MooTools

MooTools

File:Mootools.png
Developer(s)	The MooTools Dev Team
Stable release	1.2.4 / October 19, 2009
Written in	JavaScript
Type	Ajax framework / JavaScript Framework
License	MIT License
Website	http://mootools.net

MooTools is an open source, lightweight, modular object-oriented programming JavaScript Web application framework released under the MIT License. The aim of the software is to allow intermediate to advanced Web developers to write cross-browser JavaScript in an elegant, flexible, and efficient way. The framework includes built-in functions for manipulation of CSS, DOM elements, native JavaScript objects, Ajax requests, and more. MooTools also provides a detailed, coherent application programming interface (API).

Benefits

MooTools aims to provide the user with a number of advantages over native JavaScript. Advantages include:

• An extensible and modular framework where the developer can choose which components to use.
• MooTools follows object-oriented practices and the DRY principle.
• An advanced effects component, with optimized transitions such as easing equations used by many Flash developers.
• Enhancements to the DOM, enabling developers to easily add, modify, select, and delete DOM elements.

Components

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.
• Class is MooTools base library for Class object instantiation.
• Natives: a collection of JavaScript Native Object enhancements. The Natives add functionality, compatibility and new methods that simplify coding.
• Element contains a slew of enhancements and compatibility to the HTML Element object.
• Fx is an advanced effects API to animate Elements.
• Request: provides XHR interface, Cookie, JSON, and HTML retrieval specific tools for developers to exploit.
• Window: provides a cross-browser interface to the Client specific information, for instance window size.

Browser Compatibility

MooTools is compatible and tested with:

• Safari 2+
• Internet Explorer 6+
• Mozilla Firefox 2+
• Opera 9+
• Camino 1.5+

Object-oriented Programming

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

 var Animal = new Class({

    initialize: function(name){
        this.name = name;
    }
    
 });
 
 var Cat = new Class({ 
    Extends: Animal,
    
    talk: function(){
        return 'Meow!';
    }
    
 });
 
 var Dog = new Class({
    
    Extends: Animal,
    
    talk: function(){
        return 'Arf! Arf';
    }
    
 });
 
 var Animals = {
    a: new Cat('Missy'),
    b: new Cat('Mr. Bojangles'),
    c: new Dog('Lassie')
 };
 
 for(var animal in Animals) alert(Animals[animal].name + ': ' + Animals[animal].talk());
 
 // alerts the following:
 //
 // Missy: Meow!
 // Mr. Bojangles: Meow!
 // Lassie: Arf! Arf!

Related

• Moo.fx

See also

• Ajax framework
• Rich Internet application
• Web 2.0
• Comparison of JavaScript frameworks
• XMLHttpRequest

Bibliography

• Gube, Jacob; Cheung, Garrick (January 15, 2010). MooTools 1.2 Beginner's Guide (1st ed.). Packt Publishing. pp. 280. ISBN 1847194583. http://www.packtpub.com/mootools-1-2-beginners-guide/book. 
• Orchard, Leslie M.; Pehlivanian, Ara; Koon, Scott; Jones, Harley (August 31, 2009). Professional JavaScript Frameworks: Prototype,YUI, ExtJS, Dojo and MooTools (1st ed.). Wrox Press. pp. 888. ISBN 978-0470384596. http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/Professional-JavaScript-Frameworks-Prototype-YUI-ExtJS-Dojo-and-MooTools.productCd-047038459X.html. 
• Newton, Aaron (September 18, 2008). MooTools Essentials: The Official MooTools Reference for JavaScript™ and Ajax Development (1st ed.). Apress. pp. 300. ISBN 1430209836. http://apress.com/book/view/1430209836. 

External links

• mootools.net - The Official MooTools website
• - The Official MooTools User Group
• The MooTorial
• Mootools Essentials (book)
• jQuery vs MooTools: Choosing Between Two Great JavaScript Frameworks
• Clientcide Blog and Plugins by Aaron Newton
• Guillermo Rauch - MooTools Articles, Tutorials, Tips and Plugins by Guillermo Rauch
• David Walsh Blog - MooTools Tutorials and Plugins by David Walsh
• mooforum - The Unofficial MooTools Community
• List of Really Useful Plugins and Resources For MooTools
• MooTools 1.1 Plugins
• Free Mootools Plugins
• A widgets library built on mootools