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Learning Grunt
Learning Grunt

Learning Grunt: Monitor and automate complex JavaScript tasks and processes by obtaining a practical understanding of Grunt

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Profile Icon Douglas Reynolds
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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Mar 2016 184 pages 1st Edition
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Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Douglas Reynolds
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€18.99 per month
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5 (1 Ratings)
Paperback Mar 2016 184 pages 1st Edition
eBook
€13.98 €19.99
Paperback
€24.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at €18.99p/m
eBook
€13.98 €19.99
Paperback
€24.99
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Free Trial
Renews at €18.99p/m

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Learning Grunt

Chapter 2. Foundation for Creating an App using Angular.JS

Now that we have had an introduction to Grunt, and Grunt dependencies, in Chapter 1, Grunt Dependencies we can move forward and look at how we can set up a project scaffold and be ready to begin development. While this chapter deals with the creation of an Angular.JS application, your project does not have to be an Angular application in order to use Grunt. We are simply using Angular as an example as it is such a popular frontend framework. As such, we won't get too deep into Angular.JS since the scope of information is broad enough that we could write an entirely separate book. It should also be noted that Grunt exists as the build system used in a project called Yeoman. Yeoman combines scaffolding (yo), build systems (Grunt), and a package manager, for example, for a complete application generator solution. As we are focused on Grunt, we will not be using Yeoman in the following examples. Be sure to check out Yeoman...

Installing Git

Git is a distributed version control system that allows developers to manage changes to files. Git provides you with a means to store application versions so that we can track changes as backups and share updates within teams and with users. We will be using Git in this chapter in order to install an application called Angular Seed. Angular Seed will create an application scaffold for us so that we can quickly create our starting application files and directories automatically. As we are really interested in automating processes, including Angular Seed makes sense to get us going quickly. It should be noted that there used to be a Grunt plugin project named grunt-angular-seed. However, it is no longer maintained and has been deprecated. As a result, we will simply use Git to clone the Angular Seed project in our project's root directory. At that point, we will be able to go through the simple installation process for Angular Seed.

Determining the Git installation

On Mac...

Creating the Angular Seed Project

Now that we have installed Git, we can check out the Angular Seed Project from its GitHub repository. The project is located at https://github.com/angular/angular-seed. Angular Seed is an application that will generate an Angular.JS project scaffold, also known as a skeleton. The generated application skeleton is a simple project that includes a couple of views and controllers that provide examples of how to use the Angular framework. Angular Seed also creates some ready-to-run unit tests. We won't get into the topic of unit testing here as we simply wish to scaffold an example project that we can then use to illustrate Grunt with. For more information on unit testing configured with Angular Seed, see the project unit testing section at https://github.com/angular/angular-seed#running-unit-tests.

Dependencies of Angular Seed

The only Angular Seed dependencies are Git and Node.js (along with NPM). In Chapter 1, Grunt Dependencies we went through the installation...

Installation summary – a quick guide

We will be installing the Angular Seed project using Git.

Installing Git

We will use this project throughout the book as our sample project. It is good to periodically check your current git version and current release notes for a new version to determine if upgrading is appropriate. Refer to https://git-scm.com/ for the most current Git information.

If you wish to review any of the installation processes for Git, refer to the previous sections for specific installation or troubleshooting steps:

Determining Git Installation

Let's understand the use of Git for installation of Xcode on Mac systems:

  • Adding Git to Your $PATH variable:
    • For example: PATH = $PATH:/usr/local/git/bin/
  • If Git is not installed:

In this chapter and for the remainder of the book, we will be using the Angular Seed project. The main reason for this is that it is simple to use the scaffold in order to set up a quick project with an HTTP server...

Summary

We really accomplished quite a bit in this chapter. We were able to lay the groundwork to work with Grunt by creating a sample application. After all, we need a project to automate. At this time, it is not necessary for us to be spending time trying to figure out what application we want to build and how we are going to approach it. Rather, we can use an application like Angular Seed to generate our application skeleton for us. Now that you have been introduced to this scaffolding tool, you will be able to use it for any future Angular.JS applications you need to bootstrap.

We covered the installation of Git as it was used for the cloning of Angular Seed and also used in the setup and configuration of an Angular Seed sample application by installing its dependencies. As you learned, there can be some roadblocks that can prevent us from easily installing tools from the command line. We covered a few ways to get the command-line tools up and running, depending on different problems...

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Key benefits

  • Gain a solid knowledge of Grunt to achieve better process management by improving consistency, productivity, reliability, and quality of code
  • Install, configure, and use plugins into your project with this hands-on guide
  • This step-by-step tutorial will walk you through practical examples of workflow automation

Description

With the increasing focus on task automation, the Grunt task runner is a vast platform that allows you to incorporate automation into your workflows. At the outset, you will learn how to use Node.js and NMP through an example. You will then find out how to build a sample app and the development environment for it. You will further delve into the implementation of Grunt plugins and the configuration of Grunt tasks. Furthermore, you will explore the various methods and packages for workflow automation. The final chapter will cover some advanced concepts, such as configuration variables and how to create a Grunt plugin. By the end of the book, you will have gained the fundamentals of Grunt and progressed through advanced concepts, including building a Grunt plugin.

Who is this book for?

If you are a JavaScript developer and want to learn project monitoring and automation using Grunt, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of Node.js and Angular.js is assumed. However, no previous experience using Grunt.js is required.

What you will learn

  • Install and configure Grunt and its dependencies such as Node.js and Node Package Manager (NPM)
  • Create a sample application using Angular.JS
  • Configure plugins to perform various tasks that will benefit your project
  • Explore the task-specific methods available through the Grunt API such as configuration, externals, events, and logging
  • Set up tasks to automate the build process of the simple contact application
  • Build, test, and refine a sample project
  • Get general tips, tricks, and troubleshooting strategies to identify and solve common issues in Grunt
  • Advance your knowledge of Grunt with concepts such as configuration variables and test automation

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Mar 28, 2016
Length: 184 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785888809
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Product Details

Publication date : Mar 28, 2016
Length: 184 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785888809
Languages :
Concepts :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

8 Chapters
1. Grunt Dependencies Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Foundation for Creating an App using Angular.JS Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. All about Grunt Plugins Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Configuration of Grunt Tasks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Task Setup in the sample_project Application Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Building the Sample Project Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Advanced Grunt Concepts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Justin McCandless Mar 30, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is a great book for a newcomer to the modern frontend build process. If you want to start from square one and be introduced to Grunt and how people are using it to maximize their efficiency, this book will get you up and running and make sure everything is clear.If you are coming with some experience or have used Gulp or Webpack, there will be a few skippable sections, but the book is still great as a resource. It's well organized and full of examples, so it's easy to flip to a specific plugin you want to use and remind yourself of how it's set up. It won't teach you anything new about the inner workings of Grunt, but it thoroughly goes over all aspects of it as a user.Full disclosure: I helped review the content of this book pre-relase but have no financial interest.
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