Show "No items found" with ng-show only after loading completes - angularjs

Question

Let's say, I have two divs like this:
<div ng-show="!items.length>
<p>No items found</p>
</div>
<div ng-show="items.length>
<li ng-repeat="item in items">
...
...
</div>
Now $scope.items is populated using an AJAX call. Now whenever I load this page, it initially shows me that No items found. But after a second or so (when the AJAX call gets completed), it displays me the other <div> and hides the No items found. I was wondering if there is a better alternative technique for solving this problem ?
UPDATE: Controller looks like this (simplified for the question):
myApp.controller('Controller', function($scope, $http) {
$http.get(fetchURL).
success(function(data, status, headers, config) {
$scope.items =data
});
});

Answer 1

dont create $scope.items before the ajax is complete, so create $scope.items only after ajax request is complete and data is ready.
for ex:
$http.get(fetchURL).success(function(data) {
$scope.items = data; // create $scope.items here, and don't create before this.
});
then
<div ng-show="items && (items.length ==0)">
<p>No items found</p>
</div>

Answer 2

<div ng-if="items">
<div ng-show="!items.length">No items found.</div>
...
</div>
This will only render the content after the items are actually created.

Answer 3

You can use the resolve parameter of your routeProvider#when. See in the docs that this parameter is:
An optional map of dependencies which should be injected into the controller. If any of these dependencies are promises, the router will wait for them all to be resolved or one to be rejected before the controller is instantiated
So, in your case, you can do something like this:
$routeProvider.when('/url', {
templateUrl: 'partials/yourhtml.html',
controller: 'yourController',
resolve: {
'items' : ['$http', function($http) {
return $http.get("items");
}]
}
});
And in controller you inject the 'items' as a parameter:
myApp.controller('Controller', function($scope, items) {
$scope.items = items.data;
}]);