gistfile1.txt

var TodoItem = Backbone.Model.extend({});


var TodoView = Backbone.View.extend({
  render: function(){
    var html = '<h3>' + this.model.get('description') + '</h3>'
    this.$el.html(html);
    return this;
  }
});

var todoItem = new TodoItem( 
  { description: "Pick up milk",
  status: "incomplete",
  id: 1 }
);

var todoView = new TodoView({ model: todoItem })

console.log(todoView.el);

Check out this file - https://github.com/clamstew/backbone-todo-app/blob/master/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/todo-list-view.js

Basically, when you created a new instance of the View object, you need to pass it an "el" or it won't know where to put things on the DOM.

So something like:

var TodoItem = Backbone.Model.extend({});

var todoItem = new TodoItem({ 
  description: "Pick up milk",
  status: "incomplete",
  id: 1
});

var TodoView = Backbone.View.extend({
  render: function(){
    var html = '<h3>' + this.model.get('description') + '</h3>'
    this.$el.html(html);
    return this;
  }
});

var todoView = new TodoView({ 
  model: todoItem, 
  el: ".main" // <-------------------- here
});

console.log(todoView.el);