Lasso FuseBox for Lasso 9

Presented by Tami Williams and LDC Toronto 2012

About Tami

Tami Williams, Developer, Trainer, CEO at Creative Computing

• Lasso developer since version 2
• Teach Lasso classes
• Use LassoFusebox since 2003 

Who Uses Fusebox?

A 2012 google search for “fuseaction” returns over 141,000,000 hits

http://www.roomstogo.com
http://mccain.senate.gov
http://www.section508.gov
http://www.energystar.gov
http://www.calmuseums.org

What is LassoFusebox?

• A way to organize code and files
• A methodology for programming (FLiP - Fusebox Lifecycle Process)
• A set of core files to handle the basics of your web application
• Originally created for Coldfusion
• Converted for use with PHP, JSP, ASPX and Lasso

What can LassoFusebox do for me?

• Standardize your code
• Make your code easier to read and understand
• Make your apps cheaper/easier to maintain
• Help you pick up others code faster
• Help you make fewer bugs due to different styles

Why should I use it?

• Small units of independent code
• Can reuse components
• Separates logic from display
• Can divide your application into modules worked on independently by multiple developers
• Can run modules independently
  • without other portions of code being completed and without making changes to those other modules
• ​Can divide labor
  • Designers work on design
  • Database developers work on database –Lasso developers work on Lasso code

How does it work?

 

A request to perform a fuseaction looks like this:

http://127.0.0.1/index.lasso? fuseaction=ContactApp.list_Contacts

Basics

All requests go through “index.lasso”

http://127.0.0.1/index.lasso?fuseaction=circuit.fuseaction

index.lasso includes the “fbx_Switch.inc” file, which processes the fuseactions

Fuses

Code files are called “fuses”:

–display (dsp_)
–query (qry_)
–action (act)
–logic/action code (act_) –system (fbx_)

Custom Fuses

These are not official Fusebox prefixes:

–email body (bod_)
–form (frm_)
–validation (val_)
–value list (vl_)
–layout (lay_)
–ajax (ajax_)
–jq (jq_)

Exit Fuseactions

• Replace fixed references with variables called “Exit Fuseactions” (XFAs)
  • variables used to store instructions on how to move from one page to another
• ​Fuseactions are processed by the fbx_Switch.inc file

Sample XFA

<form name=“people” action=“http://127.0.0.1/index.lasso?fuseaction=ContactApp.update_Contact” method=“post”>

becomes...

<form name=“people” action=“[$XFA_submit]” method=“post">

 

Circuits, XFA's, Fuses

 

 

fbx_Circuits.inc

$_Circuits->Insert('ContactApp'='ContactApp');

$_Circuits->Insert('compare' = 'ContactApp/compareDemo');

//jq - for jquery nested COMPARE items form $_Circuits->Insert('jq' = 'ContactApp/jqDemo');

XFAs

FBX_Param(-Name='XFA_home', -Default= $self + 'ContactApp.list_Contacts');

FBX_Param(-Name='XFA_Compare', -Default= $self + 'jq.compare');

fbx_Switch.inc

Select($fuseaction);

...
Case('list_Contacts');

FBX_Include('qry_getAllContacts.inc');
Var('XFA_editContact' = $self + 'ContactApp.edit_Contact'); 
Var('XFA_deleteContact' = $self + 'ContactApp.delete_Contact'); 
Var('XFA_newContact' = $self + 'ContactApp.new_Contact');
FBX_Include('dsp_AllContacts.inc');

Nesting

Nested Layouts

• Each circuit can have its own page template that’s either included inside of the site’s page template OR run alone

Nested Circuits

• Each subdirectory can have its own subdirectories

Summary

• Focus on tasks unique to a given project rather than reinventing the wheel each time around
• Get things done much faster
• Continuity across sites
• Standard way of doing things
• Flexible and maintainable

Resources

Demonstration files .zip download   (4.8MB)

Free files and resources available at:

www.LassoFusebox.org (aka LassoFusebox.com, LassoFusebox.info, and LassoFusebox.net)
www.asktami.com
twitter: @asktami
Fusebox.org

 

Author: Tami Williams
Created: 26 May 2012
Last Modified: 15 Jun 2012