using socket.io in conjunction with express - node.js

Question

I am trying to sent a basic message when users connect and disconnect. Later i want to sent parameters back and forth. But with the following code i do not get the messages print out on the server when they connect/disconnect.
When i replace io.on with server.on i can get the message 'User connected' but not user disconnected when i refresh/close the page. This however is buggy, since not everytime i refresh it logs the message and on first time it sometimes log the message multiple times.
server.js
var //io = require('socket.io'),
http = require('http'),
express = require('express');
var PORT = process.env.PORT || 8080,
HOST = process.env.HOST || 'localhost';
var app = express();
app.use(express.static(__dirname + '/views'));
app.get('/', function (req, res) {
res.sendfile(__dirname + 'index.html');
});
server = http.Server(app);
//io = io.listen(server);
var io = require('socket.io')(server);
io.on('connection', function(socket){
console.log('User connected');
io.on('disconnect', function(socket) {
console.log('User Disconnected');
});
});
server.listen(PORT, HOST, null, function() {
console.log('Server listening on port %d in %s mode', this.address().port, app.settings.env);
});
New code:
var express = require('express'),
app = express(),
http = require('http'),
server = http.createServer(app),
io = require('socket.io').listen(server);
var PORT = process.env.PORT || 8080,
HOST = process.env.HOST || 'localhost';
server.listen(PORT);
app.use(express.static(__dirname + '/views')); //need this for my directory structure.
app.get('/', function (req, res) {
res.sendfile(__dirname + 'index.html');
}); //Need this to call my page.
io.on('connection', function( client ){
console.log('Connected');//this does not work.
io.on('disconnect', function( client) {
console.log(client);
});
});

Answer 1

Try reconfiguring your socket, and server instantiation:
var express = require('express'),
app = express(),
server = require('http').createServer(app),
io = require('socket.io').listen(server);
server.listen(process.env.PORT || 3000);
io.on('connection', function( client ) {
console.log(client) //this will now work
client.on('disconnect', function( id ) {
console.log('user with ID ' + id + ' has disconnected');
});
});

Answer 2

First of all you need to be sure if you have included the client side socket.io files.
<script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
Then you need to initialize the socket connection.
<script>
var socket = io();
</script>
The above changes will be in your index.html file.
Now in server.js file,
io.sockets.on('connection', function(socket) {
console.log("User connected");
socket.on('disconnect', function() {
console.log('Got disconnect!');
});
});