symfony2 + javascript framework

Question

My quick question is, should I begin using a javascript framework at the same time that I build my project with symfony or can I do it later without major troubles?

I have a small project of one page app written in flat PHP and jquery. Now I'm trying to port my project to symfony and I would like to use a javascript framework too. After one month of learning symfony I think that I begin to understand how it works, but I have a mess in my head with all those javascript frameworks available. I think that is better to focus all my attention to symfony and once I fully understand how it works try to use a framework for javascript.

But I'm afraid of using a javascript framework implies changing a lot of my symfony code and twig templates. Right now, I'm using repositories and services to get data for the controller and then return it to javascript in JSON format. I understand that this shouldn't change (at least the part where I get the data) but I read some articles of people using bundles like FOSRestBundle and JMSSerializerBundle to return the data and using templates from javascript like mustache to render it, so I'm a little confused and I don't know if this will be a big change or if this is needed between symfony and javacript framework.

EDIT:

When I say javascript framework I'm talking about a combination of backbone + chaplin or marionette, for example. I think that jquery is just a library, not a framework, and backbone needs jquery to work.

Answer 1

All websites are completed by JS now, to be more user friendly and interactive, so yes of course you can use JQuery right now, from the beginning of your project because if you don't you will lose time by refactoring your actions to works with JS interactions and callback !

In addition, it will learn you how to manage JS in a Symfony project. You are free to use a vendor bundle or not to return JSON. You can simply do like that :

// action :

public function myAjaxAction()
{
    // do something

    return new Response(
        json_encode(
            array(
                'success' => 0,
                'error' => 'No image found.
            )
    ));
}

And to finish, some documentation of Symfony2 use JQuery, like this : http://symfony.com/doc/current/cookbook/form/form_collections.html

So yes you can use JQuery now !

Answer 2

I'm not getting you. If you want to convert flat JS into JS framework in the future, why don't you use that from now on? From my experience, it's not easy work to convert your js(jquery way) into REAL Backbone way. Because you need to reconstruct all of your js code, even symfony code.

Though it's harder to use two new kind of technologies for you, I think you should try it.

Answer 3

Yes, you can use it very easily. Symfony is mostly for backend. You can put in Backbonejs or Angularjs for front-end stuff.