Better JavaScript Development with Google Closure Tools

Dietrich Kappe, Friday, November 6, 2009 @ 11:04 am

Google has release Closure Tools, the set of tools they used to write applications such as Gmail. What is it? It consists of three parts:

1. A compiler which is a "JavaScript optimizer that compiles web apps down into compact, high-performance JavaScript code. The compiler removes dead code, then rewrites and minimizes what's left so that it will run fast on browsers' JavaScript engines. The compiler also checks syntax, variable references, and types, and warns about other common JavaScript pitfalls. These checks and optimizations help you write apps that are less buggy and easier to maintain. You can use the compiler with Closure Inspector, a Firebug extension that makes debugging the obfuscated code almost as easy as debugging the human-readable source."

   So it compiles JavaScript into JavaScript and makes it behave more like a statically typed language.

2. A library which contains both widgets and datastructures and algorithms. Sort of the standard library that JavaScript was always missing.
3. A templating system you can use to assemble a user interface.

Since this system has been in use at Google to develop real applications over a long period of time, I expect it to be a fairly robust system. In many ways it solves some of the same problems that GWT is trying to solve, but in a different way.

I'll see if I can kick the tires over the weekend and post about it next week. So many cool tools and frameworks, so little time...

Related posts:

1. The Difference Between a Compiler and a Compressor
2. The awesome state of JavaScript development tools
3. Eight Javascript Code Generators
4. Google Analytics Tracking Component for Flash Platform
5. Does Google Eat its Own Dogfood?

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