Build URL/Page links with Scala in Play Framework - clicking to open a new page - scala

Question

I am new to Scala and am trying to build an href link to another page within a website that was already built with HTML and JavaScript. All the links are set up as:
<a href="mypage.html">
I have been researching Scala and understand that it is more routing and configuration than just referring to a another page. I also understand that the other html pages seem to be used as a Single Page Application setup using the #content tag in the main.scala.html page. I may be wrong on this description, but this is how it makes sense to me.
I have set up a new Scala page and am referencing it in my HTML:
<div class="col-lg-3 col-md-3 col-sm-6 col-xs-6 col-ss-12 margbot30">
<a class="services_item" href="#views.html.login3(loginForm)">
<p>
<b>New</b> User Account
</p> <span>Sign up for a user account</span>
</a>
</div>
It does not give me an error, but actually show that login3.scala.html page in that <div> tag. I wanted to have the text clicked and then open that page.
How do I get this link or route to work correctly?
I found this post, but I am still not sure what to do:
Play! Framework - creating simple html links
I appreciate the help and any code examples.

Answer 1

What "#views.html.login3(loginForm)" is doing is invoking the Scala function login3 and the resulting content is being rendered into the page.
Instead of thinking of pages linking to pages, think of pages linking to controllers.
If you have a controller like this:
package controllers;
class FooController extends Controller {
def foo = Action { request =>
Ok(views.html.foo())
}
def bar = Action { request =>
Ok(views.html.bar())
}
}
This is exposed via the routes file as
GET /foo controllers.FooController.foo
POST /bar controllers.FooController.bar
In your views, you then define your hyperlinks using the generated routing:
whatever
So in your case, instead of using
<a class="services_item" href="#views.html.login3(loginForm)">
you would instead have
<a class="services_item" href="#routes.SomeController.theFunctionThatRendersLogin3()">