I'm reading the Express framework docs, making my basic login/redirect page routes.
The following route accepts the submission:
app.post('/',function(req,res){
//console.log("USERNAME: "+req.body.username);
//console.log("PASSWORD: "+req.body.password);
res.redirect('/chat');
});
and this:
app.get('/chat', function(req, res){
res.sendFile(__dirname + '/templates/chat.html');
//console.log("request");
});
takes the user to a new page.
How do I send context? Should I be using res.render()? Neither function seems to contain an option for data like {username:req.body.username}. How should data be passed between routes?
Generally to handle logins with express you'd use something like passport's local strategy, which attaches a user object to the request object (req.user) for you for each route. I don't know that what you're trying will work in a larger context -- you'd need some kind of session-based middleware like express-session at the very least, so you can attach variables per session (I think it gives you req.session). By default, express has the capability to store information for one request/response cycle (res.locals) or for the entire instance of the app (i.e. for all users) (app.locals).
As far as getting data into views, you would use res.render with something like EJS, pug, or another view engine. For example, if in your route, you had something like:
route.get('/', (req, res) => {
res.render('template', { username: 'yourname' })
}
you can refer to that in your ejs template like so:
<h1>Hello, <%= username %>!</h1>
which will get sent back as this:
<h1>Hello, yourname!</h1>
So, to answer your question:
You would use res.render to get variables & data into your views
You don't share data across routes by default except app-level data that applies to all users, which can be set on app.locals
You can use authentication middleware like passport and session middleware like express-session to keep track of user information across routes per session.
Hope this helps! Good luck with express!
Related
So what I'm trying to do is when someone loads my site, and gets authenticated by passport, their userId is stored in req.user.id in my app.get('/home', funciton(req, res). Now what I am trying to do in a way is this:
app.get('/home'. function(req, res){
io.on('connection', function(socket){
socket.emit('userId', req.user.id);
});
}
Thats essentially what I'm trying to do, but I know it is very wrong. Now my question is how can I get the req.user.id to the client so I can use it in future interactions with the server.
Looks like you're receiving a GET request and using Express right? You're probably passing the userid in the querystring, so you'll want to use:
req.query.userid
This basically pulls the value assigned to a key in the querystring.
Source: http://expressjs.com/en/api.html#req.query
I would also recommend sending something like ?userid=12345 in the querystring, rather than an object (user.id) in the querystring, as encoding an object will unnecessarily add more complications and not needed.
You can use express session with socket.io
There's a npm module called express-socket.io-session
I understand MVC structure when coding in NodeJS. I started using Keystone JS recently, and I really like it. But, the way they set their controllers up, it seems that the controllers ONLY serve the purpose of rendering a view.
In an earlier project, I had an Account.js model and an Account.js controller. I'm trying to see how it would copy over to keystone.
So: How would I allow users to signup/signin/logout in a Keystone project (not into the Admin UI, but like a member of a regular site)? How would I make an Account controller (obviously with no view to render)?
There are lots of ways you can implement your own methods of authentication and account management in keystone since it is based on express.js.
You can then add an array of 'middleware' functions to routes which will run before passing the request to the controller.
e.g
Route before middleware added
app.get('/admin', routes.views.userAdmin);
Middleware Function
function isAuthenticated(req, res, next) {
// do any checks you want to in here
// CHECK THE USER STORED IN SESSION FOR A CUSTOM VARIABLE
// you can do this however you want with whatever variables you set up
if (req.user.authenticated)
return next();
// IF A USER ISN'T LOGGED IN, THEN REDIRECT THEM SOMEWHERE
res.redirect('/');
}
Route with middleware added
app.get('/admin', isAuthenticated, routes.views.userAdmin);
It's a very broad questions so I'd recommend you go and decide on the best way you'd like to do it yourself as everyone has their own personal preference. The search terms you want are 'express middleware authentication'. A lot of people use PassporJS http://passportjs.org/
Hope that helps :)
I'm writing a web application based on Node.js and Express, using Dust for my templates. My Dust templates all use the same master layout in a separate file. Right now a simple route handler in my app looks like this:
app.get('/', function (req, res) {
res.render('index', {
tenant: req.tenant
});
});
The tenant is being used for rendering some parts of the master layout. Now, I feel like it's pretty inefficient (devtime-wise) to add the 'tenant' variable to the view model in every route handler. In ASP.NET MVC I would write an action filter that runs after every action and adds the tenant to the view model. Is there something similar I can do in Express? Write some connect or router middleware? Or does res.render perform the rendering immediately without any possibility to modify the view model lateron?
And two minutes after posting the message, a nice chap on IRC gives me the answer.
res.locals.tenant = <tenant>
in the middleware does the job.
I have a Node.js server. Lets say each client has his name saved on a variable. They switch page and I want each client to mantain their name on a variable.
This would be very easy with a php form, but I can't see how to do it with Node.js
If I do a form like I would do in php, I manage to send the name to the server:
app.post('/game.html', function(req, res){
var user = req.param('name');
console.log(user);
res.redirect('/game.html');
});
But it seems too complicated to then resend it again to each client it's own.
I just started with Node.js, I guess it's a concept error. Is there any easy way to pass a variable from one page in the client to another?
Thanks.
Instead of redirecting to a static file, you have to render the template ( using any engine that ExpressJS supports ):
app.post('/game.html', function(req, res){
var user = req.param('name');
console.log(user);
res.render( 'game.html', { user:user } );
});
( note that .render requires some additonal settings set on app )
Now user variable becomes available in game.html template.
You can use res.render and pass many variables, like that:
res.render('yourPage', {username:username, age:age, phone:phone});
I'm trying to learn Express and in my app I have middleware that passes the session object from the Request object to my Response object so that I can access it in my views:
app.use((req, res, next) ->
res.locals.session = req.session
next()
)
But app.locals is available to the view as well right? So is it the same if I do app.locals.session = req.session?
Is there a convention for the types of things app.locals and res.locals are used for?
I was also confused on what the difference is between res.render() and res.redirect()? When should each be used?
Thanks for reading. Any help related to Express is appreciated!
To illustrate this further, I remember viewing a flowchart which shows how express renders variables found inside a template. This is from "Node.js In Action." I recommend reading the chapter discussing Express.js.
app.locals and res.locals can be used in different contexts.
res.locals is for when you handle the route where you have a res object, you won't have an app object there and vice-versa for app.locals.
also res.render will render the page, to handle the request. res.redirect will redirect them to a different page.
For example if they try to access /account without logging in, you could flash a message and use res.redirect('/login')