pseudo code for running a complex bb "page"

HeaderView

// now that we have the initial interface built, lets run a search

HeaderView = Backbone.Views.extend({
  template: 'template/path/here',
  
  events: {
    "click #searchButton": "search"
  },

  search: function(e) {
    // set the search results collection's url
    app.searchCollection.url = '/path/to/rest?q='+$('#searchBox').val();
    app.searchFetch = app.searchCollection.fetch();

    app.searchFetch.done(function() {
      // this only executes when the data comes back.
      Tab1View.collection = app.searchCollection;
      Tab1View.render();
    });
  },

  tabSwitch2: function(e) {
    // handle a tab switch -- works just like search, but change the collection and render
  },

  tabSwitch3: function(e) {
    // same as the others, just change the data again
  },

});

main.js

// before you do anything get your data in order (and fetched if need be)
app.searchModel = new Backbone.Model();
app.searchCollection = new Backbone.Collection();

app.menuModel = new Backbone.Model()
app.menuCollection = new Backbone.Collection();

// this one is a bit special. I like to use JQ deferreds to know when data is available, rather then bind to a collection reset.
var menuFetch = menuCollection.fetch();


// main route...
index: function() {
  // get the views you need to make the page

  // keep in mind, that all views should be able to be rendered WITHOUT data...ie: every view 
  // should have model: new Backbone.Model(), so that they can render, and not stop page execution
  HeaderView;
  MenuView;
  ContentView;

    Tab1View;
    Tab2View;
    Tab3View;

  // render everything out to the page
}

Tab1View

Tab1View = Backbone.Views.extend({
  template: 'template/no-results.html', // starts out with no results
  // no model here because this one gets the collection
 
  initialize: function() {
    if (this.collection) {
      // when this loads, there won't be data. don't try to do anything except show a no-results template
      // but if we have a collection, lets render it!
      this.template = 'template/results-list.html';
      this.render();
    }
  }
});