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When it comes to modern front-end web development, how essential are JavaScript Frameworks?

In computer programming, a framework is a foundation over which programmers build their software. A JavaScript framework would provide similar assistance. It provides a set of prewritten code enabling developers to use the framework as a structure for the JavaScript program or application without having to start from scratch. These frameworks are easier to apply as most applications and websites have some common features. Hence, they provide businesses with a great opportunity to reduce their development time and make the task less laborious for the development team.

So, just as the skeleton is important for the support and shape of the human body, JavaScript frameworks are essential for providing a foundation for a given website or application.

When we talk about modern JS frameworks, there are three in particular that we must discuss given their popularity and importance and building scalable interactive web applications.

• Angular
• React
• Vue.js

Let’s dig deep into each of these.

Angular Framework

Developed by Google, Angular is an open-source web application framework written in TypeScript and used for developing single-page applications (SPA).

The features offered by this framework are:

• Free control over adaptability.
• Capability to meet huge data requirements.
• Data binding & Dynamic rendering.
• Simple, declarative, and effective templates (with easier DOM manipulation & two-way binding).
• Instant help and feedback related to Angular with practically every IDE.
• Intuitive API and ability to reuse the code to meet a particular development target.

React Framework

Introduced in 2013, React is a reusable framework created by Facebook. According to Google Trends, React is one of the most popular frameworks. It is ideal for developing interactive user interfaces and offers features like:

• Virtual DOM Model facilitating easy integration with applications.
• Reusable components making website or application development simpler.
• One-way flow of data (more intuitive than bi-directional data binding). 
• Reload feature which allows users to immediately see the applied changes.

Vue.js Framework

A free open-source JavaScript framework, Vue.js is a progressive front-end framework that is approachable and easy to learn. Despite being a relatively new framework, it has already earned popularity due to its various features and is suitable for developing both small and large applications. Vue.js has the following features:

• Reusable codes & predefined options for custom elements.
• Employs an MVVM structural pattern to separate the GUI from the model’s business logic.
• Dual integration mode to build high-end SPA.

Which JS framework is the best?

When it comes to web development, JavaScript continues to be the leading programming language even today. There are several frameworks, other than the three we mentioned, with their unique features, advantages, and drawbacks.

However, out of all of these, there is no “best” JS framework.

Each website or application comes with its own specific requirements which need to be decided before choosing an ideal framework. Remember, each framework has some exclusive features, and it is crucial to evaluate which one matches your requirements best.

When working for our software development clients at Integriti, we first sit down to discuss project requirements and then evaluate each framework accordingly. We also consider a framework’s complexity, learning curve, and compatibility documentation before making a choice.

How to make the right framework choice?

JavaScript frameworks are key to optimizing the entire web development process and saving time, effort, and money. However, there is not one framework that is the perfect match for all projects.

How are you going to make the right framework choice for your project and ensure a more efficient development process?

To find the right framework, you need to consider four factors.

• Existing Toolstack.
• Complexity
• Performance Requirements
• Technical Competence

Let’s explore each of these in detail below.

Existing Toolstack

It is important to make sure that the framework you are considering is compatible with the front-end programming language of the project. For example, if Java or Python is being used then you must select from their respective frameworks.

If you’re looking to apply a framework to a pre-existing site, then more factors come into play. For instance, you need to consider the time and resources needed to build a new website with a framework as opposed to implementing that framework in an already existing code.

Complexity

Some frameworks can support large applications while some are suitable for building SPAs. Hence, you need to understand and evaluate the scope of the project before selecting a framework best suited to your project requirements.

Performance requirements

Another factor that you need to consider is the speed of your website. Some frameworks prioritize quick responses due to their focus on virtual DOM. On the other hand, if your project requires more built-in functions and control then a more robust framework would be a better choice.

Technical Competence

Some JavaScript frameworks are easy to learn and implement while others are more complicated but offer extra features. If you must use a framework soon, then an easy-to-use framework would be a better choice depending upon the proficiency of your team. However, if you are not short on time then a more complex framework can be beneficial in the long run.

When deciding on the right JavaScript framework for your project you might not need to be restricted to one framework. If a project is using microservices architecture, then it might be worthwhile to use multiple frameworks.

These decisions are critical for optimizing your web development process and should be taken after consulting with a tech professional.

Single-page applications

Single-page applications are applications that work inside the browser and do not need page reloading in the course of use. SPAs are part of your everyday use and include examples like Gmail, Google Maps, GitHub, and Facebook. They serve an exceptional UX by trying to replicate a “natural” environment in the browser with no page reloads and extra wait time etc. Basically, it’s one web page that you visit which then loads other content utilizing JavaScript.

SPAs are heavily dependent on JavaScript.

They request the markup and data independently and render pages up front in the browser. We can achieve this by using advanced JavaScript frameworks like Angular (How to hire angular developers), Meteor.js, Ember.js, Knockout.js, etc.

Single-page sites are important in today’s digital age because they help keep the user in a comfortable web space where content is displayed in a simple, easy, and effective manner. They offer a much better user experience as you can easily navigate through content without waiting for the pages to load.

The major distinction between multi-page and single-page applications is that SPAs download the page a single time. SPAs are also much faster in terms of interactivity because when a user interacts with the app, only the required component is modified not the complete application.

Modern JS frameworks are essential in helping business optimize their web development process. They can help you save on time and costs when developing web applications. This is especially true for developing single-page applications (SPAs) which are very much in demand due to the fast speed of operations they offer.

If you are looking for a partner for your front-end development project, get in touch with us here.

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Did you know that the retail e-commerce sales in Canada reached a record of $3.9 billion in May – a 2.3% increase over April & a 99.3% increase over February?

It would be widely inaccurate to assume only the adverse impacts of the pandemic on the retail industry in Canada when also what it did was inexcusably prompt every retailer to adopt digital expression for sales. While there was a threat lurking on the streets by the onset of COVID-19, the consumer decided to virtually shop while the retailers expanded their virtual presence, from the comfort of their homes. Symbiosis at its best.

Year over year, e-commerce sales more than doubled—with a 110.8% increase in comparison to May 2019.

Have a look at the comparative stats on online purchasing, greatly influenced by the pandemic, from Feb 2020 to onwards:  

Online sales of household appliances such as electronics, building materials, and DIY have rocketed since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Canada. Sales within this sector increased by 625% between March 11 and May 3, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.

How Ecommerce Will Change the Canadian Retail Industry

Canadian federal agency stated that small businesses increasingly turned to e-commerce platforms by the onset of COVID-19 and are still turning to use these platforms in innovative ways. And this shall continue to do so from now onwards by virtue of this immediate transition. And the degree to which the Canadian consumers continue to choose e-commerce buying options or going back to previous purchasing methods possess the potential to restructure the retail trade industry in Canada. Clearly, the retail landscape is further expected to evolve.

Online purchasing has become the new normal for the consumers, so it seems. And all for the right reasons – the consumer comfortably buys the objects of their need without having to leave their house and the retailers shift toward making their online stores more useful and functional.

Challenges for the Retailers

Having said that, e-commerce certainly made an abrupt shift and capitalized on the opportunity. But the rate at which COVID-19 accelerated digital fulfilment in the Canadian retail industry, it also created an increasing demand for tech talent and IT expertise to run the e-commerce stores.

Ecommerce software developers and engineers have contributed to keep all the digital platforms we rely on run smoothly. Many businesses also counted on online sales during this period of social distancing. Developers helped businesses ramp up their e-commerce opportunities, debug and troubleshoot existing platforms, and also to build more enterprise tools in order to help employers transition their workforce to work from home.  

While it became difficult for hiring agencies to combat the scarcity of tech talent in Canada, the opportunities expanded for more tech in the e-commerce industry, resulting in competition and further demand. COVID-19 may have deprived many of jobs in these tragic times, but it also has sprung a plethora of opportunities that only a genius can place and grow from. In short, e-commerce is the need of the hour and it’s best to realize this now.

7 errors encountered while migrating, and how to fix them!

As newer versions of Magento are released from time to time, merchants seek out a smooth upgradation process.

Magento 2 was released in 2015 with revamped architecture and exciting new features. Magento 2 is now considered the top choice of eCommerce business owners. As Magento 1’s popularity diminishes and Magento 2 takes its place instead, businesses enlist migration services. The process of migration is not always smooth and can prove to be a challenge for some businesses.

The Data Migration Tool (DMT) is a command-line interface used for migrating data from one Magento version to another. This tool verifies consistency between database structures, tracks the transfer progress, verifies tests and creates logs.

The tool operates in 3 modes which are shown in Figure 1.

1. Settings Mode  

Manages and migrates configuration settings 

2. Data Mode  

Migrates data in bulk to the destination database  

3. Delta Mode  

Transfers incremental data updates to Magento storefront and admin panel while running previous migration modes  

Before we discuss the issues faced while migrating, let’s briefly talk about the process of migration itself.  

You can make a backup of your data with the following command: 

mysqldump -uadmin  -p databasename target> databasename target.sql

In order to initiate the migration, you will use the following command:  

bin/magento migrate:data [-r|–reset] [-a|–auto] {<path to config.xml>}

Now that we have covered the basics of getting started with migration, let’s move on to explore some of the most frequent issues faced when using DMT, and how you can solve them!  

1. Mapping Issue with Fields and Source Documents  

Have you ever seen the following error show up on your screen while migrating?  

• bash Source documents are not mapped: <EXTENSION_TABLE> 

• bash Source fields are not mapped. Document: <EXTENSION_TABLE>. Fields: <EXTENSION_FIELD> 

An error like this appears when the Data Migration Tool is trying to check for consistency between the source and destination databases. Internal tests are run to check for data consistency between tables and fields. Instead of the word ‘Source’ in the error message, you may also see the word ‘Destination’ which implies the same problem.  

Solution   

To resolve this error, here are some practical solutions you can adopt:  

1. Configure the Data Migration Tool  
   Executing the –a argument will help auto-resolve errors and will ensure that the migration does not stop  

2. You may also choose to ignore database entities that are not needed by adding <ignore> tag to the entity in the map.xml file  

Here is how you can insert the <ignore> tag:  

...     
         
             
...             
             
                 
sales_flat_invoice_grid             
             
             
                 
sales_flat_order_address.address_id             
             
...         
     
     
... 

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2. Classes not mapped in records

While migrating an error like this may also appear: 

Class <extension/class_name> is not mapped in record <attribute_id=196>

This error occurs at the Entity Attribute Value migration step. Usually, it is due to the missing class of an extension.  

Solution 

You resolve this error, you can:  

1. Reinstall the existing extension 

2. In the eav-attribute-groups.xml.dist, add the attribute that causes this error to <ignore> 

3. Add class mapping using class-map.xml.dist file  

3. Foreign Key Constraint Failure  

You may also encounter an error like this:  

Foreign key <KEY_NAME> constraint fails on source database. Orphan records id: <id_1>, <id_2> from <child_table>.<field_id> has no referenced records in <parent_table>

This occurs when there are missing database records in the parent_table, to which the field_id of the child_table is pointing to.  

Solution  

Some viable solutions for this can be:  

1. Delete the records from the child_table if not needed. 

2. Disable the Data Integrity step by modifying the DMT’s config.xml.

4. URL Rewrite Duplication  

There are duplicates in URL rewrites: 

Request path: towel.html Store ID: 2 Target path: catalog/product/view/id/10 

Request path: towel.html Store ID: 2 Target path: catalog/product/view/id/12 

The above error occurs when two entries use the same request path and store ID pair but with two different target path values. The target path in a URL must be specified by a unique pair of request path + store ID.  

Solution 

Resolution to this can be to enable the auto_resolve_url_rewrite_duplicates in the config.xml file. This configuration adds a hash-string to the conflicting records of URL rewrite and shows the resolution result in the command line interface.  

5. Entity Mismatch  

Mismatch of entities in the document: <DOCUMENT> Source:

Mismatch of entities in the document: <DOCUMENT> Source: 




<COUNT_ITEMS_IN_SOURCE_TABLE> 



Destination: <COUNT_ITEMS_IN_DESTINATION_TABLE> 

This error usually shows up when a customer places an order while the store is under active migration. To be precise, this occurs during the volume check setup (the stages are shown in Figure 2 below). This is when the Adobe Commerce database record encounters a mismatch between the original destination, and the final destination. It is common when a store is under migration for the website to say so and not take any orders. But some stores do allow orders to be compiled, and as soon as migration is done, those orders are automatically given the status of placed orders.   

Solution  

A possible solution to resolve this error would be to run the Data Migration Tool in delta mode to transfer incremental changes. 

6. Deltalog not installed  

You may encounter this error as well:  

Deltalog for <TABLE_NAME> is not installed 

This means that deltalog tables (with prefix m2_c1_*) were not found. Data Migration Tool (DMT) installs these tables during data migration as well as database triggers which track changes and fill deltalog tables.  

Encountering this error means that you are trying to migrate from a copy of the store and not the live store itself. Copy does not contain triggers and deltalogs needed to complete delta migration therefore resulting in a failure. 

Solution  

To troubleshoot this, testing of the migration process needs to be done. A specialized team is responsible for carrying out testing and the process usually entails scoping, dependencies/interactions, test cases, non-functional testing, and functional application tests.  

Here are some important arguments for migration configuration:  

bin/magento migrate:settings [-r|–reset] {<path to config.xml>}

[-r|–reset] stands for an optional argument that starts the migration from the beginning, which can be used for testing migration. 

[-a|–auto] is also an options argument that prevents the migration from stopping if it encounters integrity check errors. 

{<path to config.xml>} is the absolute file system path to the migration tool’s config.xml file: this argument is required. 

7. MySQL Packets 

MySQLError1153 – got a packet bigger than ‘max_allowed_packet’ bytes 

This error occurs when MySQL is running in default settings.  

Solution 

To solve this error, use the following steps.  

1. For the client, specify the following command: 

mysql –max_allowed_packet=100M -u root -p database < dump.sql

2. Change the my.cnf or my.ini file (usually found in /etc/mysql/) under the mysqld section and set:  

max_allowed_packet=100M 

You can also use the MySQL console to log these commands:  

set global net_buffer_length=1000000;  

set global max_allowed_packet=1000000000;

We have discussed 7 common errors that one can encounter while upgrading Magento versions and migrating data. If you are considering migrating your own e-store to Magento or if you are considering upgrading your Magento version, it’s better to discuss with experts who have hands-on experience.  

At Integriti, we have a capable team of web developers who can make your migration process smoother! Explore our Magento development services here.    

Are you feeling stressed out about your next tech interview?

A technical interview is a demanding and specialized process where candidates are tested on their coding and problem-solving skills as well as soft skills and personality. This can be quite a stressful experience for candidates, especially where whiteboard interviews are concerned. As an award-winning IT services provider, we want to share our expertise and offer guidance on how to shine in your next technical interview.

Smart practice

It is extremely important to research and practice common coding challenges and tech interview questions beforehand. Familiarity with the type of problems you are likely to encounter in the interview will help in improving your confidence in your knowledge. We recommend practicing coding without the help of a code editor. Also, consider timing yourself to get accustomed to the time pressure. Remember, creating a more realistic scenario makes the preparation more effective.

Don’t panic

In technical interviews, interviewers are not just evaluating how a candidate breaks down a problem but are also interested in analyzing how they debug a problem. So, if there is an error with your code, do not panic! Avoid thrashing the code in desperation and maintain your logical flow. Treat your mistake as an opportunity to impress the interviewer.

Communicate

While completing your coding challenges, it is recommended to communicate your thought process to the recruiters. Good Interviewers are not always looking for completely accurate solutions. Instead, they are more concerned with your critical thinking abilities and tech fundamentals. It is recommended to talk out loud while solving the problem to avoid losing out on the position due to a minor blunder. Remember most interviews are designed to test the basic requirement of a job. While recruiters will not try to pull additional information out of you, we encourage our candidates to share their expertise and knowledge organically in the interview.

Recruiters often write off good candidates by citing reasons like technical skills gap. Hence, candidates need to exhibit their technical expertise effectively. We hope these suggestions can assist job seekers in out-performing their next tech interview.

If you have any additional queries or are interested in collaborating, contact us now!

All code is guilty until proven innocent.

Do you know that the cost of a defect increases by an order of magnitude for each consecutive stage of the software development cycle?

This means that discovering bugs earlier can significantly save money in terms of the effort of the technical teams and can lead to better ROI. Moreover, once issues are allowed to reach the production stage, they become more difficult to diagnose and solve.

In order to execute the project on time and within budget, preventing errors is better than fixing them. One great asset in identifying issues early on is a rigorous code review process. Code Review is the practice of systematically convening with one’s fellow programmers to check each other’s code for defects and has been shown to boost code quality and streamline the software development process. Moreover, it is also a great way to facilitate cross-training, mentoring, and learning among developers. 

Coding Sans’s State of Software Development in 2018 report highlighted that 67.66% of software developers utilized peer code review to safeguard code quality. Additionally, that percentage is even higher among successful software developers; 73.53% of the top developers employ this practice. Despite its virtues, many people still often turn a blind eye to peer code reviews as they perceive performance testing to be adequate for validation. However, neglecting code reviewing can result in severe consequences for your project delivery.

So why are code reviews critical in executing software development smoothly? Here are four ways in which peer code reviews can add value to your IT project:

• Code Quality And Defect Detection
• Strong Collaboration And Knowledge Exchange
• Streamlined Testing and Development
• Enhanced Project Delivery

High Code Quality 

Code reviews promise high quality as issues and errors are resolved before they skyrocket out of control. These inspections build quality into your process with excellent ROI and can reduce defects in your code by around 80%. Reviews also bring about consistency in meeting coding standards and project requirements. It improves the quality of code by concentrating on readability, maintainability, complexity, performance, and duplicated code.

Any discussion and collaboration on code will inherently improve readability. Also, a comprehensive review process will result in the style of code becoming similar in the team. This code standardization will provide for enhanced readability with superior support and maintenance. Developers also bring in their A-game and are more likely to write clean and concise code if they’re aware that their co-workers would be reviewing it. 

Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

All projects have unwritten rules and implicit understandings often referred to as “institutional” or “tribal” knowledge. Code review can facilitate the transfer of this knowledge from an expert professional to a new team member. This knowledge-sharing between team encourages internal learning and presents opportunities for mentoring junior team members. With the mentor directly reviewing his junior’s work but the junior developer examining the senior’s code, junior team members’ progress will be accelerated.

Collaboration between developers along with code standardization will bolster team productivity. This will reduce schedule delays if a team member is unavailable as any developer can take up the reins and continue steering the ship. Good reviews also encourage the development of T-shape professionals. These are individuals who are specialists in one area but have enough knowledge in the other domains to assist the continuous flow of the software development process.

Improved Testing & Development

Code reviews also take into account whether the code has well-designed automated tests or not. Moreover, optimizing code and consistently meeting standards will bear fruit in the form of a source code that is easier to understand for testers and specialists. Also, discovering bugs early on will help save time and money as there will be fewer delays in development due to further testing and revisions.

When the QA team gets involved in the code reviewing process, both the programming knowledge of quality analysts and the communication between teams will be improved significantly. Testers will know what part of the code defines a particular functionality of the project, therefore strengthening teamwork.

Effective Project Delivery

Every software project starts with a well-defined scope and requirements. There’s a high chance of a developer misinterpreting one of these requirements and creating a useless feature. An effective code review process will validate the developed feature against the expected one. This verifies developed features and guarantees that all misinterpretations associated with the project scope or requirements are addressed at the earliest.

Employing a consistent coding pattern and better documentation under code reviewing will make it convenient for developers to analyze existing code. This will help the project stay on track as developers will be spending more time adding features or upgrading existing ones. Also, this will benefit in the long run as well as it will be easier to onboard new developers to the project. Technical collaboration via code reviews also results in better estimates and project planning.

Conclusion

Overall, the peer code review process remains a critical stage in the software development lifecycle and can play a key role in enhancing the quality of code, team collaboration, and project delivery. When done right, it is a great tool to not only streamline development but also reduce the effort needed by the development team. Moreover, software testing alone has limited efficacy in defect detection. In his book, Code Complete, Steve McConnel reports that the average bug detection rate is 25% for unit testing, 35% for function testing, and 45% for integration testing. In comparison, design and code inspections have an average defect detection rate of 55% and 60%. These reviews are also crucial in establishing consistency in the source code and enabling superior testing and smoother integration. By mitigating errors, code reviews ensure the delivery of high-value solutions to clients on budget and time.