node_app_checklist

A tl;dr checklist to guide your workflow for your new Node App

Set Up NodeJS and Express

Initialize a new NodeJS application using Node Package Manager
```
$ npm init -y
```
- (-y accepts all default settings)
Install Express
```
$ npm install --save express
```
- Note: --save auto adds module to package.json

Create index.js in root directory

Require Express module and set up app port:

var express = require("express")
var app = express()

app.listen(4000, () => {
  console.log("app listening on port 4000")
})

Start server with nodemon which automates server reload on file change (server start traditionally done with node index.js)
- to install nodemon enter npm install nodemon (install globally with npm install -g nodemon)

MongoDB & Mongoose ODM

Install Mongoose
```
$ npm install --save mongoose
```

In db/connection.js, set up Schema and connection to the db:

var mongoose = require("mongoose")

mongoose.Promise = global.Promise

var ExampleSchema = mongoose.Schema({
  name: String,
})

mongoose.model("Example", ExampleSchema)

mongoose.connect("mongodb://localhost/<app_name>")

module.exports = mongoose

Handy MongoDB CLI Commands:
- Note: be sure $ mongod is running in a separate terminal window
- $ mongo opens interface
- > show dbs
- > use <name_of_db>
- > show collections
- > db.<name_of_collection>.find({}) to show all
- More commands...

Making the MEN app MEANer (Angular)

In index.js display root file: layout.html

app.get("/", function(req, res) {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + "/layout.html")
})

Set up Express to accept AJAX requests (from Angular):
```
app.use(parser.json({extended: true}))
```

CDN Angular from layout.html & add link to your Angular app

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.5.8/angular.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular-ui-router/0.3.2/angular-ui-router.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular.js/1.5.0-beta.2/angular-resource.min.js"></script>
<script src="/assets/js/app.js"></script>

Example Angular Factory and Controller + Express API Route:

// app.js (Angular)
function ExampleFactoryFunction($resource) {
  return $resource("/api/example/:name", {}, {
    update: { method: "put" }
  })
}

function indexController(ExampleFactory) {
  ExampleFactory.query()
                .$promise
                .then(examples => this.examples = examples)
}

function showController($stateParams, ExampleFactory) {
  this.example = Example.get({name: $stateParams.name})
  this.update = function() {
    this.example.$update({name: $stateParams.name})
  }
}

// index.js (Express)
app.post("/api/examples/:name", function(req, res) {
  Example.findOneAndUpdate({name: req.params.name}, req.body, {new: true}).then(example => {
    res.json(example)
  })
})

Example: WhenPresident

Other Helpful Modules

body-parser
hbs (handlebars)

nickoki/node_app_checklist

node_app_checklist

Set Up NodeJS and Express

MongoDB & Mongoose ODM

Making the MEN app MEANer (Angular)

Other Helpful Modules