Accessing server side functions using Express.js and EJS

Question

I'm running a test app in Express.js using EJS as the templating engine. I'd like to access functions stored in a .js file to run server side and not client side. For instance if I have:

<%= console.log("I'm in the server console"); %>

the server catches the console output, and if I have:

<script type="text/javascript"> console.log("I'm in the client-side console"); </script>

Now if I have a function to output the same for the client side I can include it this way:

<script type="text/javascript" src="/javascripts/clientSideCode.js"> clientSideOutput(); </script>

But how do I include a file and its functions that way so EJS can execute server side code? It appears that the public folder in express is just for client side code.

Look at helper functions.

chovy
– chovy

2013-02-02 22:20:55 +00:00
Commented Feb 2, 2013 at 22:20 — chovy
– chovy, Commented Feb 2, 2013 at 22:20

hunterloftis · Accepted Answer · 2013-02-02 22:29:09Z

2

You can create helper functions that your templates can access via app.locals:

http://expressjs.com/api.html#app.locals

answered Feb 2, 2013 at 22:29

hunterloftis

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2 Comments

Jason Burgett Over a year ago

I'm not sure that's exactly what I'm looking for. Does that just expose an object or a whole function. Let's day I have a function named createFile that would create a file on the server after someone clicks on a link, how would I do that?

hunterloftis Over a year ago

It sounds like you're looking for a route. To create a file on the server when someone clicks a link, you'll want to use ajax (or a POST to a renderable page) and a route on the server that can create files.

David Cain · Accepted Answer · 2013-07-03 23:19:11Z

You can use node.js and Socket.IO to emit real time events between client and server. For instance the client would do something like:

<script>window onload = function() {

socket.emit('request_customer_list', { state: "tx" });

socket.on('receive_customer_list', function(data) {
$.each(data.customer_list, function(key, value) {

  socket.set(key, value); // store the customer data and then print it later
});

});}

On your server you can have a routine to load the customer list and send it back in similar format:

socket.on('connection')
  socket.on('request_customer_list', function(data){
   state = data.state;
   var customer_list;
   // pretend i loaded a list of customers from whatever source right here
   socket.emit('receive_customer_list', {customer_list: customer_list});
)} )};

SandPiper · Accepted Answer · 2023-11-08 16:02:48Z

0

The helper function is definitely the way to go, as @hunterloftis said, and then access it via EJS. To expand on his answer:

app.js:

clientSideOutput() {
    // Your code
}

const app = express()

app.set('view engine', 'ejs')
app.locals.clientSideOutput= clientSideOutput

Yout template.ejs file:

<div>
    Some text, then <%= clientSideOutput() %>
</div>

answered Nov 8, 2023 at 16:02

SandPiper

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