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

https://github.com/NodeBB/nodebb-plugin-quickstart/blob/master/library.js

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!