I need to fetch data having a specific id
and which id is defined in the view instance.
Here the example, see the comments in MyModel definition:
// my view instance
var myView = new MyView({
model: {id: 12321}
});
MyView = Backbone.View.extends({
initialize: function()
{
myModel.fetch();
}
});
MyModel = Backbone.Model.extends({
url: function url ()
{
// how to get the id passed to view instance?
return "http:..../id/" + this.id;
}
});
Model should not has any knowledge of the existence of the View, so the View should be the one that sais to the Model which id to fetch:
MyView = Backbone.View.extends({
initialize: function()
{
myModel.id = this.model.id;
myModel.fetch();
}
});
(I've used your example code as template for my example, but I have to say I feel several weird things on it, I suppose is just a matter of taste)
Update: My very personal taste opinions
Is very difficult to do this but as you requested I'll share with you my very personal code review of your example code. Take this as it is: a very humble opinion.
this.model confused
I would not use attribute names that can create confussion:
var myView = new MyView({
model: {id: 12321}
});
Into this instance this.model is making reference to a raw Hash but in a Backbone context this is against the intuitive feeling that this is gonna be a Backbone.Model.
I rather change it for something like this:
var MyView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function( opts ){
this.model_id = opts.model_id;
}
})
var myView = new MyView({ model_id: 12321 });
I think this naming is more intuitive.
close variables scopes
This code can only works if myModel is in an scope bigger that it should be:
MyView = Backbone.View.extends({
initialize: function()
{
myModel.fetch();
}
});
I rather prefer using more encapsulated scopes, even if myModel has been declared in the out-side context of your View the View should use a variable of its private context. For example
var MyView = Backbone.View.extends({
initialize: function( opts ) {
this.model = opts.model;
this.model.fetch();
}
});
var myView = new MyView({ model: myModel });
Check the detail that I have also added var in front of MyView because if not MyView will be a window global variable.
use the Backbone urlRoot
In your example, this ...
MyModel = Backbone.Model.extends({
url: function url ()
{
// how to get the id passed to view instance?
return "http:..../id/" + this.id;
}
});
... can be summarized as this:
MyModel = Backbone.Model.extends({
urlRoot: "http:..../id"
});
Related
Is there anyway to send backbone collection to another view without listenTo methods, to send it like an array or something else.
Im doing the fetch in the initialize function and then putting the collection in my array is that bad?
this.userModels = [];
this.collectionUser = new app.types.Users();
this.collectionUser.fetch();
this.userModels.push(this.collectionUser);
Im trying to send it like an array but on refreshing my web page sometimes im getting this
this.options child {
length: 15,
models: Array[15],
_byId: Object,
_listenId: "l4",
_events: Object…
}
and sometime getting with zero values
this.options child {
length: 0,
models: Array[0],
_byId: Object,
_listenId: "l4",
_events: Object…
}
So i wanna send my collection without listenTo method if it's possible.
First view:
app.types.FirstView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function() {
this.collectionUser = new app.types.Users();
this.collectionUser.fetch();
};
sendCollection: function() {
var secondView = new app.types.SecondView({
collection: this.collectionUser
});
}
});
Second view:
app.types.SecondView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function(options) {
this.collection = options.collection;
// so i want to get this.collectionUser here without listenTo
// method and without fetch here is that possible ? I said
// sometimes i get it sometimes not when i refersh my web page
// when i render it first time.
};
});
Yes you can send everything with js and use initialize for that view.
In your view you need to declare initialize function like this.
var someView = Backbone.View.extend({
template: _.template('some html file'),
initialize: function(options){
this.collection = options.collection
},
events: {
'click .someclass': 'doSomthing',
'click #someId': 'doSomthingElse'
},
doSomthing: function(event){
event.preventDefault();
var that = this;
that.collection.fetch({
success: function(){
that.$('element').append(that.collection);
}
});
},
render: function(){
var that = this;
that.$el.html(that.template);
return this;
}
});
And when u make new instance of your view need pass your collection as argument.
this.collectionUser = new app.types.Users();
this.view = new someView({collection: this.collectionUser});
This is it
I reorganized my fully-working Backbone.js project and moved all my models, collections and views into separate files, and did a little rewriting, and now it won't render. I've tried everything I can think of. Any tips?
var SessionView = Backbone.View.extend({
model: Session,
el: '#list',
template: _.template($('#session-template').html()),
initialize: function () {
this.model.bind('change', _.bind(this.render, this));
this.render();
},
render: function () {
this.$el.html(this.template({sessions: sessionList}));
return this;
}
});
var sessionView = new SessionView();
var SessionListView = Backbone.View.extend({
el: '#list',
model: sessionList,
initialize: function () {
sessionList.bind('add', this.add, this);
sessionList.bind('reset', this.add, this);
sessionList.fetch();
},
render: function () {
var view = new sessionListView();
this.$el.append(view.render().el);
new SessionView({model: Session});
return this;
}
});
var sessionListView = new SessionListView();
Few things that I noticed:
Backbone.View does not have a model property. Only Backbone.Collection has a model property, which backbone will use to create an instance of model using the specified model constructor (blueprint) and data passed to it.
But views doesn't have a functionality like this (as far as I know). People usually pass an instance of a specific type of model with the options while creating a view, that's not the same as specifying a model property which points to a model constructor in the View's constructor.
sessionList doesn't seems to be an instance of a model (since it is specified in the view's constructor. If it's an instance it'll be shared by all the SessionListView instances which is not the desired behavior in most cases) and seems to be undefined
in the following:new SessionView({model: Session}); Session doesn't look like an instance of a model (Doesn't start with a capital letter, hoping you're following naming conventions) and also seems to be undefined
Well nothing is stopping you from specifying a model constructor in view's constructor or passing a model constructor into the view, but then you should make an instance of it (mostly while initializing) inside the view to work with. In other words you can not do blueprintOfAModel.bind('change'..); and you should build an actual model for the view to work with.
You seems to be creating new SessionListView in the render method of SessionListView itself with var view = new sessionListView(); won't that create infinite number of SessionListView instances when you simply try to create one..?
Well by looking at it again, you are not calling the actual constructor SessionListView with the new operator, but with an instance of it (sessionListView) which is likely to throw an error.
Both SessionView and SessionListView points to the same element, which seems weird. I haven't seen people doing that before since modifying the el of one view will have an impact on the other view, which is not desired in most practical cases.
Also judging by the names, since you have a list view of session, SessionView should not be pointing to a particular element with an id selector. You should create a new element for each SessionView instance. Backbone will do that for you if you don't specify el property.
(I'd say you created an unintentional mess that wasn't there with a little rewrite :)
To make sense, your code should look somewhat like the following. Note that things starting with capital letter are constructor functions and things starting with small letters are object instances
var Session = Backbone.Model.extend({
defaults: {},
initialize: function() {}
});
var SessionList = Backbone.Collection.extend({
model: Session,
initialize: function() {}
});
var SessionView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function() {
this.model.bind('change', _.bind(this.render, this));
this.render();
},
template: _.template($('#session-template').html()),
render: function() {
this.$el.html(this.template({
session: this.model
}));
return this;
}
});
var SessionListView = Backbone.View.extend({
el: '#list',
initialize: function() {
this.collection.bind('add', this.add, this); // method doesn't exist, should throw error
this.collection.bind('reset', this.add, this); // same here
this.collection.fetch(); // <--- watch out, this happens asynchronously
},
render: function() {
// iterate through collection, create instances of SessionView and append to el
return this;
}
});
var sessionList = new SessionList(); // will create n number of Session instances in future
var sessionListView = new SessionListView({ // will create n number of SessionView instances in future
collection: sessionList
});
Pretty new to Backbone JS and I need to know the 'right' way of looping through and setting attributes on models in a collection that is within a model.
My models look like this:
var mediaItem = Backbone.Model.extend({
});
var mediaItems = Backbone.Collection.extend({
model: mediaItem
});
var story = Backbone.Model.extend({
initialize: function () {
this.MediaItems = new mediaItems(this.get('MediaItems'));
this.MediaItems.parent = this;
}
});
What I want to do is loop through the MediaItems in a given story and set the width and height of each. If I do it like this...
storyInstance.MediaItems.each(function (mediaItem) {
mediaItem.set('Width', 200);
mediaItem.set('Height', 100);
});
...then the MediaItem models within the storyInstance.MediaItems property are correctly updated, but the objects within storyInstance.attributes.MediaItems are not. And it's the attributes tree that appears to be used when I subsequently call toJSON() on the Story model.
I can probably amend the above to loop through attributes instead, but I get the feeling I've set up the models wrong or there's a more standard way of doing this?
Thanks.
Probably initialize something other than what you expected.
The below code
var story = Backbone.Model.extend({
initialize: function () {
this.MediaItems = new mediaItems(this.get('MediaItems'));
this.MediaItems.parent = this;
}
});
should have been
var story = Backbone.Model.extend({
initialize: function () {
this.MediaItems = this.get('MediaItems');
this.MediaItems.parent = this;
}
});
and instantiating items should be done with instantiation of story model like
var storyInstance = new story({
MediaItems: new mediaItems()
})
then
story.MediaItems.each(function (mediaItem) {
mediaItem.set('Width', 200);
mediaItem.set('Height', 100);
});
would result updating both
Edit: Did not realize this was from '13. It showed up in questions tagged backbone.js and I did not notice the date/time till now.
Try to check for the instance of Array in the initialize section.
var story = Backbone.Model.extend({
initialize: function () {
if(this.get('MediaItems') instanceof Array){
this.MediaItems = new mediaItems(this.get('MediaItems'));
}
else {
this.MediaItems = this.get('MediaItems');
}
this.MediaItems.parent = this;
}
});
Scenario:
I got an alert() saying undefined when I (try to) set the myVar variable through the Constructor. However if I uncomment the myVar that's living inside the myView, the alert then instead says "Hello from inside", just as one would expect.
Question:
Does this mean that I cannot set any params in the constructor of the view except backbones own params, such as model, collection, el, id, className & tagName?
Manual: http://documentcloud.github.com/backbone/#View-constructor
The code:
var myView = Backbone.View.extend({
//myVar : 'Hello from inside',
initialize: function() {
alert(this.myVar);
}
)};
new myView({myVar: 'Hello from outside'});
Options passed into the constructor are automatically stored as this.options
var myView = Backbone.View.extend({
myVar : 'Hello from inside',
initialize: function() {
alert(this.options.myVar);
}
)};
new myView({myVar: 'Hello from outside'});
As of backbone 1.1.0, the options argument is no longer attached automatically to the view (see issue 2458 for discussion). You now need to attach the options of each view manually:
MyView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function(options) {
_.extend(this, _.pick(options, "myVar", ...));
// options.myVar is now at this.myVar
}
});
new MyView({
myVar: "Hello from outside"
...
});
Alternatively you can use this mini plugin to auto-attach white-listed options, like so:
MyView = BaseView.extend({
options : ["myVar", ...] // options.myVar will be copied to this.myVar on initialize
});
I'm learning Backbone.js and am trying to figure out whether it's possible to have instance variables in Backbone views.
My goal is to load a view's templates from an external file when a view is being instantiated. Currently I'm storing them in a global variable in the Backbone app's global namespace, but it would be cleaner to store the templates in a view's instance variables. Currently I have it set up like this:
var templates = {};
MessageView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function() {
$.get('js/Test2Templates.tpl', function(doc) {
var tmpls = $(doc).filter('template');
templates['MessageView'] = [];
tmpls.each(function() {
templates.MessageView[this.id] = $.jqotec($.unescapeHTML(this.innerHTML));
});
});
},
render: function() {
var tpldata = {name: 'Ville', thing: 'Finland'};
$('#display').jqoteapp(templates.MessageView.greeting_template, tpldata);
},
events: {
"click input[type=button]": "additionalTransactions"
},
additionalTransactions: function() {
this.render();
}
});
But instead of using "templates" being defined as a global var, I'd like to create 'templates' in a view's initialize function, along these lines (but this doesn't work):
MessageView = Backbone.View.extend({
view_templates: {},
initialize: function() {
$.get('js/Test2Templates.tpl', function(doc) {
var tmpls = $(doc).filter('template');
tmpls.each(function() {
this.view_templates[this.id] = $.jqotec($.unescapeHTML(this.innerHTML));
});
});
},
render: function() {
var tpldata = {name: 'Ville', thing: 'Suomi'};
$('#display').jqoteapp(this.view_templates.greeting_template, tpldata);
},
events: {
"click input[type=button]": "additionalTransactions"
},
additionalTransactions: function() {
this.render();
}
});
This is probably (?) pretty straightforward and/or obvious, but me being somewhere on the Backbone.js learning curve, I'd much appreciate any help with this!! Thanks!
Your view_templates instance variable is fine (and a good idea as well). You just have to be sure that you're using the right this inside your $.get() callback and inside your tmpls.each() call. I think you want your initialize to look more like this:
initialize: function() {
this.view_templates = { };
var _this = this;
$.get('js/Test2Templates.tpl', function(doc) {
var tmpls = $(doc).filter('template');
tmpls.each(function() {
_this.view_templates[this.id] = $.jqotec($.unescapeHTML(this.innerHTML));
});
});
},
I'm not sure which this.id you want inside the tmpls.each() but I'm guessing that you want the DOM id attribute from the current template so I left it as this.id.
The this.view_templates assignment in your constructor (initialize) is needed because you presumably want each instance of the view to have its own copy of the array. Creating a new view instance doesn't do a deep copy of the the view so if you just have:
MessageView = Backbone.View.extend({
view_templates: {},
// ...
then all the instances will end up sharing the same view_templates object and view_templates will behave more like a class variable than an instance variable.
You can specify your instance variables in the view definition (i.e. the Backbone.View.extend() call) as a form of documentation but you will want to initialize any of them that should behave as an instance variable in your initialize method; read-only or "class variables" like events can be left as part of the view's definition.