Angular Zen

This chapter serves as an introduction to AngularJS, both the framework and the
project behind it. Firstly we are going to take a brief look at the project itself: who
drives it, where to find the source code and the documentation, how to ask for help,
and so on.

Most of this chapter is filled with introduction to the AngularJS framework, its core
concepts, and coding patterns. There is a lot of material to cover, so to make the
learning process fast and painless, there are plenty of code examples.

AngularJS is a unique framework that without doubt will shape the web
development space in the years to come. This is why the last part of this chapter
explains what makes AngularJS so special, how it compares to other existing
frameworks, and what we can expect from it in the future.

In this chapter we will cover the following topics:

• How to write a simple Hello World application in AngularJS. In the process
  of doing so, you will come to know where to find framework source code,
  its documentation, and community.


• To get familiar with the basic building blocks of any AngularJS application:
  templates with directives, scopes, and controllers.


• To become aware of the AngularJS sophisticated dependency injection
  system with all its nuances.


• To understand how AngularJS compares to other frameworks and libraries
  (especially jQuery) and what makes it so special.