express-react-helper
v1.1.0
Published
Middleware to easily add react to your express app using react-helper.
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Express React Helper
Easily add react to your express or sails app
Express React Helper sets up React Helper and adds some convenience methods to make it even easier to add react to your app and bypass all of the setup.
How to use it
npm install -g react-helper
npm install express-react-helper --save
react-helper init -w
Wherever your middleware is setup
app.use(expressReactHelper.setup());
In the Controller
req.renderComponent will make the rendered component accessible in the view by the component's name
function(req, res) {
req.renderComponent('SignUp')
res.render('view-to-render')
}
In the View: example using handlebars templating engine
<h1>This view has react in it</h1>
{{{SignUp}}}
Javascript entry point
This is compiled by webpack and what tells the browser to render the react component you've specified in your controller/view. Read more about setting up webpack here
const reactHelper = require('reactHelper');
const SomeComponent = require('./path/to/a/component');
reactHelper.register({SignUp});
Features
Express React Helper has a few added features, but it can also do anything else React Helper can do.
- You can check out React Helper's feature list here
Context - Add data to context to be available in every react component rendered with ReactHelper
This can be a helpful way to pass server side configs to your react components, login state, or any other props multiple components will need that you don't feel like added to every controllers renderComponent.
You can add to context like this:
Wherever your middleware is setup
app.use(expressReactHelper.addToReactContext({baseUrl: 'www.myapp.com'}))
Or by adding to req.reactHelperContext:
Anywhere you have access to req
req.reactHelperContext.userName = req.user.userName;
Example
Check out an example app generated with the react-helper cli using the library - https://github.com/tswayne/react-helper-example.
You can see how express-react-helper is setup here and usage in a controller here.
Contributing
Feel free to open issues or pull requests!