The coServ Block Programming Guide

Block is the cornerstone of every coServ web applications (websites). Most of the time developing a coServ-based application is nothing more than developing blocks. In this guide, we'll help you to unleash the power of block programming.

As a short introduction, a block is a HTML fragment which is self-contained. On coServ, web pages are composed of blocks and each block can itself be composed of smaller blocks. coServ wraps blocks with a protection tag so it can support transparent CSS encapsulation. By transparent we mean developers don't have to write any platform specific directives. It just happens automatically for developers. Blocks also make HTML refactoring possible which can help developers effectively harness the otherwise monolithic HTML codes.

To design a block, it can be broken down to the following steps:

• defining a block
• designing its view
• implement the block controller
• implement the data model

Not every step is required. In the following chapters, we'll explore those topics one by one.

We'll assume you know the basics of coServ. If you just get to know coServ, it's recommended to read the coServ Developer Guide before you dive into this block programming guide.