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MooTools

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MooTools
Developer(s)The MooTools Dev Team
Initial releaseSeptember 8, 2006;18 years ago(2006-09-08)[1]
Stable release
1.6.0 / January 14, 2016;8 years ago(2016-01-14)[2]
Repositoryhttps://github /mootools/mootools-core
Written inJavaScript
TypeAjax framework/JavaScript Framework
LicenseMIT License[3]
Websitemootools.net

MooTools(My Object-Oriented Tools)[4]is a lightweight,object-orientedJavaScriptframework.It is released under thefree, open-sourceMIT License.[5]

Overview

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MooTools provides the user with a number of options beyond native JavaScript. These include:

  • An extensible and modular framework allowing developers to choose their own customized combination of components.[6]
  • MooTools follows object-oriented practices and theDRYprinciple.[7]
  • An advanced effects component, with optimized transitions such as easing equations used by many Flash developers.[8]
  • Enhancements to theDOM,enabling developers to easily add, modify, select, and delete DOM elements. Storing and retrieving information with Element storage is also supported.[9]

The framework includes built-in functions for manipulation ofCSS,DOMelements, native JavaScript objects,Ajaxrequests, DOM effects, and more. MooTools also provides a detailed, coherentapplication programming interface(API),[10]as well as a custom downloads module allowing developers to download only the modules and dependencies they need for a particular app.[11][12]

History

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Valerio Proietti first authored the framework and released it in September 2006[13]taking as his inspirationPrototypeand Dean Edward'sbase2.MooTools originated from Moo.fx, a popularJavaScripteffects library released in October 2005 by Valerio Proietti as an add-on to thePrototype Javascript Framework.[14]It can be used as a lighter alternative toscript.aculo.usor other, bigger libraries. It provides simple, basic effects, and guarantees a small library size.

Whereas Prototype extended—prototyped—many of JavaScript's native String, Array, and Function objects with additional methods, Proietti desired a framework that (at the time)[15]further extended the native Element object as well[13]to offer greater control of theDocument Object Model(DOM).[16]

Components

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MooTools includes a number of components, but not all need to be loaded for each application. Some of the component categories are:

  • Core:A collection of utility functions that all the other components require.[17]
  • More:An official collection of add-ons that extend the Core and provide enhanced functionality.[18]
  • Class:The base library for Class object instantiation.[19]
  • Natives:A collection ofJavaScriptNative Object enhancements. The Natives add functionality, compatibility, and new methods that simplify coding.
  • Element:Contains a large number of enhancements and compatibility standardization to theHTML Elementobject.[20]
  • Fx:An advanced effects-API to animate page elements.[21]
  • Request:IncludesXHRinterface, Cookie,JSON,andHTMLretrieval-specific tools for developers to exploit.[22]
  • Window:Provides a cross-browser interface to client-specific information, such as the dimensions of the window.[23]

Browser compatibility

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MooTools is compatible and tested with:[24]

Emphasis on modularity and reusability

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Every JavaScript framework has its philosophy, and MooTools is interested in taking full advantage of the flexibility and power of JavaScript in a way that emphasizes greater modularity and code reuse. MooTools accomplishes these goals intuitively to a developer coming from aclass-based inheritancelanguage like Java with the MooToolsClassobject.

Classis an object of key/value pairs containing either properties or methods (functions).Classis effortlessly mixed and extended with other Class instantiations allowing for the most excellent focus of MooTools: Code reuse achieved through maximizing the power of JavaScript's prototypical inheritance but in aClassobject syntax more familiar to classical inheritance models.[25]

Object-oriented programming

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MooTools contains a robust Class creation and inheritance system that resembles most classically basedObject-oriented programming languages.For example, the following is MooTools' equivalent of theexamplesin Wikipedia's polymorphism page: 

varAnimal=newClass({

initialize:function(name){
this.name=name;
}

});

varCat=newClass({
Extends:Animal,

talk:function(){
return'Meow!';
}

});

varDog=newClass({

Extends:Animal,

talk:function(){
return'Arf! Arf!';
}

});

varanimals={
a:newCat('Missy'),
b:newCat('Mr. Bojangles'),
c:newDog('Lassie')
};

Object.each(animals,function(animal){
alert(animal.name+': '+animal.talk());
});

// alerts the following:
//
// Missy: Meow!
// Mr. Bojangles: Meow!
// Lassie: Arf! Arf!

See also

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References

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  1. ^Original release announcement
  2. ^"Release 1.6.0 · mootools/Mootools-core".GitHub.
  3. ^"MooTools".mootools.net.
  4. ^"MooTools at FOSDEM slides"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-07-23.Retrieved2010-02-17.
  5. ^The Official MooTools Website
  6. ^MooTools' Core Download Page
  7. ^MooTools Class ObjectArchived2008-08-31 at theWayback Machine
  8. ^MooTools' Effects (FX) ClassArchived2008-06-23 at theWayback Machine
  9. ^MooTools' Element Class - A comprehensive list of Element manipulation methods.Archived2008-09-05 at theWayback Machine
  10. ^A Better Way to Use Elements
  11. ^MooTools Core Builder
  12. ^MooTools More Builder
  13. ^abNewton, Aaron (September 18, 2008).MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript and Ajax Development(1st ed.).Apress.pp. xvi.ISBN978-1-4302-0983-6.
  14. ^Newton, Aaron (September 18, 2008).MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript and Ajax Development(1st ed.).Apress.pp. xv.ISBN978-1-4302-0983-6.
  15. ^Version 1.6.1 of Prototype includes "an element metadata storage system."Prototype 1.6.1 releasedArchived2010-03-01 atarchive.today by Sam Stephenson, written September 1st, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  16. ^Note that MooTools does not extend the native Object—allJavaScript primitives like String and Function inherit from it—but instead provides a convenient Hash for the purpose: Think of it like having a set of utility methods that allow for nearly effortless object manipulation of regular JavaScript objects that are otherwise unaffected by the process. (Newton, Aaron (September 18, 2008).MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript and Ajax Development(1st ed.).Apress.pp. xvi.ISBN978-1-4302-0983-6.)
  17. ^MooTools CoreArchived2009-10-02 at theWayback Machine
  18. ^MooTools MoreArchived2009-10-04 at theWayback Machine
  19. ^MooTools ClassArchived2008-08-31 at theWayback Machine
  20. ^MooTools ElementArchived2008-09-05 at theWayback Machine
  21. ^MooTools Fx ClassArchived2008-06-23 at theWayback Machine
  22. ^MooTools Request ClassArchived2008-07-30 at theWayback Machine
  23. ^In addition to getting the size for any Element, you can easily get the dimensions of the windowArchived2008-09-11 at theWayback Machine
  24. ^MooTools lists its compatibility on its homepage.
  25. ^jQuery versus Mootools

Further reading

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