Static Files and Middleware
- cookieParse is a middleware
- middleware has a
next()function - middleware is sitting between the request and response
An common middleware example
- We need to handle static files being downloaded
- You don't want to manually deal with CSS and images etc...
- Create a
publicfolder and put all your static files in it app.use()tells node you're using a middleware
Making your own middleware
//just match a route, and takes a function with request and response(middleware will sit in between them and handle thing)
//We also need a third parameter called next
//whenever this route hits, it will call this function below
app.use('/', function(req, res, next) {
});
Big Word
Middleware: Code that sits between two layers of software.
In the case of Express, sitting between the request and the response.
Static: Not dynamic.
In other words, not processed by code in any way. For example HTML, CSS and image files are 'static' files.
The Code
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
var port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
//this part is using middleware too
//we are using a express built-in middleware called static to handle static files
//when *localhost:3000/assets/stanley.jpg* is requested, it will get redirected to *localhost:3000/public/stanley.jpg*
//__dirname + '/public' tells node where to find the files physically
//when node see /assets , it will pass it to the middleware, middleware will translate and get that file for me
app.use('/assets', express.static(__dirname + '/public'));
//this is the middleware part I think, not fully understand yet
app.use('/', function (req, res, next) {
console.log('Request Url:' + req.url);
next();
});
app.get('/', function(req, res) {
res.send('<html><head><link href=assets/style.css type=text/css rel=stylesheet /></head><body><h1>Hello world!</h1></body></html>');
});
app.get('/person/:id', function(req, res) {
res.send('<html><head></head><body><h1>Person: ' + req.params.id + '</h1></body></html>');
});
app.get('/api', function(req, res) {
res.json({ firstname: 'John', lastname: 'Doe' });
});
app.listen(port);