How to embed ECTJS views in LocomotiveJS - node.js

I have typical installation of locomotive JS. I want to use ECTJS for views. I have successfully installed ECTJS by using following command:
npm install ect --save
I have following controller:
var locomotive = require('locomotive')
, Controller = locomotive.Controller;
var roseController = new Controller();
roseController.thorne = function(){
this.render();
}
module.exports = roseController;
I have created following 'thorne.html.ect' file in directory '/app/views/rose'
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Title</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/stylesheets/screen.css" />
</head>
<body>
<h1>Rose Controller - Thorne Action from ECT</h1>
<p></p>
</body>
</html>
I have made changes in '02_views.js' file in 'initializers' folder. File is as below:
module.exports = function() {
// Configure view-related settings. Consult the Express API Reference for a
// list of the available [settings](http://expressjs.com/api.html#app-settings).
var ECT = require('ect');
var renderer = ECT({ root : __dirname + '/app/views', ext : '.ect' });
//var renderer = ECT({ watch: true, root: __dirname + '/app/views'});
this.set('view engine', 'ect');
this.engine('ect', renderer.render);
// // this.set('views', __dirname + '/../../app/views');
// // this.set('view engine', 'ejs');
// Register EJS as a template engine.
// //this.engine('ejs', require('ejs').__express);
// Override default template extension. By default, Locomotive finds
// templates using the `name.format.engine` convention, for example
// `index.html.ejs` For some template engines, such as Jade, that find
// layouts using a `layout.engine` notation, this results in mixed conventions
// that can cause confusion. If this occurs, you can map an explicit
// extension to a format.
/* this.format('html', { extension: '.jade' }) */
// Register formats for content negotiation. Using content negotiation,
// different formats can be served as needed by different clients. For
// example, a browser is sent an HTML response, while an API client is sent a
// JSON or XML response.
/* this.format('xml', { engine: 'xmlb' }); */
}
When I run
http://localhost:3000/rose/thorne
I get following error :
500 Error: Failed to lookup view "rose/thorne.html.ect"
If I use:
this.res.send('Test');
in rose/thorne action, it shows without any problem.
Can some one guide me how can I embed ECTJS in locomotiveJS.
Thanks

It seems that you configuration in 02_views.js is broken.
Try the following configuration:
// Creating ECT renderer
var ectRenderer = ECT({
watch: false,
gzip: true,
root: __dirname + '/../../app/views'
});
// Register ECT as a template engine.
this.engine('.ect', ectRenderer.render);
// Configure application settings. Consult the Express API Reference for a
// list of the available [settings](http://expressjs.com/api.html#app-settings).
this.set('views', __dirname + '/../../app/views');
this.set('view engine', 'ect');
// Override default template extension. By default, Locomotive finds
// templates using the `name.format.engine` convention, for example
// `index.html.ect` For some template engines, such as ECT, that find
// layouts using a `layout.engine` notation, this results in mixed conventions
// that can cuase confusion. If this occurs, you can map an explicit
// extension to a format.
this.format('html', {
extension: '.ect'
});
With this configuration my view files are named filename.ect. So if filename.html.ect doesnt work you can rename it to filename.ect

Related

How do you send an object to a helper in Handlebars?

Learning handlebars and Express I'm trying to learn of a way to send an object without always having to build in the render. For example if I have:
const details = {
version: process.env.npm_package_version,
author: 'foobar'
}
I can send this to my footer.hbs in partials from:
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
res.render('index', {
details
})
})
but looking for a way to send it to a template file and not always in a render I've read in the documentation about block helpers and tried:
// Define paths for Express config
const publicDir = path.join(__dirname, '../public')
const viewsPath = path.join(__dirname, '../templates/views')
const partialsPath = path.join(__dirname, '../templates/partials')
// Setup hbs engine and views location
app.set('view engine', 'hbs')
app.set('views', viewsPath)
hbs.registerPartials(partialsPath)
hbs.registerHelper('appDetails', () => {
const details = {
version: process.env.npm_package_version,
author: 'foobar'
}
return details
})
but in my directory /partials from file footer.hbs I try to use the helper:
<footer>
<p>Created by {{details.author}} | version: {{details.version}}</p>
</footer>
and it doesn't work. I've searched the site and I've read:
How to set a variable for the main handlebars layout without passing it to every route?
nodejs + HBS (handlebars) : passing data to partials
Passing variables through handlebars partial
In my Node and Express app is there a way to send data to the partials file without having to always send it in render?
There are two ways a Handlebars Helper can add data to the rendering context of a template:
1) By directly mutating the template's context or 2) By using private variables
Example: https://codepen.io/weft_digital/pen/JjPZwvQ
The following helper updates or adds the data points name and newData to the template's global context, and it also passes a private variable, using the data option.
Handlebars.registerHelper('datainjection', function(context, options) {
this.name = "Bob";
this.newData = "Updated"
return context.fn(this, { data: {private:"pirate"} });
});
Before you call the {{#datainjection}}{{/datainjection}} block in your template, {{name}} will be set to whatever value you pass to the render function, but every occurrence of {{name}} within or after the {{#datainjection}}{{/datainjection}} block will use the updated value, which is "Bob" in this case.
The private variable we are passing can only be accessed within the {{#datainjection}}{{/datainjection}} block using the "#" decorator.
For example:
{{#datainjection}}{{#private}}{{/datainjection}}
will render the string "pirate"

Options found in locals object in ejs

I got the following error when running the project from GitHub: "options found in locals object. The option(s) is copied to the option object. This behavior is deprecated and will be removed in EJS 3"
I tried to update the ejs and express modules to the newest versions but the notice persists. I googled, ofc, and the only thread about it is this, but it doesn't help.
Does anyone know more about this?
For reference, here is the whole important code:
app/views/index.ejs
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title><%= title %></title>
</head>
<body>
<h1><%= title %></h1>
<img src="img/logo.jpg" alt="Hack Hands logo">
</body>
</html>
app/controllers/index.server.controller.js
exports.render = function(req, res) {
res.render('index', {
title: 'MEAN MVC'
});
};
app/routes/index.server.route.js
module.exports = function(app) {
var index = require('../controllers/index.server.controller');
app.get('/', index.render);
};
app/config/express.js
var express = require('express');
module.exports = function() {
var app = express();
app.set('views', './app/views');
app.set('view engine', 'ejs');
require('../app/routes/index.server.routes.js')(app);
app.use(express.static('./public'));
return app;
};
server.js
var port = 1337;
var express = require('./config/express');
var app = express();
app.listen(port);
module.exports = app;
console.log('Server running at http://localhost:' + port);
tl;dr: Upgrade to the latest version of EJS. It removes all warnings about options and locals.
whoami
I'm a collaborator (or the collaborator in #micnic's comment above) in EJS v2. I only started maintaining EJS after version 2.0.3 (or something like that) was released, so I don't know a lot about how the API changes took place.
History
EJS v2's renderFile function, used by Express.js, now has the signature
function (path[, options[, locals]], cb)
But for compatibility with and Express.js, which calls all functions as
function (path, locals, cb)
with options mixed into the locals object, EJS automatically picks out the locals with option-y names and treat them as options.
But because the Express.js signature is also the function signature of EJS v1, we also print a warning if any option in locals is copied to options, urging developers to use the new signature with locals and options separated (it was actually me who added the warning).
However, Express.js users do not have a choice in terms of calling convention, so the warning is always present in Express.js.
Some users did complain: #34 #36.
At first, #mde (who is the main maintainer of EJS) pushed a fix, which correctly disables warnings on Express.js, and Express.js only.
But then, the person in #36 still complained, as he was using filename as the name of a local, and when the optiony local is copied to options a warning is printed.
At last, #mde was like "f*** this shit" and removed all the deprecation warnings, including an uncontroversial and legitimate one, and released version 2.2.4 (the legitimate warning was restored by me after the release).
Future
#dougwilson (an Express.js maintainer) said he was interested in a separation of options and locals in Express.js v5, just like in EJS v2. I did volunteer to make that change, but then I got busy so yeah.

Attach static files in index.html on node.js openshift setup

I want to setup a node.js backend to serve an application I am building. I am using openshift and the setup went fine, and I had a my basic index.html showing up fine. However, when I tried to add my css, and js files, I could not.
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/style.css">
I found this page, and I am having the same issue as described, with no solution yet.
https://www.openshift.com/forums/openshift/problem-linking-css-and-js-in-my-nodejs-app
I got this working by adding this code in my server.js
server.use('/static', express.static(__dirname + '/resources'));
where i saved all my static files inside resources folder.
Solved! I have my CSS and JS folders with appropriate files in them, and the server.js code now looks like this to initialize the server:
/**
* Initialize the server (express) and create the routes and register
* the handlers.
*/
self.initializeServer = function() {
self.createRoutes();
self.app = express.createServer();
self.app.configure(function(){
//self.app.use(express.cookieParser());
//self.app.use.(express.session({secret:"secret",key:"express.sid"}));
['css', 'img', 'js', 'plugin', 'lib'].forEach(function (dir){
self.app.use('/'+dir, express.static(__dirname+'/'+dir));
});
self.app.set('views', __dirname + '/views');
self.app.set('view engine', 'ejs');
});
// Add handlers for the app (from the routes).
for (var r in self.routes) {
self.app.get(r, self.routes[r]);
}
};

Angular not updating html template variables when served via NodeJS server

This is a bit of a specific question, but I'm at a bit of a loss for an answer.
First, a little background. I've been trying to learn angular, and I wanted to start using Node as the backend. I currently have a working tutorial app that I can run locally that just returns data that is hard coded into the main controller.
When I moved the files to my NodeJS server, it stopped working though. Here is what works:
The files load correctly - there are no console errors, and I can view each of the files in the source (index.html, app.js, maincontroller.js)
The scope exists, and the variables are defined. I put a console.log($scope) inside the mainController.js file, and I can see all of the variables defined correctly.
Non-angular javascript works - I can place alerts outside/inside the mainController, and they all work correctly (also, console.log obviously works)
I am serving the files via a simple Node.js server. I am using express and hbs. I was originally using compression, and 0 cache length, but have since removed those with no change in the result.
The specific issue I'm having is that none of the template variables update. I've simplified it down to the following code for testing. When viewed locally, the page says 'I now understand how the scope works!', when served from Cloud 9, the structure exists, but the {{understand}} variable in the template doesn't work.
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<head>
<title>Learning AngularJS</title>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.0.7/angular.min.js"></script>
<script src="js/app.js"></script>
<script src="js/maincontroller.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="content" ng-app="MyTutorialApp" ng-controller="MainController">
{{understand}}
</div>
</body>
app.js
var app = angular.module('MyTutorialApp',[]);
maincontroller.js
app.controller("MainController", function($scope){
$scope.understand = "I now understand how the scope works!";
});
server.js (Node server on Cloud 9)
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
var hbs = require('hbs');
app.set('view engine','html');
app.engine('html',hbs.__express);
app.configure(function() {
app.set('views', __dirname);
});
//app.use(express.compress());
app.use('/js',express.static(__dirname + '/client/js'));
app.use('/css',express.static(__dirname + '/client/css'));
app.use('/img',express.static(__dirname + '/client/img'));
//router
app.get('/',function(req,res){
res.render('client/index.html');
return;
});
//404 responses
app.use(function(req, res, next){
res.status(404);
// respond with html page
if (req.accepts('html')) {
res.render('client/404.html', { url: req.url });
return;
}
// respond with json
if (req.accepts('json')) {
res.send({ error: 'Not found' });
return;
}
// default to plain-text. send()
res.type('txt').send('Not found');
});
app.listen(process.env.PORT);
console.log('listening on port '+process.env.PORT);
everythin became clear when i read
"Handlebars.js is an extension to the Mustache templating language"
what this menas is that hbs uses {{}} as delimiters as well as angular so the {{understand}} in your html never gets to angular because is first parsed and substituted by hbs. if you want to use hbs with angular youll need to change your delimiters using your angulars $interpolateProvider in your app configuration something like
$interpolateProvider.startSymbol('{/{');
$interpolateProvider.endSymbol('}/}');
You can use \{{understand}} as this will counter your hbs and put your angular on top.

How to serve rendered Jade pages as if they were static HTML pages in Node Express?

Usually you render a Jade page in a route like this:
app.get('/page', function(req, res, next){
res.render('page.jade');
});
But I want to serve all Jade pages (automatically rendered), just like how one would serve static HTML
app.use(express.static('public'))
Is there a way to do something similar for Jade?
"static" means sending existing files unchanged directly from disk to the browser. Jade can be served this way but that is pretty unusual. Usually you want to render jade to HTML on the server which by definition is not "static", it's dynamic. You do it like this:
app.get('/home', function (req, res) {
res.render('home'); // will render home.jade and send the HTML
});
If you want to serve the jade itself for rendering in the browser, just reference it directly in the url when loading it into the browser like:
$.get('/index.jade', function (jade) {
//...
});
https://github.com/runk/connect-jade-static
Usage
Assume the following structure of your project:
/views
/partials
/file.jade
Let's make jade files from /views/partials web accessable:
var jadeStatic = require('connect-jade-static');
app = express();
app.configure(function() {
app.use(jadeStatic({
baseDir: path.join(__dirname, '/views/partials'),
baseUrl: '/partials',
jade: { pretty: true }
}));
});
Now, if you start your web server and request /views/partials/file.html in browser you
should be able see the compiled jade template.
Connect-jade-static is good, but not the perfect solution for me.
To begin with, here are the reasons why I needed jade:
My app is a single page app, there are no HTMLs generated from templates at runtime. Yet, I am using jade to generate HTML files because:
Mixins: lots of repeated / similar code in my HTML is shortened by the use of mixins
Dropdowns: I know, lots of people use ng-repeat to fill the options in a select box. This is a waste of CPU when the list is static, e.g., list of countries. The right thing to do is have the select options filled in within the HTML or partial. But then, a long list of options makes the HTML / jade hard to read. Also, very likely, the list of countries is already available elsewhere, and it doesn’t make sense to duplicate this list.
So, I decided to generate most of my HTML partials using jade at build time. But, this became a pain during development, because of the need to re-build HTMLs when the jade file changes. Yes, I could have used connect-jade-static, but I really don’t want to generate the HTMLs at run time — they are indeed static files.
So, this is what I did:
Added a 'use' before the usual use of express.static
Within this, I check for the timestamps of jade and the corresponding html file
If the jade file is newer, regenerate the html file
Call next() after the regeneration, or immediately, if regeneration is not required.
next() will fall-through to express.static, where the generated HTML will be served
Wrap the ‘use’ around a “if !production” condition, and in the build scripts, generate all the HTML files required.
This way, I can also use all the goodies express.static (like custom headers) provides and still use jade to generate these.
Some code snippets:
var express = require('express');
var fs = require('fs')
var jade = require('jade');
var urlutil = require('url');
var pathutil = require('path');
var countries = require('./countries.js');
var staticDir = 'static'; // really static files like .css and .js
var staticGenDir = 'static.gen'; // generated static files, like .html
var staticSrcDir = 'static.src'; // source for generated static files, .jade
if (process.argv[2] != 'prod') {
app.use(‘/static', function(req, res, next) {
var u = urlutil.parse(req.url);
if (pathutil.extname(u.pathname) == '.html') {
var basename = u.pathname.split('.')[0];
var htmlFile = staticGenDir + basename + '.html';
var jadeFile = staticSrcDir + basename + '.jade';
var hstat = fs.existsSync(htmlFile) ? fs.statSync(htmlFile) : null;
var jstat = fs.existsSync(jadeFile) ? fs.statSync(jadeFile) : null;
if ( jstat && (!hstat || (jstat.mtime.getTime() > hstat.mtime.getTime())) ) {
var out = jade.renderFile(jadeFile, {pretty: true, countries: countries});
fs.writeFile(htmlFile, out, function() {
next();
});
} else {
next();
}
} else {
next();
}
});
}
app.use('/static', express.static(staticDir)); // serve files from really static if exists
app.use('/static', express.static(staticGenDir)); // if not, look in generated static dir
In reality, I have a js file containing not just countries, but various other lists shared between node, javascript and jade.
Hope this helps someone looking for an alternative.

Resources