When I was an active developer, I would spend any time left reading developer books or websites, and I had the privilege of learning from great experts such as Wouter de Kort in Programming in C#, Robert C. Martin in Clean Code and The Clean Coder, Chris O’Brien at sharepointnutsandbolts.com, and so on. I always saw this as an opportunity to have 1:1 time with these experts, where they were sharing their thoughts and we could learn from their experiences. As a manager, I would then recommend these books and articles to my reports.

Practical SharePoint Framework (SPFx) Development is a great opportunity for you to learn from two tech professionals, Anoop and Franck Cornu, on a topic where both are truly experts. I had the pleasure of reading this book prior to its launch on June 27, and I want to briefly share some thoughts.

What I like about this book

Anoop and Franck explain how to get started with SPFx development by providing real-world examples, which makes it easier for readers to follow and understand the content. The book provides an end-to-end overview of SPFx development, covering not only the basics but also more advanced aspects, making it valuable even for professional developers.

I also liked the many screenshots that help readers quickly connect the written text with the actual applications, making the context more tangible. Plus, the code snippets included throughout the book make it easy for readers to transfer the knowledge into their own IDEs and experiment hands-on.

Anoop and Franck don’t jump straight into the technical details. The content is well-structured, and the authors take the time to introduce each topic before diving deeper. For example, when covering how to write tests with SPFx, they first explain why testing is important before going into the practical implementation. The summaries at the end of each chapter also help reinforce key takeaways, making it easier to consolidate what you've learned.

Why you should read this book

Whether you're new to SPFx or already working with it, the Practical SharePoint Framework (SPFx) Development book offers clear, practical guidance that will help you improve your understanding and sharpen your SPFx development skills. Anoop and Franck not only cover the "how," but also the "why" behind best practices and many other aspects of SPFx development.

Closing thoughts

If you’re looking for an excellent guide that goes well beyond Microsoft’s official documentation and provides practical, experience-based content on SPFx development, I can highly recommend this book. It’s one of those resources that you don’t just read; you code while reading.

Thanks for reading,
Jarbas