Named Routes for node.js

A node.js module for naming HTTP routes. Can be used with the express.js framework or independently as standalone. Originally based on antitoxic's node-reversable-router.

Feature overview:

• Support for named routes
• Can be used standalone or as replacement for express.js 4 routing (see named-routes 1.1.4 for express 3).
• URLs can be generated by providing a name of the route and the required parameters
• Support for optional parts in the route path (and URL generation still works with as many optional parts as you want)
• Support for anonymous * parameters inside the path
• Supports converting the last anonymous parameter to pairs of param=>value separated by /
• Improved performance on literal matches
• Supports callbacks for router parameters. Same logic as express native router.
• Supports middleware route callbacks. Same logic as express native router.
• Supports array of middleware route callbacks. Same logic as express native router.

Install

npm install named-routes

Features

Example

As a replacement for express framework router

In the view files:

url('admin.user.edit', {id: 2}) // /admin/user/2

... and in the server config:

var express = require('express');
var app = express();

var Router = require('named-routes');
var router = new Router();
router.extendExpress(app);
router.registerAppHelpers(app);

app.get('/admin/user/:id', 'admin.user.edit', function(req, res, next){
    // for POST, PUT, DELETE, etc. replace 'get' with 'post', 'put', 'delete', etc.

    //... implementation

    // the names can also be accessed here:
    var url = app.namedRoutes.build('admin.user.edit', {id: 2}); // /admin/user/2

    // the name of the current route can be found at req.route.name
});

app.listen(3000);

Please note: in this mode, route paths are matched by express. You can use these patterns: http://expressjs.com/guide/routing.html#route-paths

Extending express4 routers

var searchRouter = express.Router();
router.extendExpress(searchRouter);
searchRouter.post('/users', 'users', function(){...});
app.use('/search', searchRouter);

As express routers are designed to be isolated components, calling url("users") will return "/users", not "/search/users". For more information, see https://github.com/alubbe/named-routes/issues/13.

As a standalone

var Router = require('named-routes')();
var router = new Router();

router.add('get', '/admin/user/:id', function(req, res, next) {
    var url = router.build('admin.user.edit', {id: 2}); // /admin/user/2
}, {
    name: 'admin.user.edit'
});

//... in a request handler
router.dispatch(req);

Benefits of named routes

You can easily check the current route in middleware without stating the defined route path. Thus avoding duplication and keeping route paths in a central place.

This allows the path to the route to be changed as frequently while the rest of the logic across middleware or views to remain the same.

Generating URLs

URLs are generated by passing the route name and, optionally, parameters.

If you're using express:

app.get('/about', 'about', function(req, res, next){ .. }
app.get('/todo/:user/:list/:id', 'todo.user.list.id', function(req, res, next){ .. }

// in the views:
url('about') // '/about'
url('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: 93, id: 1337}) // '/todo/foo/93/1337'
url('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: 93}) // Throws error, missing parameters

// anywhere else:
app.namedRoutes.build('about') // '/about'
app.namedRoutes.build('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: 93, id: 1337}) // '/todo/foo/93/1337'
app.namedRoutes.build('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: 93}) // Throws error, missing parameters

As a standalone:

router.add('get', '/about', function(req, res, next) {...}, {name:'about'})
router.add('get', '/todo/:user/:list/:id', function(req, res, next) {...}, {name:'todo.user.list.id'})

router.build('about') // '/about'
router.build('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: 93, id: 1337}) // '/todo/foo/93/1337'
router.build('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: 93}) // Throws error, missing parameters

AJAX

While forgetting to pass a parameter (or setting its value equal to undefined) will trigger an error, you can also pass null as a parameter value to signal that you would it to be intentionally left blank (including the associated '/' character). This can be helpful when hard-coding ajax urls into front-end javascript.

app.get('/todo/:user/:list/:id', 'todo.user.list.id', function(req, res, next){ .. }

// this will build simply '/todo/foo':
url('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: null, id: null});

// useful for writing routes into ajax requests
var getTodo = '!{url('todo.user.list.id', {user: 'foo', list: null, id: null})}';
$http.get( getTodo + '/' + listID + '/' + id, function(){...})

The above assumes you are working in an express view. If you are not, swap out url with app.namedRoutes.build if you are in express but outside the view and app.get with router.add and url with router.build if you using module standalone.

Features exclusive to stand-alone mode

Full support for optional parts of the URL

You can define routes like this:

router.add('get', '/admin/(user/(edit/:id/)(album/:albumId/):session/)test', 'admin', function(req, res, next){
    console.log(req.params);
});

Brackets define the limits of the optional parts. Here you have 3 optional parts. 2 of them nested in the other.

If you don't pass all the parameters inside a optional part, the part will simply be removed from the generated URL.

So in the views:

url('admin', {id: 4, albumId:2, session: 'qwjdoqiwdasdj12asdiaji198a#asd'});
// will generate: /admin/user/edit/4/album/2/qwjdoqiwdasdj12asdiaji198a/test

url('admin', {id: 4, session: 'qwjdoqiwdasdj12asdiaji198a#asd'});
// will generate: /admin/user/edit/4/qwjdoqiwdasdj12asdiaji198a/test

url('admin', {albumId: 2, session: 'qwjdoqiwdasdj12asdiaji198a#asd'});
// will generate: /admin/user/album/2/qwjdoqiwdasdj12asdiaji198a/test

url('admin', {id: 4, albumId:2});
// will generate: /admin/test
// because :session parameter is missing and the optional part
// that contains it contains also the other 2 parts

Improved matching speed for literal matches

Significant amount of the routes in an web applications are simply hardcoded strings. Things like /admin or /user/login. Such routes will be matched with direct check for equallity without the need for a regular expression execution.

Anonymous * parameters inside the path

router.add('get', '/admin/*/user/*/:id/', 'admin.user.edit', function(req, res, next) {
    console.log(req.params)
});

Requesting: /admin/any/user/thing/2 will output:

{
  _masked: [ 'any', 'thing'],
  id: '2'
}

Analogous in order to generate the same url:

url('admin.user.edit', {id:2, _masked: ['any','thing']})

Converting the trailing * anonymous parameter to multiple name:value parameters

router.add('get', '/admin/*/user/*/:id/albums/*', 'admin.user.edit', function(req, res, next) {
    console.log(req.params)
}, {
    wildcardInPairs: true
});

Requesting: /admin/any/user/thing/2/albums/sort/name/order/desc will output:

{
  _masked: [ 'any', 'thing'],
  id: '2',
  sort: 'name',
  order: 'desc'
}

Analogous in order to generate the same url:

url('admin.user.edit', {id:2, _masked: ['any','thing'], sort: 'name', 'order': 'desc'})

Future development planned

Publish

• Organise and publish tests

Implement

• Query based routing and generation

Investigate

meta-routing Middleware depending on media? mobile, desktop, agent

License

(The MIT License)

Copyright (c) 2014-2016 Andreas Lubbe [email protected]

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the 'Software'), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS', WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.