A Front-End Development Framework
jTorm helps developers save time maintaining and migrating web applications to different back-end and front-end environments.
jTorm is an open source front-end development framework that compiles HTML templates from queues containing transformational style sheets (TSS) with update instructions using CSS selectors and javascript.
Javascript makes it possible to use it in the front-end, client side, within the web browser, as well as in the back-end, server side, through Node.js.
By compiling HTML from queues with update instructions, you have a layered HTML template instead of one flat static file, opening a range of new possibilities to interact with it that did not exist before.
What problem does jTorm try to solve?
Be able to completely detach the front-end from the back-end (headless architecture) and have full control in manipulating and reusing UI components.
The motivation behind it is that most templating engines sucks and is heavily inspired by Transphporm.
How to accomplish this?
By processing queues containing update instructions, from transformational style sheets, from the configurations of one or more UI frameworks, depending on the context of the project, and compiling them to HTML.
A commonly setup will be:
- Your theme UI framework with your brand’s look and feel.
- Schema UI framework supporting schema structures from schema.org.
- A commonly used UI framework, for example open source UI frameworks such as Bootstrap, UI kit, Semantic UI, or something else.
- Base UI components, these are for example accordions, modals, forms, cards, pagination, etc..
- Base HTML UI components, which are the lowest level HTML components, for example input, label, paragraph, button, etc..
Features
- Adaptability with migrating to different UI frameworks and environments.
- Extensibility by full control over the context object and how to use and reuse UI components.
- Maintainability with update instructions in separate files in queues.
- Layer support to define when certain update instructions have to be processed within the stacking order.
- Media query support to compile a different result HTML for certain media devices and/or settings.
- Cache optimization with full control when and how to cache UI components.
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Compartmentalize update instructions and even offer them as free or commercial packages:
- Usability update instructions
- Accessibility update instructions
- Performance update instructions
- Certain Media Type update instructions
- SEO update instructions
- Social Media update instructions
- etc.
- And many more features!
Roadmap
Note priority and tasks might change in the future.
Priority #1
- Basic branding, logo, website jtorm.com and documentation.
- jTorm framework minimum viable product (MVP).
- Static jTorm engine MVP.
Priority #2
- Schema UI framework MVP supporting schema structures from schema.org.
- Add support for at least one existing open source UI framework.
- Add a default skin/theme.
Priority #3
- E-commerce support.
Priority #4
- jTorm SPA/PWA client side library
Priority #5
- Add free and commercial skins/themes.
- Add support for as many as possible open source and commercial UI frameworks.
- User Interface Management System (UIMS) where users can manage the static jTorm engine through the web browser.
- Building enterprise solutions
State of jTorm
Since 2018 the development began in the spare time that was left, not knowing exactly where it was going, but motivated enough to discover its potential! Now already 5 years later we do have a somewhat workable version. But also came to the conclusion it takes too much time to complete a minimum viable product within a decent amount of time without external capital and support.
Now it is up to the public opinion and resources if we can continue this project and with which speed. We hope to build it with your help to discover and evaluate its potential together!
