Empower Day 13: Agenda

Time	Activity
08:30 AM	Introduction to Node.js
	What is node, where did it come from and why? Open a command line, navigate to your project directory and execute `node yourProgramName` Now lets make a web server in 1 minute. Open a browser and navigate to `http://localhost:8080` (or whatever port your node program is listening on) ...and exactly why is that earth-shattering?
09:00 AM	Package Management with the Node Package Manager (npm)
	lets get current by asking npm to update itself `npm install npm -g` `npm -v` `npm init` and package.json `npm install something --save` (or use package.json as the guide and just say npm install) `npm update something` `npm uninstall something` ...and here is a good SO answer listing ways to find packages
09:30 AM	Node: Beauty in Simplicity
	Let's see and run a simple node web server (`node-examples/simplest-web-server`) Let's add express and see what we can do with requests Primary express features A suggested solution directory structure Routing `node-examples/example-routes` Http verb filtering URL parameters (this/is/my/pretty/:urlParameter) => `req.params.urlParameter` Query string parameters (this/is/my/not/so/pretty?qsParameter=parameterValue) => `req.query.qsParameter` POSTed values with body-parser => `req.body.formFieldName` Responding to requests Static file content Digesting form POST values Pluggable templating engine for views (Jade, EJS or others) Dynamic content Including other Js libraries ...and now the bad news node-style error handling The blessing and curse of callbacks (the "pyramid of doom")
10:00 AM	Practice with the basics
	How require() works: exports reference with relative path, absolute path or implied search `module.exports = { f1: function() {} }` OR `exports.f1 = function() {}` Reading the documentation for commonly used packages The latest docs fs path
11:30 AM	Non-relational Concepts and MongoDB
	Relational vs. Non-Relational Design Architecture, Scale & Comparison to Relational Approaches Collections Documents Data Types CRUD (create, read, update and delete) Operations Node + Mongoose + MongoDB = Js Happiness Follow these instructions to recreate the Voting Api application used in the jquery session of the class for yourself and to see how it works.
Lunch Break (12-1PM)
1:00 PM	Continue building the site & review the concepts
	EXERCISE: Use a new package independently - momentjs or underscore.js
2:30 PM	Build your own api and call it from jquery
	Practice & learn independently
4:30 PM	Deploy your api to a Linux server you launch in one of your cloud accounts
	Deploy and test Assign DNS if you like as a subdomain of your existing domain from day 1
There are many online tutorials for node. This SO answer has a decent list of recommended sites to visit for more learning.

Time

Activity

08:30 AM

Introduction to Node.js

What is node, where did it come from and why?
Open a command line, navigate to your project directory and execute node yourProgramName
Now lets make a web server in 1 minute.
- Open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080 (or whatever port your node program is listening on)
- ...and exactly why is that earth-shattering?

09:00 AM

Package Management with the Node Package Manager (npm)

lets get current by asking npm to update itself
- npm install npm -g
- npm -v
npm init and package.json
npm install something --save (or use package.json as the guide and just say npm install)
npm update something
npm uninstall something
...and here is a good SO answer listing ways to find packages

09:30 AM

Node: Beauty in Simplicity

Let's see and run a simple node web server (node-examples/simplest-web-server)
Let's add express and see what we can do with requests
- Primary express features
  - A suggested solution directory structure
  - Routing
    - node-examples/example-routes
    - Http verb filtering
    - URL parameters (this/is/my/pretty/:urlParameter) => req.params.urlParameter
    - Query string parameters (this/is/my/not/so/pretty?qsParameter=parameterValue) => req.query.qsParameter
    - POSTed values with body-parser => req.body.formFieldName
  - Responding to requests
    - Static file content
    - Digesting form POST values
    - Pluggable templating engine for views (Jade, EJS or others)
    - Dynamic content
    - Including other Js libraries
- ...and now the bad news
  - node-style error handling
  - The blessing and curse of callbacks (the "pyramid of doom")

10:00 AM

Practice with the basics

How require() works: exports
- reference with relative path, absolute path or implied search
- module.exports = { f1: function() {} } OR
- exports.f1 = function() {}
Reading the documentation for commonly used packages
- The latest docs
- fs
- path

11:30 AM

Non-relational Concepts and MongoDB

Relational vs. Non-Relational Design
- Architecture, Scale & Comparison to Relational Approaches
- Collections
- Documents
- Data Types
- CRUD (create, read, update and delete) Operations
Node + Mongoose + MongoDB = Js Happiness
Follow these instructions to recreate the Voting Api application used in the jquery session of the class for yourself and to see how it works.

Lunch Break (12-1PM)

1:00 PM

Continue building the site & review the concepts

EXERCISE: Use a new package independently - momentjs or underscore.js

2:30 PM

Build your own api and call it from jquery

Practice & learn independently

4:30 PM

Deploy your api to a Linux server you launch in one of your cloud accounts

Deploy and test
Assign DNS if you like as a subdomain of your existing domain from day 1

There are many online tutorials for node. This SO answer has a decent list of recommended sites to visit for more learning.