Sails-Generate-JSON API-Blueprints

JSON API Data compatible blueprints for Sails v0.11+ This project is inspired by:

• sails-generate-ember-blueprints
• sails-hook-jsonapi
• generator-sails-rest-api

Sails override default Sails blueprints to support jsonapi.org compatible blueprints.

The blueprints provide JSON API formatted data. Ember support is provided by using the JSONAPIAdapter in Ember.

API

The generators support different flavors for your API.

basic: Basic blueprints should get you up and running in no time and serve as a good basis to start development. They come with a default configuration that sideloads all records found in the model's associations.

advanced: If you need more powerful control over your API, you may consider upgrading to the "advanced" blueprints. These blueprints allow fine-grained control over how API responses handle sideloading a model's associations.

json-api: Unfortunately not yet available, but it would also be great to support 100% json api compatible responses.

Getting started

• Install the generator into your (new) Sails project npm install sails-generate-jsonapi-blueprints

• Run the generator: sails generate jsonapi-blueprints

• Configure sails to use pluralized blueprint routes.

  In myproject/config/blueprints.js set pluralize: true

  module.exports.blueprints = {
    // ...
    pluralize: true
  };

• Generate some API resources, e.g. sails generate api user

• Start your app with sails lift

Now you should be up and running and your JSON API Data app should be able to talk to your Sails backend.

Advanced Blueprints

The "basic" blueprints make a basic Sails app work with JSON API Data, but in a more complex project you may need more fine-grained control over how the Sails Rest API handles associations/relations and what is included in the API responses. Enter the "advanced" blueprints.

• Run the generator with: sails generate jsonapi-blueprints advanced --force to update to the advanced blueprints.

• Add a configuration option associations: { list: "link", detail: "record" } to myproject/config/models.js. This will determine the default behaviour.

  module.exports.models = {
    // ...
    associations: {
    	list: "link",
    	detail: "record"
    }
  };

• Add a configuration option validations: { ignoreProperties: [ 'includeIn' ] } to myproject/config/models.js. This tells Sails to ignore our individual configuration on a model's attributes.

  module.exports.models = {
    // ...
    validations: {
    	ignoreProperties: ['includeIn']
    }
  };

• Setup individual presentation on a model attribute by adding includeIn: { list: "option", detail: "option"} where option is one of link, index, record.

  attributes: {
    name : "string",
    posts: {
      collection: "post",
      via: "user",
      includeIn: {
        list: "record",
        detail: "record"
      }
    }
  }

Presentation options:
The link setting will generate jsonapi.org URL style links properties on the records, which JSON API Data can consume and load lazily.

The index setting will generate an array of ID references for JSON API Data, so be loaded as necessary.

The record setting will sideload the complete record.

Troubleshooting

If the generator exits with error: Something else already exists at ... you can try running it with the --force option (at your own risk!)

Some records from relations/associations are missing? Sails has a default limit of 30 records per relation when populating. Try increasing the limit as a work-around until a pagination solution exists.

JSONAPIAdapter

If you're using Ember CLI, you need to use the DS.JSONAPIAdapter adapter. This is now the default adapter in Ember 2.x+ Please see Ember Guides for using Adapters

Sideloading records in EmberJS

To enable this behavior, add the following lines to the config/blueprints.js file:

// config/blueprints.js
module.exports.blueprints = {
  // existing configuration
  // ...

  jsonapi: {
    sideload: true
  }
}

#JSONAPI Format

{
  "data": {
    "type": "articles",
    "id": "1",
    "attributes": {
      // ... this article's attributes
    },
    "relationships": {
      // ... this article's relationships
    }
  }
}

Todo

Many Since I just started.