Elm in Action

Elm is more than just a cutting-edge programming language, it’s a chance to upgrade the way you think about building web applications. Once you get comfortable with Elm’s refreshingly different approach to application development, you’ll be working with a clean syntax, dependable libraries, and a delightful compiler that essentially eliminates runtime exceptions. Elm compiles to JavaScript, so your code runs in any browser, and Elm’s best-in-class rendering speed will knock your socks off. Let’s get started!

About the technology

Simply put, the Elm programming language transforms the way you think about frontend web development. Elm’s legendary compiler is an incredible assistant, giving you the precise and user-friendly support you need to work efficiently. Elm applications have small bundle sizes that run faster than JavaScript frameworks and are famously easy to maintain as they grow. The catch? Elm isn’t JavaScript, so you’ll have some new skills to learn.

About the book

Elm in Action teaches you the Elm language along with a new approach to coding frontend applications. Chapter by chapter, you’ll create a full-featured photo-browsing app, learning as you go about Elm’s modular architecture, Elm testing, and how to work seamlessly with your favorite JavaScript libraries. You’ll especially appreciate author and Elm core team member Richard Feldman’s unique insights, based on his thousands of hours writing production code in Elm. When you’re done, you’ll have a toolbox of new development skills and a stunning web app for your portfolio.

What’s inside

• Scalable design for production web applications
• Single-page applications in Elm
• Data modeling in Elm
• Accessing JavaScript from Elm

About the reader

For web developers with no prior experience in Elm or functional programming.

Review

“This is the definitive book to learn Elm!”–Ubaldo Pescatore, Generali”A solid, evenly paced introduction to the Elm language as well as the fundamentals of functional programming.”–Daniel Carl, Oatey”If you are looking to learn Elm, this book is a must-have. Richard is a master instructor and the best ambassador for the Elm ecosystem.”–Tahir Awan, Saudi Aramco”A practical introduction to Elm grounded in a thorough and well-developed elaboration of the Elm Architecture.”–Jake Romer, Bike Index

Table of Contents

PART 1 – GETTING STARTED

1. Welcome to Elm

2. Your first Elm application

3. Compiler as assistant

PART 2 – PRODUCTION-GRADE ELM

4. Talking to servers

5. Talking to JavaScript

6. Testing

PART 3 – BUILDING BIGGER

7. Data modeling

8. Single-page applications

About the Author

Richard Feldman is a programmer and entrepreneur who loves to push the limits of browser-based programming. He’s a front-end engineer at NoRedInk and a well-known member of the Elm community.