Backbone.js with non RESTful app? (is Backbone.js right for my current project?)

Question

I'm trying to figure out if Backbone.js is the right framework for my current project: a visualization app.

I have a number of questions:

1) State / Routing?

As this is not your typical RESTful app, but rather a visualization application with various chart types and settings for these charts, how do i maintain state in the URL? Let's say my areaChart model has a number of defaults like this:

AreaChartModel = Backbone.Model.extend({
    defaults: {
        selectedCountries: [],
        year: 1970,
        stacked: false
    },
    initialize: function(){
        [...]
    }
});

On an update to the model I'd like to serialize some of these attributes so that I can bookmark the specific state: chartApp.html#!year=1970&stacked=false etc.

And vice-versa, when initing the app with this state, how do I "deparam" the url state and set the model? Can I use Backbone's intrinsic routing?

2) Controller and coupling?

It seems as Backbone has a pretty tight view-model coupling? Is this really how I should bind for example my areaChartView to the model?

AreaChartView = Backbone.View.extend({
    initialize: function(){
        areaChartModel.bind("change:year", this.render);
    }
});

Isn't this normally the role of the controller?

3) Continuation: Model vs. Controller?

Given this scenario:

A change in the "Sidebar" should trigger a sequence of functions:
1) "New data for the current selection should be loaded"
2) "Based on this data, the scales in the Visualization view should be updated"
3) "The visualization view should be rendered"

Where should I place these functions and how can I create an event in the model that I trigger when the state is stable? (i.e. when all the functions have been invoked and it's time to set the view states?)

Answer 1

1) I would use Backbone.js native routing as much as possible using “:params” and “*splats” , read more. You could fit all your queries into the Backbone.js routing but I would personally sacrifice certain things in favor of intuitive UI buttons

e.g. I would have the default as a line bar and you can't preset this with the URL but to change to a stacked graph would be a simple click of a button.

I would probably stray from ever using ? and & in my URL's. I might come back to this point later as it is interesting.

2) Your example is fine and you just need to remember Backbone.js MVC terminology doesn't correlate to traditional MVC.

Backbone Views are essentially the Controller in traditional MVC. Backbone Controllers are simply a way of routing inside a framework. The templating engine you use with Backbone.js is the traditional MVC view.

3) Still writing