I'm working on a word game and am trying to return a random wordpair (my collection) on a page load. I'm using Express and have adapted my code from this tutorial if that's of any use.
A GET request renders my page just fine, and I'm trying to send a random WordPair object alongside the title:
router.get('/', function(req, res, next) {
res.render('play', { title: 'play', random_wordpair: wordpair_controller.wordpair_random});
});
The wordpair_random function is here inside a controller file I've made (which also successfully manages listing the wordpairs and creating new ones etc).
// Get random WordPair
exports.wordpair_random = function() {
WordPair.aggregate(
[{
$sample: {
size: 1
}
}]
)
.exec(function(err, random_wordpair) {
if (err) {
return next(err);
}
console.log(random_wordpair);
return random_wordpair;
});
};
Then inside a play.pug template, I'm simply trying to display this result:
h3 random wordpair selection is: #{random_wordpair}
But all I can see is the function rendered as HTML text. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
I also understand looking at the documentation for MongoDB $sample aggregation that I need to be calling my function on the database object, but I've seen various examples and some don't do this. When I try calling db.wordpair.aggregate(...) (or WordPair or wordpairs as it appears in mLab) directly after initializing db in my app.js file, I get undefined errors. My db object doesn't seem to contain the correct data for this request.
Thanks!
I guess you're writing this in Node.JS. A core feature in Node.JS is non-blocking IO model. That means, the code won't wait for a database call to complete to move on.
Another concept you need to get it right is that Node.JS, being a variation of JavaScript, in nature is a functional programming. Assigning a function to a property of a JSON object like below won't cause the function to execute. It simply creates a pointer to the function body, that's why your application prints the function itself.
{ title: 'play', random_wordpair: wordpair_controller.wordpair_random}
To fix this, use a callback
exports.wordpair_random = function(callback) {
WordPair.aggregate([$sample: {size: 1}}]).exec(callback);
};
Then in you web function:
router.get('/', function(req, res, next) {
wordpair_controller.wordpair_random(function(err, result) {
//Handle errors if needed.
res.render('play', { title: 'play', random_wordpair:result });
})
});
Related
userSchema.pre('save',async function(next){
//hash the password before saving user to database
next()
})
Hey guys I'm trying to understand the concept of middleware in mongoose. Assuming that I have an userSchema that I run the pre hook on to hash the password before saving the user to the database. On the surface, as far as I understand, the above code that I have will hash the password (not the important part for this question) and then call next() to signal that the function is done. However, I am trying to understand how things work under the hood. I want to know what is next() ? Can you guys walk me through an example of how everything works together under the hood from start to end once the code get executed or somehow help me to have a better understanding of this concept? Thanks
Short : with the pre method you can register listeners for certain events of your Schemas. So pre('save', callback) will fire whenever you save a document of said Model. pre means it will execute before the event, so it can be used (for example) to hash a password before saving it to the document.
However, you have several options to define them, see below :
The combination of using an async callback function and providing the next parameter is not necessary, you can either :
use normal callback with next parameter
the next parameter is a function provided to you by mongoose to have a way out, or to tell mongoose you are done and to continue with the next step in the execution chain. Also it is possible to pass an Error to next it will stop the execution chain.
schema.pre('save', function(next) {
// do stuff
if (error) { return next(new Error("something went wrong"); }
return next(null);
});
use async callback
Here the execution chain will continue once your async callback has finished. If there is an error and you want to break/stop execution chain you just throw it
schema.pre('save', async function() {
// do stuff
await doStuff()
await doMoreStuff()
if (error) { throw new Error("something went wrong"); }
return;
});
Straight from the docs : https://mongoosejs.com/docs/middleware.html#pre
Example
const { Schema, model } = require('mongoose');
const SomeSchema = new Schema ({
name : { type : String }
});
SomeSchema.pre('save', function (next) {
console.log('pre save fired!');
return next();
});
const Some = model('Some', SomeSchema);
console.log('before create');
const doc = new Some({ name : 'test' });
doc.save((err) => {
console.log('after saved');
});
This will output
before create
pre save fired!
after saved
I'm trying to query a collection of users using Mongoose in a Node API.
The handler looks like this:
exports.getUsers = async function(req, res, next) {
try {
let users = db.User.find();
return res.status(200).json(users);
} catch(e) {
return next(e);
}
};
This returns an error that reads Converting circular structure to JSON. When I console.log() the results of db.User.find(), I get a Query object. I've checked everything else. All of my other routes are working normally.
Well...I figured it out. I'll post the answer that I discovered in case anyone else is trying to figure this out. It turns out, through a little bit more careful reading of the documentation, that the Query object that is returned has to be executed. There are two ways to execute it - with a callback function or by returning a promise (but not both). I found this page on queries in the mongoose docs helpful. My final handler looked like this.
exports.getUsers = async function(req, res, next) {
try {
db.User.find()
.then(users => {
return res.status(200).json(users);
});
} catch(e) {
return next(e);
}
};
Next time I guess I'll dig around for a few more minutes before asking.
Edit to add:
Found a second solution. Due to the use of the async function, I also was able to use following inside the try block.
let users = await db.User.find();
return res.status(200).json(users);
I'm trying to learn a little bite of Meteor. This is my event on the client side:
Template.todos_list.events({
'click .todo-done': function () {
console.log(this);
Meteor.call('updateToDo', this._id, !this.completed);
},
'click .single-delete': function () {
Meteor.call('singleDelete');
//Todos.remove(this._id); **<-- this works when insecure is activated**
console.log('clicked the ' + this._id)
}
});
Server Side:
Meteor.methods({
addTodo: function (title) {
Todos.insert({
title: title,
completed: false
})
},
singleDelete: function() {
Todos.remove({_id: this._id});
}
});
I also tried just to use Todos.remove(this._id) at the server side but it doesn't work, either. It somehow only works on the client side.
What am I missing?
Thanks to all of you,
Amir
I think yo have to pass the _id of your object to your singleDelete function.
Changes on client Side:
Meteor.call('singleDelete', this._id);
and the changes on server Side:
singleDelete: function(todoId) {
Todos.remove({_id: todoId});
}
// Edit: I've added a short link to the Javascript this behavior:
https://www.discovermeteor.com/blog/javascript-for-meteor search for 'This'
Basically, the this keyword lets you access the object on which you’re currently working: just like a chameleon, this keeps changing based on its surroundings.
// Edit2: Another great reference: http://bonsaiden.github.io/JavaScript-Garden/#function.this
How this Works
JavaScript has a different concept of what the special name this refers to than most other programming languages. There are exactly five different ways in which the value of this can be bound in the language.
I am building a small app primarily with socket io, however with a few things from expressjs.
One function of the socket io piece is to send an email when a certain event occurs. I've got this working fine with node_mailer.
The problem I'm running into is that I want to use the express view engine to render the emails from template files. The render method seems to be explicitly attached to the res object prototype.
What I've done feels pretty dirty:
// setup express server
var render;
app.get('/', function (req, res) {
if (typeof render == 'undefined') render = res.render;
res.end('Welcome to app');
});
// socket io code
socket.on('event', function (data) {
var email_content;
render('template', {}, function (err, result) { email_content = result; });
});
Is there a better way to gain access to expressjs's components outside the context of an http request, or even a better way to approach this problem? I tried rigging up a call to the exported express.view.compile function but that both didn't work and seemed like a high hoo
Here is where the information you seek comes from:
https://github.com/Ravelsoft/node-jinjs/wiki
With templates as modules
To have node load your templates as if they were modules, you first have to register your module extension :
require("jinjs").registerExtension(".tpl");
If you want your file to be transformed prior to being submitted to jinjs, you can pass a callback ;
var pwilang = require("pwilang");
require("jinjs").registerExtension(".pwx", function (txt) {
return pwilang.parse(txt);
});
You can now write this to user Jin:
var my_template = require("./mytemplate");
var context = { foo: "foo", bar: "bar" };
var result = my_template.render(context);
Because you are sticking Jin into express (as opposed to making express work with Jin) this is your best option. The res variable is only available in the route callback.
On express 3.x there is the alias app.render
// socket io code
socket.on('event', function (data) {
var email_content;
app.render('template', {}, function (err, result) { email_content = result; });
});
Everything I can find for rending a page with mongoose results says to do it like this:
users.find({}, function(err, docs){
res.render('profile/profile', {
users: docs
});
});
How could I return the results from the query, more like this?
var a_users = users.find({}); //non-working example
So that I could get multiple results to publish on the page?
like:
/* non working example */
var a_users = users.find({});
var a_articles = articles.find({});
res.render('profile/profile', {
users: a_users
, articles: a_articles
});
Can this be done?
You're trying to force a synchronous paradigm. Just does't work. node.js is single threaded, for the most part -- when io is done, the execution context is yielded. Signaling is managed with a callback. What this means is that you either have nested callbacks, named functions, or a flow control library to make things nicer looking.
https://github.com/caolan/async#parallel
async.parallel([
function(cb){
users.find({}, cb);
},
function(cb){
articles.find({}, cb);
}
], function(results){
// results contains both users and articles
});
I'll play the necromancer here, as I still see another, better way to do it.
Using wonderful promise library Bluebird and its promisifyAll() method:
var Promise = require('bluebird');
var mongoose = require('mongoose');
Promise.promisifyAll(mongoose); // key part - promisification
var users, articles; // load mongoose models "users" and "articles" here
Promise.props({
users: users.find().execAsync(),
articles: articles.find().execAsync()
})
.then(function(results) {
res.render('profile/profile', results);
})
.catch(function(err) {
res.send(500); // oops - we're even handling errors!
});
Key parts are as follows:
Promise.promisifyAll(mongoose);
Makes all mongoose (and its models) methods available as functions returning promises, with Async suffix (.exec() becomes .execAsync(), and so on). .promisifyAll() method is nearly-universal in Node.JS world - you can use it on anything providing asynchronous functions taking in callback as their last argument.
Promise.props({
users: users.find().execAsync(),
articles: articles.find().execAsync()
})
.props() bluebird method takes in object with promises as its properties, and returns collective promise that gets resolved when both database queries (here - promises) return their results. Resolved value is our results object in the final function:
results.users - users found in the database by mongoose
results.articles - articles found in the database by mongoose (d'uh)
As you can see, we are not even getting near to the indentation callback hell. Both database queries are executed in parallel - no need for one of them to wait for the other. Code is short and readable - practically corresponding in length and complexity (or rather lack of it) to wishful "non-working example" posted in the question itself.
Promises are cool. Use them.
The easy way:
var userModel = mongoose.model('users');
var articleModel = mongoose.model('articles');
userModel.find({}, function (err, db_users) {
if(err) {/*error!!!*/}
articleModel.find({}, function (err, db_articles) {
if(err) {/*error!!!*/}
res.render('profile/profile', {
users: db_users,
articles: db_articles
});
});
});
Practically every function is asynchronous in Node.js. So is Mongoose's find. And if you want to call it serially you should use something like Slide library.
But in your case I think the easiest way is to nest callbacks (this allows f.e. quering articles for selected previously users) or do it completly parallel with help of async libraries (see Flow control / Async goodies).
I have a function that I use quite a bit as a return to Node functions.
function freturn (value, callback){
if(callback){
return callback(value);
}
return value;
};
Then I have an optional callback parameter in all of the signatures.
I was dealing with a very similar thing but using socket.io and DB access from a client. My find was throwing the contents of my DB back to the client before the database had a chance to get the data... So for what it's worth I will share my findings here:
My function for retrieving the DB:
//Read Boards - complete DB
var readBoards = function() {
var callback = function() {
return function(error, data) {
if(error) {
console.log("Error: " + error);
}
console.log("Boards from Server (fct): " + data);
}
};
return boards.find({}, callback());
};
My socket event listener:
socket.on('getBoards', function() {
var query = dbConnection.readBoards();
var promise = query.exec();
promise.addBack(function (err, boards) {
if(err)
console.log("Error: " + err);
socket.emit('onGetBoards', boards);
});
});
So to solve the problem we use the promise that mongoose gives us and then once we have received the data from the DB my socket emits it back to the client...
For what its worth...
You achieve the desired result by the following code. Hope this will help you.
var async = require('async');
// custom imports
var User = require('../models/user');
var Article = require('../models/article');
var List1Objects = User.find({});
var List2Objects = Article.find({});
var resourcesStack = {
usersList: List1Objects.exec.bind(List1Objects),
articlesList: List2Objects.exec.bind(List2Objects),
};
async.parallel(resourcesStack, function (error, resultSet){
if (error) {
res.status(500).send(error);
return;
}
res.render('home', resultSet);
});