The main SPEAK .js file contains a lot of very useful helpers that you can use in your own applications and components. To remind you, the PageCode component uses require.js to load in a bunch of scripts. The Sitecore .js file is highlighted below.

(function (global) {
  require.config({
    baseUrl: "/sitecore/shell/client/Speak/Assets",
    paths: {
      jquery: "lib/core/deps/jQuery/jquery-1.10.2",
      underscore: "lib/core/deps/underscore/underscore.1.4.4",
      knockout: "lib/core/deps/ko/knockout-2.2.1",
      backbone: "lib/core/deps/backbone/backbone.1.0.0",
      sitecore: "lib/core/sitecore-1.0.2",
      sitecorify: "css/sitecorify",
      bootstrap: "lib/ui/bootstrap",    
      jqueryui: "lib/ui/deps/jQueryUI/jquery-ui-1.10.1.custom",
      dynatree: "lib/ui/deps/DynaTree/jquery.dynatree-1.2.4",
      dynatreecss: "lib/ui/deps/DynaTree/skin-vista/ui.dynatree"
    },
    shim: {
      'jquery': { exports: 'jQuery' },
      'jqueryui': { deps: ['jquery'] },
      'underscore': { exports: '_' },
      'knockout': { deps: ['underscore'], exports: 'ko' },
      'backbone': { deps: ['jquery', 'underscore'], exports: 'Backbone' },
      'sitecore': { deps: ['backbone', 'knockout'], exports: 'Sitecore' },
      'dynatree': { deps: ['jqueryui'/*, 'css!dynatreecss'*/] }
    },
    map: {
      '*': {
        'css': 'lib/core/deps/css'
      }
    }
  });
 
  require(["sitecore"], function (_sc) {
    _sc.load(global);
  });
})(this);

The sitecore module is used by all page code (and presumably all components). To remind you, here is the first line of my page code from part 5:

define(["sitecore", "jquery"], function (Sitecore, jQuery) {

As you can see, the sitecore module is injected into the function as Sitecore (you could just as easily have called it _sc, sc, scspeak). It’s this magical object that will give you access to a bunch of really useful helpers. Let’s have a look at what’s available (from somewhere in the depths of sitecore-1.0.2.js):

_.extend(_sc, {
  Helpers: {
    url: urlHelper,
    date: dateHelper,
    id: idHelper,
    string: stringHelper,
    object: objectHelper,
    invocation: invocationHelper,
    overlay: overlayHelper,
    window: windowHelper
  }
});
 
_sc.Helpers.window.init();

You can use the helpers in your own application. Below is a list of some of the helpers (I isolated the ones I felt were most useful):

Sitecore.Helpers.url

combine

Combine two ‘URL’ strings – will put a leading / in front of everything, so shouldn’t be used with domains.

var combined = Sitecore.Helpers.url.combine('/my/path/to/something/', 'else');

isParameterNameAlreadyInUrl

var url = "http://www.mhwelander.net/?isSwedish=true;
var isInUrl = Sitecore.Helpers.url.isParameterNameAlreadyInUrl(url, 'isSwedish');

addQueryParameters

var originalUrl = "https://mhwelander.net/";
var processedUrl = Sitecore.Helpers.url.addQueryParameters(originalUrl, {
    isSwedish: true
  });

getQueryParameters

var parameter = Sitecore.Helpers.url.getQueryParameters(window.location.href)['parametername'];

Sitecore.Helpers.id

isId

The following will return true:

var isId = Sitecore.Helpers.id.isId('{EDF76D4D-E94B-4BAA-8CC7-AADCBB33092E}');

toId

This accepts a string formatted as a short ID, which is basically a GUID without the ’, ’, and ’-’ characters:

var isId = Sitecore.Helpers.id.toId('EDF76D4DE94B4BAA8CC7AADCBB33092E');

toShortId

This accepts a string formatted as a GUID:

var isId = Sitecore.Helpers.id.toShortId('{EDF76D4D-E94B-4BAA-8CC7-AADCBB33092E}');

Sitecore.Helpers.string

endsWith

The following returns true:

var endsWithWelander = Sitecore.Helpers.string.endsWith('Martina Welander', 'Welander');

equals

The following returns true(not case sensitive):

var equalsMartinaWelander = Sitecore.Helpers.string.equals('Martina Welander', 'Martina Welander');

format

Works a bit like String.Format – use sparingly:

var formattedString = Sitecore.Helpers.string.format('{0}, {1}', 'Welander', 'Martina');

Sitecore.Helpers.object

getOwnProperties

The following returns an array of properties:

var person = { name: 'Martina Welander', nationality: 'Swedish', occupation: 'SPEAK minion' };
var arrayOfProperties = Sitecore.Helpers.object.getOwnProperties(person);

There are others – you can test them all out by using your browser’s developer tools. The main application is available as _sc in your browser console.