Angular JS might not be the simplest, but it is touted to be one of the hottest JavaScript frameworks out there.
It has a steeper learning curve and is much more complex than more basic frameworks like Vue JS. But in spite of that, AngularJS has seen a soaring rise in the number of downloads and users over the past decade. And shows no signs of slowing down!
Source: https://www.npmtrends.com/@angular/core
And it’s even been given the “tech-giant-stamp-of-approval”, with the likes of Microsoft, Google, Samsung, and even PayPal adopting it.
With so much demand and the high level of skill needed to work with it, hiring a skilled AngularJS developer for your team is no small task.
Since it first went open-source in 2009, AngularJS has seen several updates and new features launched regularly.
Source: https://dev.to/2muchcoffeecom/15-surprising-stats-about-angular-3fh7
And we know, this only makes hiring even more difficult for you.
So we’re here with a simple shortcut to help you separate the fresh-faced novices from the experienced pros.
The solution: A simple test for you to use the next time you are looking to hire an AngularJS developer.
There are 7 key (and trending) features of Angular JS that any skilled developer should be well versed with.
- MVC Framework
- Two-way Data Binding
- POJO Model
- Dependency Injection
- Directives
- Filters (less coding)
- Deep Linking
Now we understand that not everyone is an expert in code talk. Or even understand what these features are.
So to avoid leaving you feeling more confused than ever. Or worse, blindsided by smart-aleck candidates…
In this post, we will take you through what these features really are, and what you developers should know about them.
So without any further ado, let’s dive right in.
1. MVC Architecture
AngularJS offers an easy, versatile, and dynamic Model View Control (MVC) architecture. Its three elements are:
- Model: This is the simplest script and the first level of the pattern, responsible for maintaining the raw data. The data types here are usually booleans, numbers, strings, or objects.
- View: This is responsible for presenting sections of data to the user, based on the controller’s action.
- Controller: This is the link that controls the interaction between Model and View. The controller receives the user input, validates it with the data, and conducts the operations.
With AngularJS, these three sections can be grown independently, and then be automatically consolidated at the end. This powerful feature makes it easier for developers to create customer side web-applications, without extra code to combine.
2. Two-way Data Binding
This wonderful feature reduces the enormous amount of time wasted in writing similar code multiple times.
AngularJS automatically syncs data between the view and the model with two-way data binding. This way you can combine multiple components, with numerous models. And whenever you change an input value for a component, the model automatically updates itself.
As a result, the presentation layer is made very simple, and the UI, incredibly clean.
This feature also helps developers perform complex data manipulations and calculations with ease.
3. POJO Model
Unlike other frameworks, AngularJS uses the more convenient POJO (Plain Old Javascript) objects. This information model offers spontaneous and well-planned objects, which are very easy to use.
Developers can simply create loops of objects and arrays, with the needed properties. Once that is done, they can simply adjust, reframe and play around with them to modify outcomes.
While this is a relatively simple feature to use, you should check to see how aware your developer is of the nuances of POJO.
One easy way to do this is to ask them what a POJO should not have.
(And to keep from hunting up an answer, we’ve got it here for you.)
A POJO should not:
- Extend prespecified classes
- Implement prespecified interfaces
- Contain prespecified annotations
4. Dependency Injection
Dependency Injection (DI) is a software design pattern that allows components to be given dependencies. This reduces the amount of repeated hard coding needed. And hence makes components reusable, maintainable, and testable.
Angular JS offers a unique Dependency Injection mechanism with five core components to use:
- Value
- Factory
- Service
- Provider
- Constant
5. Directives
Essentially, directives are classes that allow you to add additional behavior to elements in the application. And the built-in directives in Angular JS simplify it even further.
You can use them to manage lists, forms, styles, and even what users see.
The three main types of directives, that any developer should be comfortable using, are:
- Components (Template Directives):
These are the most common types of directives. And as their names say, they come with web app templates and help modify template features. - Attribute directives:
These directives change the behavior or appearance of elements and components.
Ex: NgClass, NgStyle, NgModel. - Structural directives:
Finally, directives that allow you to add and remove Document Object Model (DOM) elements. They change the overall DOM layout.
Ex: NgIf, NgFor, NgSwitch
6. Filters
This crucial feature of Angular JS helps you format an expression when it is displayed to the user. Again, AngularJS comes with a set of built-in filters for you to get started with.
The nine most important filters that even a novice developer should be comfortable with are:
- Number
- Currency
- Date
- Uppercase
- Lowercase
- Filter
- orderBy
- Json
- limitTo
Pro tip: The flexibility of the AngularJS platform allows a skilled developer to build their own custom filters as well, so be sure to test for that too.
7. Deep Linking:
A more common feature, deep linking sends users to a specific page without having to go anywhere else along the way.
Deep linking helps index the page and the link on the web. This makes the website more searchable by search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc.
In Angular JS, the deep linking feature allows you to freeze/encode the “state” of a page in the URL, for precise and easy bookmarking.
And that’s a wrap on the 7 trending features you should test for when you hire an AngularJS developer.
Whether you want to incorporate them into a filtering test, or in your interviews is up to you. But either way, your hiring process will get a lot more reliable with these in your bag.
Happy hiring.
