July 16, 2019 at 12:30Quasar 1.0: a new useful tool for Vue developers and not only for them
- Transfer
The author of the material, the translation of which we publish today, is working on the Quasar framework. This is a fully functional extensible open source tool for developing modern applications for various purposes. It is built on the basis of the popular Vue.js front-end framework and uses the capabilities of Node.js, Webpack and Babel. Most recently, in early July of this year, Quasar released its first stable release.
Before I start talking about the capabilities of Quasar, I would like to briefly tell you about the history of this framework.
A few years ago, I, as I believe, many of those who read this, worked in a corporate environment. At a certain point, I was tired of everything that accompanies such work.
I was harassed by the troubles caused by conflicting corporate tools. I’m tired of fighting the incompatibilities that arise when they interact. I really wanted to lead a simple life in which I could use my programming knowledge and create something meaningful, something bringing inner satisfaction. Something that can make the world a better place.
In 2015, I used a lot of tools to create projects of various types. These were apps for iOS and Android. These were web applications, websites and PWA, desktop applications for Windows and macOS.
Each type of application requires a unique set of tools. These tools are used to design interfaces, to write code, and to prepare projects for publication. I saw this reality, but I could not get rid of the dream of one universal tool that can replace all the others.
I wanted to find a single framework that would solve all the difficulties of developing applications for different platforms. One with which it would be possible to create different types of applications that would be based on a single code base.
I could not find such a fantastic tool and decided to create it on my own.
It was a colossal task. I started from scratch and realized that I needed a foundation in the form of a powerful basic framework, the capabilities of which can be expanded and improved to create the universal system that I painted in my imagination.
At this time, Vue.js. gained fame. After I explored the structure of this framework, learned about how to create applications based on it, how to expand its capabilities, I decided that it would be an excellent basis for the new framework that I planned to create. This, among other things, meant a significant saving in development time.
It was then that the Quasar framework was born.
The Quasar framework, on a conceptual level, is a universal set of components that are used to create modern applications. Among such components, for example, dialog boxes, buttons, input fields, tabs, panels, tooltips, toolbars, notification icons, tools for selecting dates, colors, icons can be noted. These are cards, avatars, banners, download indicators. At the same time, Quasar uses both simple components, such as the same buttons, and more complex ones. For example, these are fields for displaying chat messages, these are activity graphs, tables, calendars, video players, WYSIWYG editors, drawers, ribbon menu systems and much more.
All of these components are based on Vue.js. Thanks to this, working with them will seem completely familiar to all Vue developers who, while perfecting their projects, are looking for a simple and extensible component system.
The quasar version just released has 123 components. This number is constantly growing thanks to its standard tools for creating custom components.
Quasar, in addition, has a built-in system for creating production versions of applications. It all works from the command line.
After installing one global dependency and creating a project, you need literally one line of code to build applications that target Quasar-supported platforms. At the same time, applications for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, as well as web applications, are created on the basis of a single code base.
Actually - this is the team in question:
When working with Quasar, you can forget about the complexities associated with Webpack and Babel, the tree-shaking algorithm, and other ways to optimize bundles. All these issues are automatically resolved by the internal tools of the framework. At the same time, the one who uses Quasar has the opportunity to intervene in the work of his mechanisms and configure everything exactly as he needs.
Access to all these powerful features is designed to simplify and speed up the application development process using Quasar.
The early versions of Quasar, after their release, had to make a lot of changes. Often these were changes breaking compatibility. I am sure that many of the first users of the framework did not like this. But this is a necessary evil, a "growing pain" arising from the iterative nature of Quasar development.
Versions from 0.13 up to 0.17 were used to improve the framework. Starting with version 0.17, Quasar has finally acquired a suitable structure. She helped form a stable foundation conducive to the growth and expansion of the framework. At the same time, this structure made it possible to dispense with profound changes affecting compatibility in the future.
At this point, we decided to freeze the development and conduct a full refactoring of the project in order to organize and optimize what has already been created.
Please note that I said “we” above. I did this because by that time I was already fully aware of the scale of the project and realized that I could not create it alone. As a result, I began to form a team of programmers in order to develop Quasar together with them.
At first, one programmer joined me. Then - the second, third. This happened until 8 programmers were in the main team. Now our team has as many specialists as there were after it was formed. These are experienced developers, they complement each other in terms of their knowledge and skills.
The main team is supported by volunteers who are involved in user support, documentation, working with the media and other similar matters. In addition, Quasar has developed an active community of developers. Members of this community share experiences that help them all grow professionally. I see all this as something like a “big family” - a group of people gathered around a common goal and helping each other reach new horizons.
In particular, our Discord chat is a lively place in which conversations, as it seems, never stop. They talk about a variety of things. For example, developers willingly share tips on working with the system.
Quasar 1.0 is a project that required a lot of time from the core team and volunteers. From the moment we decided to freeze the development branch of one of the earlier versions, more than 4,000 man-hours were spent working on Quasar.
In addition, the Quasar user community has been actively involved in improving the project code. This process went on for 5 months. First, an open beta version of the product was released, then a release candidate was released. All this gave us the opportunity to release the first version of the framework, which is already, so to speak, tested in battle.
The release of Quasar v1 Stable is an important milestone on the road to the project. But this is only the first step, only the basis for those wonderful things that we want to implement in the future.
This release was created with the flexibility and extensibility of the solution in mind. But we already have a large project development scheme, which shows the direction of the future Quasar movement. In particular, in future versions of the framework there will be several new target platforms for which it will be possible to collect projects. For example, these are Browser Extensions, Webview, and Capacitor.
Processing the framework required streamlining its core internal systems and processes. This is what will give Quasar the opportunity to grow in the coming years while remaining relevant. This also means that, as it develops, it will not have to make changes to its code that violate compatibility.
So, suppose you are a Vue developer (or a developer who uses something else). In doing so, you want the following:
If so, then you just can't get past the latest Quasar release.
This material only very briefly describes the capabilities of the Quasar framework. Its author says that he plans to write several more articles on the technical features of the framework.
If this framework interests you, here are some useful resources.
Dear readers! Do you plan to use Quasar in your projects?
Background
Before I start talking about the capabilities of Quasar, I would like to briefly tell you about the history of this framework.
A few years ago, I, as I believe, many of those who read this, worked in a corporate environment. At a certain point, I was tired of everything that accompanies such work.
I was harassed by the troubles caused by conflicting corporate tools. I’m tired of fighting the incompatibilities that arise when they interact. I really wanted to lead a simple life in which I could use my programming knowledge and create something meaningful, something bringing inner satisfaction. Something that can make the world a better place.
In 2015, I used a lot of tools to create projects of various types. These were apps for iOS and Android. These were web applications, websites and PWA, desktop applications for Windows and macOS.
Each type of application requires a unique set of tools. These tools are used to design interfaces, to write code, and to prepare projects for publication. I saw this reality, but I could not get rid of the dream of one universal tool that can replace all the others.
I wanted to find a single framework that would solve all the difficulties of developing applications for different platforms. One with which it would be possible to create different types of applications that would be based on a single code base.
I could not find such a fantastic tool and decided to create it on my own.
It was a colossal task. I started from scratch and realized that I needed a foundation in the form of a powerful basic framework, the capabilities of which can be expanded and improved to create the universal system that I painted in my imagination.
At this time, Vue.js. gained fame. After I explored the structure of this framework, learned about how to create applications based on it, how to expand its capabilities, I decided that it would be an excellent basis for the new framework that I planned to create. This, among other things, meant a significant saving in development time.
It was then that the Quasar framework was born.
What is the essence of Quasar?
The Quasar framework, on a conceptual level, is a universal set of components that are used to create modern applications. Among such components, for example, dialog boxes, buttons, input fields, tabs, panels, tooltips, toolbars, notification icons, tools for selecting dates, colors, icons can be noted. These are cards, avatars, banners, download indicators. At the same time, Quasar uses both simple components, such as the same buttons, and more complex ones. For example, these are fields for displaying chat messages, these are activity graphs, tables, calendars, video players, WYSIWYG editors, drawers, ribbon menu systems and much more.
All of these components are based on Vue.js. Thanks to this, working with them will seem completely familiar to all Vue developers who, while perfecting their projects, are looking for a simple and extensible component system.
The quasar version just released has 123 components. This number is constantly growing thanks to its standard tools for creating custom components.
Quasar, in addition, has a built-in system for creating production versions of applications. It all works from the command line.
After installing one global dependency and creating a project, you need literally one line of code to build applications that target Quasar-supported platforms. At the same time, applications for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, as well as web applications, are created on the basis of a single code base.
Actually - this is the team in question:
$ quasar buildWhen working with Quasar, you can forget about the complexities associated with Webpack and Babel, the tree-shaking algorithm, and other ways to optimize bundles. All these issues are automatically resolved by the internal tools of the framework. At the same time, the one who uses Quasar has the opportunity to intervene in the work of his mechanisms and configure everything exactly as he needs.
Access to all these powerful features is designed to simplify and speed up the application development process using Quasar.
Path to the first version of Quasar
The early versions of Quasar, after their release, had to make a lot of changes. Often these were changes breaking compatibility. I am sure that many of the first users of the framework did not like this. But this is a necessary evil, a "growing pain" arising from the iterative nature of Quasar development.
Versions from 0.13 up to 0.17 were used to improve the framework. Starting with version 0.17, Quasar has finally acquired a suitable structure. She helped form a stable foundation conducive to the growth and expansion of the framework. At the same time, this structure made it possible to dispense with profound changes affecting compatibility in the future.
At this point, we decided to freeze the development and conduct a full refactoring of the project in order to organize and optimize what has already been created.
Please note that I said “we” above. I did this because by that time I was already fully aware of the scale of the project and realized that I could not create it alone. As a result, I began to form a team of programmers in order to develop Quasar together with them.
At first, one programmer joined me. Then - the second, third. This happened until 8 programmers were in the main team. Now our team has as many specialists as there were after it was formed. These are experienced developers, they complement each other in terms of their knowledge and skills.
The main team is supported by volunteers who are involved in user support, documentation, working with the media and other similar matters. In addition, Quasar has developed an active community of developers. Members of this community share experiences that help them all grow professionally. I see all this as something like a “big family” - a group of people gathered around a common goal and helping each other reach new horizons.
In particular, our Discord chat is a lively place in which conversations, as it seems, never stop. They talk about a variety of things. For example, developers willingly share tips on working with the system.
Quasar 1.0 is a project that required a lot of time from the core team and volunteers. From the moment we decided to freeze the development branch of one of the earlier versions, more than 4,000 man-hours were spent working on Quasar.
In addition, the Quasar user community has been actively involved in improving the project code. This process went on for 5 months. First, an open beta version of the product was released, then a release candidate was released. All this gave us the opportunity to release the first version of the framework, which is already, so to speak, tested in battle.
The release of Quasar v1 Stable is an important milestone on the road to the project. But this is only the first step, only the basis for those wonderful things that we want to implement in the future.
This release was created with the flexibility and extensibility of the solution in mind. But we already have a large project development scheme, which shows the direction of the future Quasar movement. In particular, in future versions of the framework there will be several new target platforms for which it will be possible to collect projects. For example, these are Browser Extensions, Webview, and Capacitor.
Processing the framework required streamlining its core internal systems and processes. This is what will give Quasar the opportunity to grow in the coming years while remaining relevant. This also means that, as it develops, it will not have to make changes to its code that violate compatibility.
So, suppose you are a Vue developer (or a developer who uses something else). In doing so, you want the following:
- Streamline work with components.
- Simplify the process of building applications.
- Create applications for all major platforms.
If so, then you just can't get past the latest Quasar release.
Summary
This material only very briefly describes the capabilities of the Quasar framework. Its author says that he plans to write several more articles on the technical features of the framework.
If this framework interests you, here are some useful resources.
- Project forum
- Discord chat
- GitHub project repository
- Project Twitter Account
- Quasar documentation with examples
- Quasar CLI Documentation . This is where you can find out how the process of building applications for different platforms works.
- Component list
- Quasar project templates on CodeSandbox , on jsFiddle and on CodePen
Dear readers! Do you plan to use Quasar in your projects?