How to use ng-include in Angular Yeoman template dist? - angularjs

Question

I have used the Yeoman generator to create an AngularJS template (Angular 1) and have being developing on it.
To keep my code clean I have one main html file and then I use ng-include to add the partial html views to this main html view.
When I run grunt serve my project runs fine.
However when I run grunt build to build the distribution version of the application then the ng-includes stop working, nothing is displayed where they should be.
I am guessing the out of the box grunt tasks that come with the Yeoman generator someone strip out or minify the files in such a manner that stops the ng-includes from working?
If so what should be changed in the grunt file to allow ng-includes to work?
Here is the grunt file as it comes generated:
// Generated on 2016-04-24 using generator-angular 0.15.1
'use strict';
// # Globbing
// for performance reasons we're only matching one level down:
// 'test/spec/{,*/}*.js'
// use this if you want to recursively match all subfolders:
// 'test/spec/**/*.js'
module.exports = function (grunt) {
// Time how long tasks take. Can help when optimizing build times
require('time-grunt')(grunt);
// Automatically load required Grunt tasks
require('jit-grunt')(grunt, {
useminPrepare: 'grunt-usemin',
ngtemplates: 'grunt-angular-templates',
cdnify: 'grunt-google-cdn'
});
// Configurable paths for the application
var appConfig = {
app: require('./bower.json').appPath || 'app',
dist: 'dist'
};
// Define the configuration for all the tasks
grunt.initConfig({
// Project settings
yeoman: appConfig,
// Watches files for changes and runs tasks based on the changed files
watch: {
bower: {
files: ['bower.json'],
tasks: ['wiredep']
},
js: {
files: ['<%= yeoman.app %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js'],
tasks: ['newer:jshint:all', 'newer:jscs:all'],
options: {
livereload: '<%= connect.options.livereload %>'
}
},
jsTest: {
files: ['test/spec/{,*/}*.js'],
tasks: ['newer:jshint:test', 'newer:jscs:test', 'karma']
},
styles: {
files: ['<%= yeoman.app %>/styles/{,*/}*.css'],
tasks: ['newer:copy:styles', 'postcss']
},
gruntfile: {
files: ['Gruntfile.js']
},
livereload: {
options: {
livereload: '<%= connect.options.livereload %>'
},
files: [
'<%= yeoman.app %>/{,*/}*.html',
'.tmp/styles/{,*/}*.css',
'<%= yeoman.app %>/images/{,*/}*.{png,jpg,jpeg,gif,webp,svg}'
]
}
},
// The actual grunt server settings
connect: {
options: {
port: 9000,
// Change this to '0.0.0.0' to access the server from outside.
hostname: 'localhost',
livereload: 35729
},
livereload: {
options: {
open: true,
middleware: function (connect) {
return [
connect.static('.tmp'),
connect().use(
'/bower_components',
connect.static('./bower_components')
),
connect().use(
'/app/styles',
connect.static('./app/styles')
),
connect.static(appConfig.app)
];
}
}
},
test: {
options: {
port: 9001,
middleware: function (connect) {
return [
connect.static('.tmp'),
connect.static('test'),
connect().use(
'/bower_components',
connect.static('./bower_components')
),
connect.static(appConfig.app)
];
}
}
},
dist: {
options: {
open: true,
base: '<%= yeoman.dist %>'
}
}
},
// Make sure there are no obvious mistakes
jshint: {
options: {
jshintrc: '.jshintrc',
reporter: require('jshint-stylish')
},
all: {
src: [
'Gruntfile.js',
'<%= yeoman.app %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js'
]
},
test: {
options: {
jshintrc: 'test/.jshintrc'
},
src: ['test/spec/{,*/}*.js']
}
},
// Make sure code styles are up to par
jscs: {
options: {
config: '.jscsrc',
verbose: true
},
all: {
src: [
'Gruntfile.js',
'<%= yeoman.app %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js'
]
},
test: {
src: ['test/spec/{,*/}*.js']
}
},
// Empties folders to start fresh
clean: {
dist: {
files: [{
dot: true,
src: [
'.tmp',
'<%= yeoman.dist %>/{,*/}*',
'!<%= yeoman.dist %>/.git{,*/}*'
]
}]
},
server: '.tmp'
},
// Add vendor prefixed styles
postcss: {
options: {
processors: [
require('autoprefixer-core')({browsers: ['last 1 version']})
]
},
server: {
options: {
map: true
},
files: [{
expand: true,
cwd: '.tmp/styles/',
src: '{,*/}*.css',
dest: '.tmp/styles/'
}]
},
dist: {
files: [{
expand: true,
cwd: '.tmp/styles/',
src: '{,*/}*.css',
dest: '.tmp/styles/'
}]
}
},
// Automatically inject Bower components into the app
wiredep: {
app: {
src: ['<%= yeoman.app %>/index.html'],
ignorePath: /\.\.\//
},
test: {
devDependencies: true,
src: '<%= karma.unit.configFile %>',
ignorePath: /\.\.\//,
fileTypes:{
js: {
block: /(([\s\t]*)\/{2}\s*?bower:\s*?(\S*))(\n|\r|.)*?(\/{2}\s*endbower)/gi,
detect: {
js: /'(.*\.js)'/gi
},
replace: {
js: '\'{{filePath}}\','
}
}
}
}
},
// Renames files for browser caching purposes
filerev: {
dist: {
src: [
'<%= yeoman.dist %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js',
'<%= yeoman.dist %>/styles/{,*/}*.css',
'<%= yeoman.dist %>/images/{,*/}*.{png,jpg,jpeg,gif,webp,svg}',
'<%= yeoman.dist %>/styles/fonts/*'
]
}
},
// Reads HTML for usemin blocks to enable smart builds that automatically
// concat, minify and revision files. Creates configurations in memory so
// additional tasks can operate on them
useminPrepare: {
html: '<%= yeoman.app %>/index.html',
options: {
dest: '<%= yeoman.dist %>',
flow: {
html: {
steps: {
js: ['concat', 'uglifyjs'],
css: ['cssmin']
},
post: {}
}
}
}
},
// Performs rewrites based on filerev and the useminPrepare configuration
usemin: {
html: ['<%= yeoman.dist %>/{,*/}*.html'],
css: ['<%= yeoman.dist %>/styles/{,*/}*.css'],
js: ['<%= yeoman.dist %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js'],
options: {
assetsDirs: [
'<%= yeoman.dist %>',
'<%= yeoman.dist %>/images',
'<%= yeoman.dist %>/styles'
],
patterns: {
js: [[/(images\/[^''""]*\.(png|jpg|jpeg|gif|webp|svg))/g, 'Replacing references to images']]
}
}
},
// The following *-min tasks will produce minified files in the dist folder
// By default, your `index.html`'s <!-- Usemin block --> will take care of
// minification. These next options are pre-configured if you do not wish
// to use the Usemin blocks.
// cssmin: {
// dist: {
// files: {
// '<%= yeoman.dist %>/styles/main.css': [
// '.tmp/styles/{,*/}*.css'
// ]
// }
// }
// },
// uglify: {
// dist: {
// files: {
// '<%= yeoman.dist %>/scripts/scripts.js': [
// '<%= yeoman.dist %>/scripts/scripts.js'
// ]
// }
// }
// },
// concat: {
// dist: {}
// },
imagemin: {
dist: {
files: [{
expand: true,
cwd: '<%= yeoman.app %>/images',
src: '{,*/}*.{png,jpg,jpeg,gif}',
dest: '<%= yeoman.dist %>/images'
}]
}
},
svgmin: {
dist: {
files: [{
expand: true,
cwd: '<%= yeoman.app %>/images',
src: '{,*/}*.svg',
dest: '<%= yeoman.dist %>/images'
}]
}
},
htmlmin: {
dist: {
options: {
collapseWhitespace: true,
conservativeCollapse: true,
collapseBooleanAttributes: true,
removeCommentsFromCDATA: true
},
files: [{
expand: true,
cwd: '<%= yeoman.dist %>',
src: ['*.html'],
dest: '<%= yeoman.dist %>'
}]
}
},
ngtemplates: {
dist: {
options: {
module: 'onedaylikethisApp',
htmlmin: '<%= htmlmin.dist.options %>',
usemin: 'scripts/scripts.js'
},
cwd: '<%= yeoman.app %>',
src: 'views/{,*/}*.html',
dest: '.tmp/templateCache.js'
}
},
// ng-annotate tries to make the code safe for minification automatically
// by using the Angular long form for dependency injection.
ngAnnotate: {
dist: {
files: [{
expand: true,
cwd: '.tmp/concat/scripts',
src: '*.js',
dest: '.tmp/concat/scripts'
}]
}
},
// Replace Google CDN references
cdnify: {
dist: {
html: ['<%= yeoman.dist %>/*.html']
}
},
// Copies remaining files to places other tasks can use
copy: {
dist: {
files: [{
expand: true,
dot: true,
cwd: '<%= yeoman.app %>',
dest: '<%= yeoman.dist %>',
src: [
'*.{ico,png,txt}',
'*.html',
'images/{,*/}*.{webp}',
'styles/fonts/{,*/}*.*'
]
}, {
expand: true,
cwd: '.tmp/images',
dest: '<%= yeoman.dist %>/images',
src: ['generated/*']
}, {
expand: true,
cwd: 'bower_components/bootstrap/dist',
src: 'fonts/*',
dest: '<%= yeoman.dist %>'
}]
},
styles: {
expand: true,
cwd: '<%= yeoman.app %>/styles',
dest: '.tmp/styles/',
src: '{,*/}*.css'
}
},
// Run some tasks in parallel to speed up the build process
concurrent: {
server: [
'copy:styles'
],
test: [
'copy:styles'
],
dist: [
'copy:styles',
'imagemin',
'svgmin'
]
},
// Test settings
karma: {
unit: {
configFile: 'test/karma.conf.js',
singleRun: true
}
}
});
grunt.registerTask('serve', 'Compile then start a connect web server', function (target) {
if (target === 'dist') {
return grunt.task.run(['build', 'connect:dist:keepalive']);
}
grunt.task.run([
'clean:server',
'wiredep',
'concurrent:server',
'postcss:server',
'connect:livereload',
'watch'
]);
});
grunt.registerTask('server', 'DEPRECATED TASK. Use the "serve" task instead', function (target) {
grunt.log.warn('The `server` task has been deprecated. Use `grunt serve` to start a server.');
grunt.task.run(['serve:' + target]);
});
grunt.registerTask('test', [
'clean:server',
'wiredep',
'concurrent:test',
'postcss',
'connect:test',
'karma'
]);
grunt.registerTask('build', [
'clean:dist',
'wiredep',
'useminPrepare',
'concurrent:dist',
'postcss',
'ngtemplates',
'concat',
'ngAnnotate',
'copy:dist',
'cdnify',
'cssmin',
'uglify',
'filerev',
'usemin',
'htmlmin'
]);
grunt.registerTask('default', [
'newer:jshint',
'newer:jscs',
'build'
]);
};

Answer 1

In order to see your templates appear normally when using grunt serve in a Yeoman generated Angular app (yo:angular), you should put your template file paths inside single quotes, as follows :
<div ng-include="'views/templates/header.html'"></div>
I'm having a similar problem though, using grunt build, I can't see how to keep using ng-include in the built app (after the ngTemplate task has run and all views are in one big .js file...
Anyone has done this before or has some pointers?