# front (work-in-progress)

A front-end web framework which aim is to bring the power of GHC on client side with as less JavaScript as possible by the Fay.

The goal is to have a tiny websockets-based bridge between client and server to propagate client events on server for further handling.

## Features

- Server-side rendering.
- both SPA and regular webapp (sharing state across multiple routes).
- Several communication models (single session, broadcast, etc.).
- Virtual DOM with full/partial rendering.
- "blaze-html" like extended markup tree for handling both DOM and JS events.

## Usage

1. Add `front` as a dependency to your project using preferred build tool.
2. Obtain `bundle.js` by

```
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/swamp-agr/front/master/examples/todo/static/bundle.js
```

and include it as static resource in your application server. 

3. Import `Shared` module.
4. Choose proper communication model (Only session, Broadcast, etc.).
5. That's it.
6. The only thing you need to keep in mind that one of records in your types should have name `commandValue`!

## Examples

- `TODO`

  - Installation with Stack (`servant-auth-cookie` should be fixed to allow build with `cabal`):
  ```
  stack install --flag="front:examples"
  ```
  
  or 
  
  ```
  cabal v2-build --flags examples
  ```
  
  - usage:
  ```
  cd examples/todo
  # for servant-based:
  todo-servant-example
  # for yesod-based:
  todo-yesod-example
  # open web browser:
  open http://localhost:3000
  ```

## Developer Installation (Contribution)

For server:

```
cabal new-build
```

or

```
stack build
```

For client: there is nothing special you need on client side. 
`bundle.js` already had everything included.

Please do not hesitate to open Issue to discuss your questions or use cases.

## Acknowledgement

This ongoing framework would not have happened without these people and technologies:

- @5HT for inspiration by **N2O** framework. The idea of transfer both data and events over websockets.
- @jaspervdj for **blaze-html**.
- @meiersi for **blaze-react** and the approach how to handle events in the same markup with html.
- @snoyberg for **yesod-fay** and the way how to embed generated assert into server
and to trigger dependent Fay compilation from Haskell code.
- @bergmark for **Fay** compiler.