controllers.md

Controllers

// /controllers/person.js

module.exports = {

    // catch all to do anything action
    "*" (req, res, next) {},

    // single method
    walk (req, res, next) {},

    // actions with different verbs
    talk: {
        get (req,res, next) {},
        post (req,res,next) {},
        sock (req,res)
    },

    // array of actions
    act: [
        (req, res, next) {},
        (req, res, next) {}
    ],

    // single method with a token
    "save/:id"(req, res, next, id) {},

    // single method with 2 tokens, where page isn't required
    "goto/:id/:page?"(req, res, next, id, page) {},

    // a route that matches outside this controller
    "/bringATowel"(req, res, next) {}

};

Middleware

Middleware is really cool. It let's you do stuff that affects all actions in this controller.

"*" (req,res,next) {

    // a good thing to do here, is check the session
    if(!req.session) res.redirect("/login");

    // define a specific layout for this controller
    res.layout = "foo/layout";

    // CS will now look in /veiws/foo
    res.path = "foo";

    // you have to call next at the end of this, otherwise it won't hit your route.
    next();

}

req

// Session data
req.session

// POST body
req.body

// Parsed GET querystring params
req.query

// Tokenized params from the URL.
req.params

res

// output a view
res.view([view], private, public);

    // view           is optional, a path to a view you wanna use instead
    // private        object of data to become available in your view  as {{var}}
    // public         object of data to become available in your javascript. (CS.public)

// output json
res.json({});

// output text
res.send("");

If a promise is passed in the private data of a res.view(), it sends the data when it arrives via web sockets In the following example, baz will be sent via web sockets once the promise resolves:

let somePromise = new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
    setTimeout(function() {
        resolve('BOOM!');
    }, 5000);
});

res.view({
    foo: "bar",
    baz: somePromise
});

The template to match this could be:

<h1>{{foo}}</h1>
<p>{{{stream "baz"}}}</p>

At first, the markup rendered by the browser will be simply <h1>bar</h1>. Once somePromise resolves, the result (BOOM!) will appear inside the <p> tag.

next

// will move onto to the next matching route
next()

req.param

Outside a controller, you can define a param to use when defining routes. This allows you to handle a param type app-wide. Modify or use req or res and then call next() This is run when you request a route with a token like /:user

req.param("user", function(req, res, next) { ... })