What is the proper way to emit an event with socket.io? - node.js

I want to emit an event to the client when a long fucntion comes to an end.
This will show a hidden div with a link - on the client side.
This is the approach i tested:
//server.js
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
var http = require('http').Server(app);
var io = require('socket.io')(http);
require('./app/routes.js')(app, io);
//routes.js
app.post('/pst', function(req, res) {
var url = req.body.convo;
res.render('processing.ejs');
myAsyncFunction(url).then(result => {
console.log('Async Function completed');
socket.emit('dlReady', { description: 'Your file is ready!'});
//do some other stuff here
}).catch(err => {
console.log(err);
res.render('error.ejs');
})
});
I get this
ERROR: ReferenceError: socket is not defined
If i change the socket.emit() line to this:
io.on('connection', function(socket) {
socket.emit('dlReady', { description: 'Your file is ready!'});
});
Then i don't receive an error, but nothing happens at the client.
This is the client code:
<script>
document.querySelector('.container2').style.display = "none";
var socket = io();
socket.on('dlReady', function(data) { //When you receive dlReady event from socket.io, show the link part
document.querySelector('.container1').style.display = "none";
document.querySelector('.container2').style.display = "block";
});
</script>

This whole concept is likely a bit flawed. Let me state some facts about this environment that you must fully understand before you can follow what needs to happen:
When the browser does a POST, there's an existing page in the browser that issues the post.
If that POST is issued from a form post (not a post from Javascript in the page), then when you send back the response with res.render(), the browser will close down the previous page and render the new page.
Any socket.io connection from the previous page will be closed. If the new page from the res.render() has Javascript in it, when that Javascript runs, it may or may not create a new socket.io connection to your server. In any case, that won't happen until some time AFTER the res.render() is called as the browser has to receive the new page, parse it, then run the Javascript in it which has to then connect socket.io to your server again.
Remember that servers handle lots of clients. They are a one-to-many environment. So, you could easily have hundreds or thousands of clients that all have a socket.io connection to your server. So, your server can never assume there is ONE socket.io connection and sending to that one connection will go to a particular page. The server must keep track of N socket.io connections.
If the server ever wants to emit to a particular page, it has to create a means of figuring out which exact socket.io connect belongs to the page that it is trying to emit to, get that particular socket and call socket.emit() only on that particular socket. The server can never do this by creating some server-wide variable named socket and using that. A multi-user server can never do that.
The usual way to "track" a given client as it returns time after time to a server is by setting a unique cookie when the client first connects to your server. From then on, every connection from that client to your server (until the cookie expires or is somehow deleted by the browser) whether the client is connection for an http request or is making a socket.io connection (which also starts with an http request) will present the cookie and you can then tell which client it is from that cookie.
So, my understanding of your problem is that you'd like to get a form POST from the client, return back to the client a rendered processing.ejs and then sometime later, you'd like to communicate with that rendered page in the client via socket.io. To do that, the following steps must occur.
Whenever the client makes the POST to your server, you must make sure there is a unique cookie sent back to that client. If the cookie already exists, you can leave it. If it does not exist, you must create a new one. This can be done manually, or you can use express-session to do it for you. I'd suggest using express-session because it will make the following steps easier and I will outline steps assuming you are using express-session.
Your processing.ejs page must have Javascript in it that makes a socket.io connection to your server and registers a message listener for your "dlready" message that your server will emit.
You will need a top-level io.on('connection', ...) on your server that puts the socket into the session object. Because the client can connect from multiple tabs, if you don't want that to cause trouble, you probably have to maintain an array of sockets in the session object.
You will need a socket.on('disconnect', ...) handler on your server that can remove a socket from the session object it's been stored in when it disconnects.
In your app.post() handler, when you are ready to send the dlready message, you will have to find the appropriate socket for that browser in the session object for that page and emit to that socket(s). If there are none because the page you rendered has not yet connected, you will have to wait for it to connect (this is tricky to do efficiently).
If the POST request comes in from Javascript in the page rather than from a form post, then things are slightly simpler because the browser won't close the current page and start a new page and thus the current socket.io connection will stay connected. You could still completely change the page visuals using client-side Javascript if you wanted. I would recommend this option.

Related

Wait for socket connection to establish (when changing page path), till sending router data to the user

I need the socket connection to establish before I can send data from the route to the user (otherwise it is not possible).
In app.js file I have socket connection logic:
app.use(function(req, res, next)
{
req.sio = sio;
next();
});
sio.on('connection',
function(soc)
{
console.log('socket connected');
soc.on('disconnect', function(reason)
{
console.log('socket disconnected');
});
// and more about socket connection here...
});
In index.js file I have route.post logic:
router.post('/route1', function(req, res, next) // user is moved from index.js to route1.js if he fills the form
{
var fromInput = req.body.form_name;
console.log('DATA passed from INDEX.JS: ' + formInput);
if ((formInput !== '') && (formInput !== null) && (formInput !== undefined))
{
function render()
{
//// first we render the page, so the javascript (with socket.io notes) can be read it and then the browser know that socket connection should be established
return new Promise(function(resolve, reject)
{
resolve(res.render('route1'));
});
}
// I need to pass some data AFTER the socked connection is established - cause I move to a different page path - using a **router.post** and cause of that socket connection is disconnected - so I need to wait till its usable again. For simplicity let suppose socket connection is established after 2 seconds (it is a simple check for req.soc.connected):
var soc = false;
setTimeout(function()
{
soc = true; // after 2 sec soc is true (connection is established)
}, 2000);
// Now I want to create an interval that will monitor IF socket connection is established every 100ms (so checking won't happen to often - it is not "resource hungry"). If socket connection is not ready the function should call it self (recursion) if the socket connection is established it (function) should fire a promise.
var arr = [];
arr.push(exe(100, data));
function exe(delay, d)
{
d = data;
return new Promise(function(resolve)
{
if (d === false)
{
setTimeout(function()
{
console.log('wait another ' + delay + ' [ms] - ' + d);
return resolve(exe(delay, d));
}, delay);
}
else
{
console.log('socket connected!');
return resolve(d);
}
});
}
render().then(function()
{
return Promise.all(arr).then(function(arr)
{
console.log(arr);
});
}).then(function()
{
console.log('ALL DONE!');
});
}
});
Comment are in code. If something isn't clear let me know.
#jfriend00
1 - true,
2 - true,
3 - I call render() immediately - so page is loaded and client make a socket connection, then the rest of the code should execute and send the data.
yes I did use POST with a form. There could be socket connection between the server and index page - not a problem I can create one, but I dunno what for.
"or there could be a socket.io connection created in the response to the POST when the browser renders and processes that." I'm trying that one :) I have data in this router.post I want to sent with help of sockets - but first I need to make a connection.
as I understand it... user did use form, so path is changed (socket connection is broken), then I'm in router.post I render the page FIRST - so the browser can read it's JS and make a socket connection, BUT you want to say that my response is not finished? So the browser say - ok you want me to render a page, but what now - cause we are NOT finish yet?!
So I will never establish a socket connection, cause I did not properly response? And cause of this I will not be able to send the data (later code in router.post) cause socket connection is never established cause I did not response properly? Cause my tests show me otherwise - it is working just fine.
you are right - code should works now.
till socket connection is established.
yea, good catch. I will make some kind of database - redis with express session I guess.
So again step by step.
User did fill the form so he is redirect from index.js to route1.js (so it does not make a difference if there is a socket connection BEFORE filling the form or not cause the connection is lost). We are in process of redirecting him (router.post) so I thought I will render the route1 page immediately, so the JS from it can be read by browser, and socket connection can be established (which take time - and IF its possible). So I wait with the data I want to sent to the user (in router.post for example... the form input or whatever) TILL the connection is established, and the send it to the user, with help of socket.io.
The thing is that socket io connection is lost when you change page (path). So I thought (and it could be wrong cause I'm newb) then I wait till it is established, and then send the data. I hope it does make sense.
This structure can never work. Here's what it looks like you're trying to do:
Express server receives a POST request.
Then, you try to wait for a socket.io connection to appear before you process the POST and send a response.
Finally, when you think you've found a socket.io connection, you then call your render() function to "presumably" send a response.
Without really understanding what you're' trying to accompilsh, there are a number of things wrong with the current code:
A POST request comes from either an Ajax call or a form POST. There is no socket.io connection associated directly with either one of those. There could have been a socket.io connection when the page loaded BEFORE the POST request was sent or there could be a socket.io connection created in the response to the POST when the browser renders and processes that.
Even if there was a socket.io connection created when the browser processes the POST response, you're trying to wait for the socket.io connection BEFORE you send the response so you're waiting for something that won't happen until you're done waiting (essentially a deadlock - A won't finish until B finishes, but B can't start until A finishes).
This structure render().then(waitUntil(100, d)) isn't correct. You MUST pass .then() a function reference. You are passing it a promise (the return value form calling waitUntil(...)). This is the least of your problems though because the overall structure of what you're trying to do is wrong.
The whole implementation of waitUntil() is confused and I can't even tell what it's trying to actually wait for.
This is a server that can field lots of connections from lots of clients. You can't just wait for the "next" socket.io connection and assume that connection is from the client you just got a request for. The only way to associate a socket.io connection with an http request is to use some identifying characteristic in both (usually a cookie) and then in the http request, you get the cookie and look up the cookie to see if you currently have a socket.io connection that matches that cookie. This is something that express-socket.io-session helps with.
Unfortunately, you don't describe what you're really trying to accomplish here so I can't point you to a good solution. All, I can really say here is that this scheme will not work. If you want further help with the actual problem, please edit your question to include the problem description in words (not your coding issues). Show the exact sequence of events you want to happen and explain what you're trying to accomplish and why.

socket.emit within collection.find.each problem [duplicate]

So, I am still in the experimental phase of Socket.io, but I just can't figure out why my code is doing this. So, I have the code below and when I console.log the code, it repeats the the connection even when there is only one connection. Do you know a solution?
io.on('connnection', (socket) => {
console.log("A new user is connected.")
})
Client side:
<script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
<script>
var socket = io()
</script>
Node.js Console:
A new user is connected.
A new user is connected.
A new user is connected.
A new user is connected.
A new user is connected.
A new user is connected.
A new user is connected.
...
(Note: there is only one connection, and I have already cleared the browser cashe)
Here are some of the possible reasons for socket.io connecting over and over:
Your socket.io client and server versions do not match and this causes a connection failure and an immediate retry.
You are running with some infrastructure (like a proxy or load balancer) that is not configured properly to allow lasting webSocket connections.
You are running a clustered server without sticky webSocket connections.
You have put the server-side io.on('connnection', ...) code inside some other function that is called more than once causing you to register multiple event handlers for the same event so you think you're getting multiple events, but actually you just have multiple listeners for the one occurrence of the event.
Your client code is calling its var socket = io() more than once.
Your client page is reloading (and thus restarting the connection on each reload) either because of a form post or for some other reason.
FYI, you can sometimes learn something useful by installing listeners for all the possible error-related events on both client and server connections and then logging which ones occur and any parameters that they offer. You can see all the client-related error events you can listen to and log here.
To solve repetion problem write your code like that for socket:
io.off("connnection").on('connnection', (socket) => {
console.log("A new user is connected.")
})

Using Socket.io with Sequelize

I am trying to use Socket.io and Sequelize to create a chat app. Socket.io will handle the socket to allow for instant messaging. Sequelize will handle storing the messages so when you refresh the screen you still have your messages.
What is happening is that on localhost my socket works, but it does not send the messages to the database. When I put it onto Heroku, my database worked, but it does not use the sockets.
My socket is located in app.js and my database route is located in routes/messages.js.
I have been working on this bug for a while now and I have been trying to get help with it. I think the best way to share this is with my markdown I created detailing my efforts to fix my bug that can be found at here. My repo for this can be found here.
There are a few different parts that you need to distinguish:
the HTTP server, in your code represented by the variable http
the Express app, represented by app
the Socket.IO server, represented by io
a Socket.IO (client) connection (see below)
The HTTP server directs "normal" HTTP requests to the Express app, which will handle them according to the middleware and routes that are set up. A router handler gets called with (at least) two arguments, generally called req and res, to represent the (incoming) HTTP request and the (outgoing) HTTP response.
The Socket.IO server gets to handle specific Socket.IO requests, which get sent to the server by the Socket.IO client (running in the browser). When such a client sets up a connection with the server, the connection event gets triggered on the server. Any handlers for this event will get passed an argument, generally called socket, that represents the (bidirectional) connection with that client.
That Socket.IO connection can receive messages (sent from the client running in the browser), which trigger events on the socket. You can install a handler to listen for particular messages (like "chat message"), which will receive, as argument, the data that was sent to it by the client.
The issue in your code seems to be with setting up everything to handle those chat messages. The correct setup order would be:
listen on the Socket.IO server for connection events
when such an event is received, add a listener for the chat message event on the connection
when such an event is received, write the data to the database.
In code:
// Listen for new client connections.
io.on('connection', function(socket) {
// Listen for the client to send a _"chat message"_ message.
socket.on('chat message', function(data) {
// Store the data in the database.
models.Messages.create({
message : data.message,
username : data.username
});
});
});
As you can see, req and res aren't available inside of those Socket.IO event handlers, because those are only used for normal HTTP requests.
Also, as opposed to HTTP, you don't necessarily have to send anything back to the client when you have received a message, so I left that part out. The handler above only writes the message data to the database (it also doesn't check for, or handle, errors, which eventually you should add).

Node JS and Socket.IO. Client getting disconnected. During request

I've ran into a fairly difficult to debug error with my node web server.
Background
I'm creating a node server with socket.io to provide a restful service, connected to mongodb which use web sockets(socket.io) for server-client messages.
Issue
In my node app, I've used an npm package called node-scheduler, in which I do some processing at set times(these are very dynamic times but work fairly well to date).
So I'll set off a job, using node-scheduler and when it ends you can provide a function.
In this function I emit a web socket message, exactly how I emit messages in the rest of the application but my client side never receives the message.
Checking the logs the client disconnections then re connections after the function has completed.
I've debugged a little further, and I send two messages to the client in this function. Only one of them is processed by the client. May be a client issue not a server issue.
Any ideas for solutions or suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Well generally socket.io is only meant to be used as a "channel". You should have the Client exist as a separate entity in memory or something, and update the socket if and when it reconnects. Otherwise you're just sending to the past (disconnected) sockets.
Using passport you can identify a client as a user.
app.get('/', function(req, res){
// req.user;
});
Using passport.socketio you can get the same user in your socket
io.on('connection', function(socket){
// socket.request.user;
socket.request.user.socket = socket;
// this will be updated with the latest socket in case of a future reconnection
// So now you can be sure that user object will always have the latest socket
nodeScheduler(function(){
carryOutJobs(function callback(){
socket.request.user.socket.emit('done');
// will always emit to the "latest" socket.
});
});
});

Adding data to a socket.io socket object

I am trying to add some custom information to my socket object on connect, so that when I disconnect the socket, I can read that custom information.
IE:
// (Client)
socket.on('connect', function(data){
socket.customInfo = 'customdata';
});
// (server)
socket.on('disconnect', function () {
console.log(socket.customInfo);
});
Since it is JavaScript you can freely add attributes to any object (just as you did). However socket.io does give you a built-in way to do that (so you won't have to worry about naming conflicts):
socket.set('nickname', name, function () {
socket.emit('ready');
});
socket.get('nickname', function (err, name) {
console.log('Chat message by ', name);
});
Note that this is only on one side (either client or server). Obviously you can't share data between client and server without communication (that's what your example suggests).
The socket in your browser and the socket in the server won't share the same properties if you set them.
Basically you have set the data only at the client side (which is in your browsers memory NOT on the server).
For anyone still looking for an answer, there are a couple of things you can do to share data from the client to the server without actually sending a message.
Add a custom property to the auth property in the client socketIo options. This will be available to the server event handlers in socket.handshake.auth.xxxx.
Add a custom header to the transportOptions.polling.extraHeaders property in the client socketIo options. This will ONLY be presented when the socket.io client is connected via polling and not when "upgraded" to websockets (as you can't have custom headers then).
Add a custom query property to the client socketIo options. I don't recommend this since it potentially exposes the data to intermediate proxies.

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