The Best Feature of ExtJS

Recently I had a chance to get up-to-date with JavaScript frameworks.

There has been a lot of changes since the last time I plunged into the subject about a year ago. The most remarkable finding of mine was the ExtJS JavaScript framework.

The version 1.0 of the framework was released in April 2007, the current version being 2.0.2. The framework was quickly picked up by a number of big players such as Adobe, Best Buy, IBM, Siemens, and Visa among the others. The extended list can be found on the ExtJS site.

The broad and fast recognition doesn't feel like a wonder as ExtJS is a crown jewel of JavaScript frameworks. Eye-candy user interface widgets and clean codebase are just a few features that will make a JavaScript developer drool. Have a look at the examples to see it for yourself.

However my favorite feature is not related to the beautiful user interface or the excellent design of the framework. It's about the quality enterprise developers appreciate: smooth integration with other frameworks.

ExtJS was originally developed as an extension of Yahoo UI library (the original name of the framework was yui-ext). While currently the framework can be used standalone, it is possible to use it on top of three other JavaScript frameworks: YUI, jQuery, and Prototype/Scriptaculous.

You guessed it right. This is the protection of your current JavaScript technology investment. This is the flexibility of your technology portfolio.

Adding ExtJS to my JavaScript toolbox.