I have a Node.js / Express app working, that receives routes like so:
app.get('/resource/:res', someFunction);
app.get('/foo/bar/:id', someOtherFunction);
This is great and works fine.
I am also using Socket.IO, and want to have some server calls use websockets instead of traditional RESTful calls. However, I want to make it very clean and almost use the same syntax, preferrably:
app.sio.get('/resource/:res', someFunction);
This will give a synthetic 'REST' interface to Socket.IO, where, from the programmer's perspective, he isn't doing anything different. Just flagging websockets: true from the client.
I can deal with all the details, such as a custom way to pass in the request verbs and parse them and so and so, I don't have a problem with this. The only thing I am looking for is some function that can parse routes like express does, and route them properly. For example,
// I don't know how to read the ':bar',
'foo/:bar'
// Or handle all complex routings, such as
'foo/:bar/and/:so/on'
I could dig in real deep and try to code this myself, or try to read through all of express' source code and find where they do it, but I am sure it exists by itself. Just don't know where to find it.
UPDATE
robertklep provided a great answer which totally solved this for me. I adapted it into a full solution, which I posted in an answer below.
You can use the Express router class to do the heavy lifting:
var io = require('socket.io').listen(...);
var express = require('express');
var sioRouter = new express.Router();
sioRouter.get('/foo/:bar', function(socket, params) {
socket.emit('response', 'hello from /foo/' + params.bar);
});
io.sockets.on('connection', function(socket) {
socket.on('GET', function(url) {
// see if sioRouter has a route for this url:
var route = sioRouter.match('GET', url);
// if so, call its (first) callback (the route handler):
if (route && route.callbacks.length) {
route.callbacks[0](socket, route.params);
}
});
});
// client-side
var socket = io.connect();
socket.emit('GET', '/foo/helloworld');
You can obviously pass in extra data with the request and pass that to your route handlers as well (as an extra parameter for example).
robertklep provided a great answer which totally solved this for me. I adapted it into a full solution, which is below in case others want to do something similar:
Node (server side):
// Extend Express' Router to a simple name
app.sio = new express.Router();
app.sio.socketio = require('socket.io').listen(server, { log: false });
// Map all sockets requests to HTTP verbs, which parse
// the request and pass it into a simple callback.
app.sio.socketio.sockets.on('connection', function (socket) {
var verbs = ['GET', 'POST', 'PUT', 'PATCH', 'DELETE'];
for (var i = 0; i < verbs.length; ++i) {
var go = function(verb) {
socket.on(verb, function (url, data) {
var route = app.sio.match(verb, url);
if (route && route.callbacks.length) {
var req = {url: url, params: route.params, data: data, socket:socket}
route.callbacks[0](req);
}
});
}(verbs[i]);
}
});
// Simplify Socket.IO's 'emit' function and liken
// it traditional Express routing.
app.sio.end = function(req, res) {
req.socket.emit('response', req.url, res);
}
// Here's an example of a simplified request now, which
// looks nearly just like a traditional Express request.
app.sio.get('/foo/:bar', function(req) {
app.sio.end(req, 'You said schnazzy was ' + req.data.schnazzy);
});
Client side:
// Instantiate Socket.IO
var socket = io.connect('http://xxxxxx');
socket.callbacks = {};
// Similar to the server side, map functions
// for each 'HTTP verb' request and handle the details.
var verbs = ['get', 'post', 'put', 'path', 'delete'];
for (var i = 0; i < verbs.length; ++i) {
var go = function(verb) {
socket[verb] = function(url, data, cb) {
socket.emit(String(verb).toUpperCase(), url, data);
if (cb !== undefined) {
socket.callbacks[url] = cb;
}
}
}(verbs[i]);
}
// All server responses funnel to this function,
// which properly routes the data to the correct
// callback function declared in the original request.
socket.on('response', function (url, data) {
if (socket.callbacks[url] != undefined) {
socket.callbacks[url](data);
}
});
// Implementation example, params are:
// 1. 'REST' URL,
// 2. Data passed along,
// 3. Callback function that will trigger
// every time this particular request URL
// gets a response.
socket.get('/foo/bar', { schnazzy: true }, function(data){
console.log(data); // -> 'You said schnazzy was true'
});
Thanks for your help, robertklep!
Related
If I'm using Node.js, is there a way I can automatically turn a set of options for the request function into the final URL that Node.js will use for its HTTP request?
That is, if I have a set of options that I use like this
var http = require('http');
var options = {
host: 'www.random.org',
path: '/integers/?num=1&min=1&max=10&col=1&base=10&format=plain&rnd=new'
};
callback = function(response) {
var str = '';
//another chunk of data has been received, so append it to `str`
response.on('data', function (chunk) {
str += chunk;
});
//the whole response has been received, so we just print it out here
response.on('end', function () {
conso
console.log(str);
});
}
const req = http.request(options, callback).end();
Is there a way for me to transform
var options = {
host: 'www.random.org',
path: '/integers/?num=1&min=1&max=10&col=1&base=10&format=plain&rnd=new'
};
Into the string
www.random.org/integers/?num=1&min=1&max=10&col=1&base=10&format=plain&rnd=new
I realize for the above case this would be a trivial string concatenation.
const url = 'htts://' + options.host + options.path
What I'm interested in is code that can transform any options object into its final URL If I look to the manual, there's twenty one possible options for a request. Some might impact the final URL. Some might not. I'm hoping Node.js or NPM has a built in way of turning those options into a URL and save me the tedious work of doing it myself.
Node.js originally offered the querystring module which has functions which seem to do what you need. For instance, the stringify function:
https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v15.x/docs/api/querystring.html#querystring_querystring_stringify_obj_sep_eq_options
querystring.stringify({ foo: 'bar', baz: ['qux', 'quux'], corge: '' });
// Returns 'foo=bar&baz=qux&baz=quux&corge='
More recently, objects like URLSearchParams were introduced in the url module to better align with the WHATWG spec and therefore be more inline with APIs available in browswers:
https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v15.x/docs/api/url.html#url_class_urlsearchparams
const myURL = new URL('https://example.org/?abc=123');
console.log(myURL.searchParams.get('abc'));
// Prints 123
myURL.searchParams.append('abc', 'xyz');
console.log(myURL.href);
// Prints https://example.org/?abc=123&abc=xyz
The approach you'll choose in the end depends of your specific business needs.
I use request library to communicate with other servers via API. But now I need to send multiple (10 or more) POST requests at the same time and move further only if all responsens will be correct. Usually syntax looks a bit like this:
var options = {
url: "",
method: "POST",
header: {...},
body: {...}
};
request(options, function(err,response,body)
{
}
But now I've got an array of objects instead of a single options variable. Is there a way to do this? Or maybe there is another library able to handle the issue.
EDIT:
var arrayOfIds = [];
const requests = [];
for(var i in range){
var options = {} // here goes all bodies and headers to send
requests.push( // push a request to array dynamically
request(options, function(err,response,body){
if(!err && response.statusCode == 201){
arrayOfIds.push(body.id);
}
}));
Promise.all(requests)
.then(function(res){
console.log(arrayOfIds); // this is empty
});
There are several approaches to solve this:
async library, method parallel
Promise.all
To switch your request to promises, use additionaly to request module - request-promise. In code it will look like this:
const request = require('request-promise');
// Note, you don't assign callback here
const promises = [
request.post({...}),
request.post({...}),
request.post({...})
];
// And then you simply do Promise.all
Promise.all(promises).then(console.log);
I'm working on a small web framework to run a HCI study in and came across the following problem:
I have a Node server running with express to serve my local host data from JSON files. Not the best db but since it's a single user system (only one participant will ever be using the system at any time) it really didn't make sense to add any other technology. The following Get request code works just fine:
function getUser(id,last) {
return $.ajax({
type: "GET",
url: "/data/user/"+id,
async: false
}).responseJSON;
}
Which is handled by the following node code:
app.get('/data/:asset/:id', function (req, res) {
var accJSN
res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
if(req.params.asset === "user")
{
accJSN = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname,'/public/data/users.json')));
res.send(JSON.stringify(accJSN.users[req.params.id]));
}
The above code produces a response which I can use/print and contains the responseJSON attribute. The following code does not, I'll note the node code is in the same server.js file and the functions with jquery/ajax calls are in my client page:
Client side code:
function getUserset(ids,last) {
userQuery = "";
for(i=0;i<ids.length;i++)
{
userQuery += ids[i] + ",";
}
userQuery = userQuery.slice(0,-1);
return $.ajax({
type: "GET",
url: "/userset?users=["+userQuery+"]",
async: false
}).responseJSON;
}
Server code:
app.get('/userset', function (req, res) {
var accJSN = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname,'/public/data/users.json')));
accJSN = accJSN.users;
var users = JSON.parse(req.query.users);
var resJSN = new Array;
for(var i=0;i<users.length;i++)
{
var temp = {};
temp["id"] = users[i];
temp["fName"] = accJSN[users[i]].fName;
temp["lName"] = accJSN[users[i]].lName;
temp["profilePic"] = accJSN[users[i]].profilePic;
resJSN.push(temp);
}
res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
res.send(JSON.stringify(resJSN));
})
The data I need is actually available in the response text but I cannot for the life of me figure out why the second example doesn't also include the responseJSON attribute, or, if I'm totally wrong, why the first one does. Any thoughts or solutions appreciated, thanks!
Instead of manually setting the application/json header and sending a response just use
res.json(resJSN);
instead of
res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
res.send(JSON.stringify(resJSN));
I have a simple Node/Express app and am trying to pass data from a javascript function to a template (powered by jade).
The javascript function looks like this:
module.exports = {
getFeatures: function() {
var request = require("request")
// ID of the Google Spreadsheet + Base URL
var spreadsheetID = "abcdefg-123456";
var sheetID = "od6";
var url = "https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/" + spreadsheetID + "/" + sheetID + "/public/values?alt=json";
//empty array for features
var features = [];
//get the features
request({
url: url,
json: true
}, function (error, response, body) {
if (!error && response.statusCode === 200) {
var data = body.feed.entry;
data.forEach(function(item) {
var obj = {
pub: item.gsx$publication.$t,
date: item.gsx$date.$t,
title: item.gsx$title.$t,
url: item.gsx$url.$t,
}
features.push(obj);
});
console.log("features", features"); //prints array containing all objects to server console
return features;
}
});
}
};
And the main app looks like this:
'use strict';
var express = require('express');
var jade = require('jade');
var gsheets = require("./gsheets.js"); //pulls in module.exports from above
var featuresOld = require('../private/features.json'); //original json pull (a single array of objects)
var port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
var app = express();
// defining middleweare
app.use('/static', express.static(__dirname + '../../public'));
app.set('view engine', 'jade');
app.set('views', __dirname + '/templates');
...
// features route
app.get('/features', function(req, res) {
var path = req.path;
res.locals.path = path;
var features = gsheets.getFeatures(); //attempting to call js function above
res.render('features', {features: features}); //trying to pass data into a template
});
The first function successfully prints an array of objects to the server console, so I think the error lies in how I'm calling it in the main app.js. (Please note, it's only printing when I have it entered as gsheets.getFeatures();, not var features = gsheets.getFeatures();.)
Please also note that the featuresOld variable is an array of objects that has been successfully passed through to a jade tempalte, so the error is not in the res.render('features', {features: features}); line.
I'm sure this is pretty straightforward, but I can't seem to figure it out. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.
I'd recommend you to look into Promises (either Native or using a library like Bluebird).
But without using Promises or generators and keeping things simple, you can pass a callback function that will be called only when the values are retrieved. Within this function you can render the template.
(Note that your function currently does not return anything)
module.exports = {
getFeatures: function(callback) {
var request = require("request")
// ID of the Google Spreadsheet + Base URL
var spreadsheetID = "abcdefg-123456";
var sheetID = "od6";
var url = "https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/" + spreadsheetID + "/" + sheetID + "/public/values?alt=json";
//empty array for features
var features = [];
//get the features
request({
url: url,
json: true
}, function (error, response, body) {
if (!error && response.statusCode === 200) {
var data = body.feed.entry;
data.forEach(function(item) {
var obj = {
pub: item.gsx$publication.$t,
date: item.gsx$date.$t,
title: item.gsx$title.$t,
url: item.gsx$url.$t,
}
features.push(obj);
});
console.log("features", features"); //prints array containing all objects to server console
callback(features); // call the rendering function once the values are available
}
});
}
};
Now in your main app, you just pass a callback to the function
app.get('/features', function(req, res) {
var path = req.path;
res.locals.path = path;
gsheets.getFeatures(function(features) {
res.render('features', {features: features}); //trying to pass data into a template
});
});
Basically, your request function is asynchronous - the request will run in background and the callback function will be called with the value once it's retrieved. In the meantime, the rest of the code will keep running (in your case you'd try to use the value even though it hasn't been retrieved yet).
If you need to do something that depends on that value, then you'd have to put that code in a callback function which would be called when the value is available (as showed above).
Promises provide a nice API for doing that. There are also new features ES6 that helps you better organise asynchronous code.
My server.js is
// server.js - the outer server loop
var http = require('http')
, php = require("./phpServer");
function start() {
function onRequest(request, response) {
php.phpServer('D:/websites/coachmaster.co.uk/htdocs',request, response);
response.write('Ending');
response.end();
}
http.createServer(onRequest).listen(80);
console.log("Server started.");
}
exports.start = start;
That calls php.phpServer every request with response as the 3rd param.
phpServer contains.
//
// phpServer.js - a generic server to serve static files and
//
var fs = require('fs')
, pathfuncs = require('path')
, url = require('url')
, mimetypes = require('./mimetypes')
function phpServer(root, request, response) {
// serve static or pass to php.
var data = url.parse(request.url);
var ext = pathfuncs.extname(data.pathname);
fs.stat(root+request.url, function(err, stat) {
if (err || !stat.isFile()) { // error or not file.
console.log('404');
response.writeHead(404);
response.write('Not Found');
return;
}
// exists - serve.
console.log("serve("+root+request.url+", mimetypes.mimetype("+ext+"))");
response.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': mimetypes.mimetype(ext)});
response.write('Somethign to serve');
// fs.createReadStream(root+request.url).pipe(response);
});
}
exports.phpServer = phpServer
As I see it, response is an object and is passed by reference, therefore the response.write() here should write to the response.
It doesn't. Response here is NOT the same as response in onRequest, so nothing in phpServer is sent to the browser - not code nor content.
The console.logs come out and show what I would expect.
How can I get the object response passed so I can call write on it?
------------- added later -------------------
I've tried to apply answers given and code for server.is now
// server.js - the outer server loop
var http = require('http')
, fs = require('fs')
, pathfuncs = require('path')
, url = require('url')
, mimetypes = require('./mimetypes')
function phpServer(root, request, res) {
// code adapted from page 118 of Smashing Node.js by Guillermo Rauch
// res is response provided to onRequest.
var data = url.parse(request.url);
var ext = pathfuncs.extname(data.pathname);
res.write('Start reply');
fs.stat(root+request.url, function(err,stat) {
// define delayed callback - reponse in scope
if (err || !stat.isFile()) { // error or not file.
console.log('404');
res.writeHead(404);
res.write('Not Found');
res.end
return;
};
// exists so serve.
console.log("serve("+root+request.url+", mimetypes.mimetype("+ext+"))");
res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': mimetypes.mimetype(ext)});
res.write('The file contents');
res.end;
} // end callback,
); // end fs.stat call.
} // end phpServer
function start() {
function onRequest(request, response) {
phpServer('D:/websites/coachmaster.co.uk/htdocs',request, response);
}
http.createServer(onRequest).listen(80);
console.log("Server started.");
}
exports.start = start;
This does not reply at all - it times out. However the call to res.writeHead will either
fail, if res is out of scope/does not exist/undefined, or succeed if re is the param passed in.
It succeeds, and is followed by write and end, so please - what have I got wrong.
If the file does not exist I get a start reply and then a timeout.
At the res.write('Start reply'); res is the response param, yet it isn't later in the fs.stat call-back.
Why not?
Damn - this is frustrating.
The call to response.end should be moved from the onRequest function to phpServer. As it stands phpServer cannot write anything else since the stream has been closed.
function onRequest(request, response) {
php.phpServer('D:/websites/coachmaster.co.uk/htdocs',request, response);
// response.end(); // move this to phpServer
}
As explained in the documentation for response.end
This method signals to the server that all of the response headers and body have been sent; that server should consider this message complete.
Your problem is not with parameter passing, it's with basic asynchronous control flow. The stat() function does not do its work immediately. Its callback parameter is called when it's done. You basically cannot structure the code the way you've done it. Instead, your "phpServer" code will need to take a callback parameter of its own, and call it after it does its work.