile Apps & Helpful Resources
Jen Looper describes her role as a developer advocate for NativeScript and speaks about how creating native mobile apps not only covers mobile development, but helps enhance knowledge on Angular as well.
From banking firms to small enterprises, many companies are using NativeScript for their businesses as it’s free and open source. However, even with good access, there are challenges that come with using the framework. Jen mentions the two main difficulties being confusion about how to use the actual framework, in addition to barriers that come along with it (i.e no webview or DOM to manipulate), and the question of “Why not just build native?”.
Her suggestions to better understand the framework includes trying out the Getting Started Guides for NativeScript, joining the NativeScript slack channel, participating in forums, & more. Jen also shares her vision on NativeScript’s evolution.
Sergio Cruz on the Challenges of Upgrading from AngularJS to Angular
Sergio talks about difficulties developers face when upgrading from angularjs to angular. He states that those who follow the recommended pathways in which to write angularjs (so that migration towards angular isn’t a hassle), will experience a migration process that is much more straightforward.
However, because angularjs isn’t very opinionated, there is no step-by-step tutorial for preparing developers for the upgrade. The fact that angular can have so many interpretations, makes this one of the biggest challenges for the framework shift to happen.
Another difference Angular has compared to other frameworks is that both versions may run in the same app. Getting them to interact is also a tricky thing to do. With that said, Sergio explains that there are strategies to help make the transition less difficult. These include using typescript or modules such as Webpack, instead of manually downloading scripts, or incorporating component-based architecture instead of obscure directives in the building process.
Sergio also describes the similarities between the move from angularjs to angular and the transition from global namespace to modules, that occurred in Ember. He goes on to describe a team of developers who chose to dedicate their time to solely focusing on the upgrade, and mentions the duration of this procedure.
When Sergio is asked what he uses to aid with the angularjs to angular upgrade, he recommends the Angular Upgrade Guide (available on angular.io). He reassures developers that the migration overall may sound like a tough task, but it’s more of a tedious task than a strenuous one.
For more information about Angular you can visit http://angular.io.
