Accessing data inside header.tpl?

Michael Joseph Aubry

I am curious to know if I need to add a filter to access categories for example inside my header.tpl?

I want to build a small navigation of categories, but I cannot access that and for future reference I am wondering how to analyze certain data and access it I am trying to read as much as I can on the docs, but I feel like I am missing something.

I see I can do /api/categories and get a json response, thats cool but how should I use that in my application? Idealy I want to render the category navigation server side before the HTTP request.

julian

The controller for the /recent page is here: https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/blob/master/src/controllers/recent.js#L28

Note the highlighted line. This hook is executed before the page is rendered, so you can have a plugin subscribe a hook here and add category data.

Michael Joseph Aubry

@julian said:

k is executed before the page is rendered, so you can have a plugin subscribe a hook here and add cate

Cool so basically inside this make an ajax call to /api/categories? Sounds good and will be useful.

I meant to put header.tpl, I changed it at the last second when I realized my sub header is inside the header.tpl... I asked this before and I cant find my question I think it was deleted somehow by accident, I think you answered it but now I cant go back to reference it.

So I am hoping you can explain how the hook for header.tpl works, also how should I be pulling in the json within the hook? Via ajax or some alternate method, I would prefer to avoid ajax as I would like the content SEO friendly.

PitaJ

@Michael-Joseph-Aubry Well, you'd access the NodeBB api directly and add the data to the header object.

Michael Joseph Aubry

@pitaj Can you provide a link or example so I can visualize. I dont know where the header object lives, and when you say access the NodeBB api directly do you mean /api or you mean something else?

Michael Joseph Aubry

Since I am displaying recent first, /api shows an object with topics not categories.

PitaJ

@Michael-Joseph-Aubry No, I mean adding the data on the server side with Node. require the categories and listen to this hook, adding the data.

Michael Joseph Aubry

@pitaj said:

quire the categories and listen to this hook, adding the d

Ahh that makes more sense, so inside my theme.js I can have a method that uses node to pull in the categories and expose it. Ok so I guess I have to dig up some examples, do you have any examples on github that is similar?

PitaJ

@Michael-Joseph-Aubry

https://github.com/NodeBB/nodebb-plugin-custom-homepage

That's a plugin that uses hooks. It doesn't use this specific hook as far as I know, but the hooks all work the same.

Michael Joseph Aubry

@pitaj Thanks I think I've got it but I am confused how to take the server side code and pass it into the client?

Do I need to call render, do I expose something?

PitaJ

@Michael-Joseph-Aubry check out nodebb-plugin-quickstart (search it on Google)

Michael Joseph Aubry

@pitaj Ok well I keep seeing this

nodebb-plugin-quickstart/library.js at master · NodeBB/nodebb-plugin-quickstart

A starter kit for quickly creating NodeBB plugins. - nodebb-plugin-quickstart/library.js at master · NodeBB/nodebb-plugin-quickstart

GitHub (github.com)

plugin.addAdminNavigation = function(header, callback) {
	header.plugins.push({
		route: '/plugins/quickstart',
		icon: 'fa-tint',
		name: 'Quickstart'
	});

	callback(null, header);
};

I just dont get how the server passes data to the client, I am looking at all the source code I can find including the example but there is nothing obvious about this? Can someone please just tell me how to simply pass something from library.js to the client?

Michael Joseph Aubry

Here is what I have done, I finally figured out how to get a list of categories, I kind of like this method but I hate having to pass an array, but it is what it is.

var theme = {};
var catLength = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7];
var Categories = module.parent.require("./Categories");

theme.init = function(params, callback) {
	Categories.getCategoriesData(catLength, function(err, data) {
		data.forEach(function(something, index) {
			if(something) {
                console.log(data[index].name);
            }
		});
	});
	callback();
};

module.exports = theme;

Cool now I have all the categories and the next step is to create a dynamic header based on the categories, the problem is I am so confused on how to do that, I think I am missing something very obvious!

I am inside a theme and I want to pass this into the precompiled template!