Backbone.js and Underscore.js Added to WordPress 3.5

Published

December 11, 2012

9 Comments

One of the new features of WordPress 3.5 that probably has developers most excited about is the addition of Backbone.js and Underscore.js to WordPress core.

I am especially excited to learn how it will be utilized and hopefully extended and built on top of. Adding a MVC (Model, View Controller) framework like this to WordPress is helping the cause to consider it as a true web framework and able to build web applications on top of it.

I’m sure that will make Tom very happy and I’m sure he’s prepping some blog posts to help explain more (perhaps):

On a personal note, it’s pretty crazy timing on this addition to WordPress for me. The current application that I am working on at my full-time gig is using Backbone.js and Underscore.js as well. I have been spending most of my time investing in these open source projects and playing around with things like the creating views and hooking up click events.

I’m sure there’s a lot of other developers out there that have full-time jobs and work on freelance projects that get excited when those things collide. It’s a good feeling to know that the time you spend at work and the time you spend in the freelance world are helping you get better at both.

The time I spent learning WordPress and web best practices helped prepare me for my current position and now it is coming back full circle. It almost feels like I’m cheating…but yet I’m not!

Any other nerds out there excited for these additions to WordPress core?

There are 9 comments

December 12, 2012 #

alan

Using duct tape and hanger wire to attach a couple js libs to WordPress certainly doesn’t make it any closer to a web framework. All that’s happening is another level of needless complexity is being thrust upon users and developers.

A simple developer example:

The new media uploader uses the new js libs heavily. Let’s say you want to add a single custom option to your galleries (on the right side: Gallery Settings). What option would you like to add – maybe something like a custom class name for the gallery div? Sounds easy right? A couple lines of php and a single line of html right?

Not so fast… because of the new js, you have to use wp php functions + php + backbone templating + jquery + js. And you have to do it all with exactly NO guidance in the Codex. Version 3.5 Edwin would be more appropriately named version 3.5 Rube Goldberg.

How about instead of adding complexity we fix endless array of kludges found throughout the core? How about we upgrade the core to PHP 5.3/5.4 instead?

Using backbone + underscore feels like an admission that templating in WP sucks, so instead of fixing the core we’ll just hide the problems beneath another layer of obfuscation.
- December 21, 2012 #
  
  Xander
  
  Templating in WordPress is actually real nice. But that’s all in the eye of the beholder.
  
  But about backbone.js and underscore. I like the way it gives us the opportunity to create a clean clientside javascript application. Backbone will handle all the application logic. This will open opportunities to create full 3D HTML5 canvas websites, because all data needs to be in js, in order to get into the canvas.
  So in the media library it would be possible to upload 3d models, instead of images and other boring media.
  
  The core will stay the same and why not. WP gave us the chance to CRUD data in a more fashionable way, instead of querying the databases in endless rewinding loops.
  
  Loving it. Can’t wait to see some documentation from WordPress.
- December 22, 2012 #
  
  JBrad
  
  I do agree with you on the point of sometimes adding abstraction can add unnecessary complexion. When I started developing with Backbone.js, I took thought it was a bit much, but after a while, I really appreciated having all of my view logic inside of it and having a clean logic-less template for my view was nice. I think it paves the way for growing and helps promote coding best practices and performance. I too hope that there will be better documentation in the Codex. I’m sure it will surface sometime soon 🙂
February 20, 2013 #

Henry

Can’t find any decent tutorials on using Backbone with WordPress 3.5…
- February 20, 2013 #
  
  Jason Bradley
  
  The documentation is scarce at the moment, but here’s a great podcast to listen to http://shoptalkshow.com/episodes/050-with-daryl-koopersmith/
- March 3, 2013 #
  
  Jon Jennings
  
  I haven’t read through it myself yet but, in theory at least, this sounds like exactly what you’re looking for: http://wp.tutsplus.com/tutorials/creative-coding/using-backbone-within-the-wordpress-admin-the-back-end/
June 24, 2013 #

kennedy

This is good news but I would like to ask if we can get any screencast on how we can get up and running with backbone within the wordpress framework. Some of us have little knowledge about backbone and wordpress but we dont know how these two can be used together. Any links?
June 24, 2013 #

kennedy

Always good to have examples 🙂
June 11, 2014 #

Diego Lopes

http://www.wpmayor.com/underscore-js-and-backbone-js-learning-resources/
https://github.com/tollmanz/backbone-wordpress-theme
http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-backbone/
http://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?q=backbone

Check it out! 😀

How do you stay on top of your WordPress game?