I use jQuery for my projects. However, I examined a JavaScript library, Ext JS. So I want to make a decision for my project. My need is I will make an administrator console which requires graphics and connected to REST URLs to get source via JSON.
jQuery is a nice and robust library. I know how to code with it (I am not an expert). However, it doesn’t have good libraries that I can reach easily as like Ext JS.
Ext JS is nice, but I don’t know how to code with it. However, it has a nice designer: Ext JS Designer and designing is a problem for me.
So I can use jQuery or jQuery plus Ext JS or Ext JS plus Ext JS Designer or Ext JS plus Ext JS Designer plus jQuery or jQuery plus any other good chart libraries as like High Charts..?
Which combination fits my needs?
I have developed two large projects (aka CRM). First on the pure Ext JS, the second on jQuery with lots of plug-ins. After a time I needed to add new features to the first and the second. In the second I have used the new jQuery plugin, which was required jQuery 1.6, but after update stopped working a few old ones. Support them has been discontinued, so I had to rewrite them to support new version of core library. The first project took me to change the visual part, but the project was built on the Ext JS, using a special theme, and the complement was beyond the scope of this, it was required to expend additional time to implement this custom functionality.
If the project is homogeneous, both the design and functionality, Ext JS is much easier, especially for support. Documentation is concentrated in one place and this documentation is the best of all for me. But if you want to change something on the fly, if the design requires a lot of non-uniform pieces, then jQuery will be more flexible.
If I had such a requirement, like you, I would choose Ext JS + Ext Designer, using the Ext MVC architecture. As alternative jQuery + jQuery Templates + jQuery UI + backbone.js and as minimum third-party plugins as possible.