ng-repeat inside compiled html for directive - angularjs

Question

I have two directives:
window.app.directive('placeholder', function ($compile, $route, $rootScope) {
return {
restrict: 'AC',
link: function (scope, element, attr) {
// Store the placeholder element for later use
$rootScope["placeholder_" + attr.placeholder] = element[0];
// Clear the placeholder when navigating
$rootScope.$on('$routeChangeSuccess', function (e, a, b) {
element.html('');
});
}
};
});
window.app.directive('section', function ($compile, $route, $rootScope) {
return {
restrict: 'AC',
link: function (scope, element, attr) {
// Locate the placeholder element
var targetElement = $rootScope["placeholder_" + attr.section];
// Compile the template and bind it to the current scope, and inject it into the placeholder
$(targetElement).html($compile(element.html())(scope));
element.html('');
}
};
});
I use them to basically swap out one section with html in another.
If I have the following html:
<div placeholder="footer"></div>
<div section="footer">
<ul ng-model="items">
<li ng-repeat="item in items"> {{item.Description}}</li>
</ul>
</div>
The ng-repeat doesn't seem to be working. If I simply output {{items}} below the , it displays fine. Also, I know binding is working because I can change items and it will update.
Lastly, if I move the ul outside the section it works fine.
So, my question is why does this not work (compile ng-repeat inside directive).
Am I missing something?
EDIT:
What is confusing me, is I can do this:
<div section="footer">
<!-- This Works -->
{{items}}
<!-- This also works -->
<input type="text" ng-model="items[0].Description" />
<!-- This doesn't work -->
<ul ng-model="items">
<li ng-repeat="item in items"> {{item.Description}}</li>
</ul>
</div>

Answer 1

This isn't going to work. It can't evaluate something from another scope without having an exact copy of it in its scope. If you want two directives to communicate use require and setup a way for them to do that if they aren't in a parent child relationship.
A couple of things you should think about. Essentially what you are doing is called transclusion. Section directive would use ng-transclude to capture the client's defined code. Use transclusion and maybe you can evaluate the template into html in the scope of section then using directive communication allow it to pass the HTML block (already evaluated) to the other directive. The only problem is making sure this happens when things change through binding. You're probably going to need some $watches on variables in section in order for placeholder to be notified when things change.
You will probably need a 3rd directive so allow section and placeholder to communicate through. In this example say I have a 3rd directive called broadcaster. Then section and placeholder will require broadcaster (ie require: '^broadcaster'), and it will define some interface for each of the directives to send HTML from section -> placeholder. Something like this:
<div broadcaster>
<div placeholder="footer"></div>
<div section="footer">
<ul>...transcluded content</ul>
</div>
</div>