Hands-On Sencha Touch 2

Chapter 2. Installation

To start developing Sencha Touch codes, you will need to install the following:

• An integrated development environment (IDE) or text editor
• Modern browser
• Ruby
• Java
• Sencha Cmd 4 or higher
• Web server
• Sencha Touch 2.3

Optionally, there’s an extra set of software that might come in handy. In this chapter, I will explain why you might want these:

• Sass and Compass
• NodeJS
• Adobe PhoneGap and Apache Cordova
• Development SDK

This might look like a long list, but honestly it’s not that complicated and you might have already installed some of them. Let’s take a look at each item, one by one.

Some steps require that you work with the command-line interface (CLI):

• Windows users can open the Command Prompt (Start → Run), type cmd, and press OK.
• Mac users can open the Terminal Applications → Utils → Terminal.

Install the Required Software

Let’s start with the essential software.

IDE or Editor

You will need an editor that has JavaScript syntax highlighting, validation, and formatting to develop Sencha code. I also recommend that your editor include JavaScript syntax checking—for example, JSLint or JSHint. Feel free to use the editor or integrated development environment (IDE) of your choice. Popular editors include Sublime Text, WebStorm, Aptana/Eclipse, and NetBeans. If you have no preference, use one of my favorites:

• Sublime Text for its simplicity
• WebStorm because it has code completion for Sencha frameworks

Tip

Are you deeply in love with Sublime Text like I am? ...