Is there a way to validate/constrain that the collection can have only a certain number of models. When there is a request to add more to the collection it must either throw a message or LIFO kind of approach by which the last added model is thrown out and add the new model.
You can bind an event on add and then call pop
initialize: function(){
this.on("add", function(){ this.checkLimit(); }
}
checkLimit: function() {
if (this.length > this.limit)
this.pop();
}
}
Related
I am new to backbone.js and I am trying to learn it. In the code below I want my collection called "JokesCollection" to only accept adding models of the class "Joke". How do I do achieve this? When setting "Collection" attribute "model" to a certain model, isn´t the collection supposed to only accept that model class and ensure homogeneity? Don´t seam so. When I assign attribute "model" in the "JokesCollection" class to "Joke" it still accepts adding models of class "Persson" witch is not what I want. I only want it to accept adding models of class "Joke".
Joke = Backbone.Model.extend ({
initialize: function(){
console.log("Joke was created");
},
defaults: {
joke : "",
date : "0",
}
});
JokesCollection = Backbone.Collection.extend({
initialize: function(){
console.log("JokesCollection was created");
},
model: Joke // <=== Isn´t this supposed to ensure that the collection only accepts models of class "Joke"?
});
Person = Backbone.Model.extend ({
initialize: function(){
console.log("Person was created");
},
defaults: {
username: "default",
password: "default",
email: "default"
}
});
var person1 = new Person({username:"masterMind"});
var joke1 = new Joke({joke:"Girls are cute and funny hahahaha"});
jokesCollection = new JokesCollection();
jokesCollection.add(joke1);
jokesCollection.add(person1); // This adds a model of class "Person" to the collection. Witch is not what I want. It is not supposed to work! I want "jokesCollection" to only accept models of class "Joke".
console.log(jokesCollection.length); // length gets increased by 1 after adding "person1" to "jokesCollection". Again, it is no supposed to work from my point of view. I want "jokesCollection" to only accept models of class "Joke".
console.log(jokesCollection);
From official docs:
model collection.model
Override this property to specify the model class that the collection
contains. If defined, you can pass raw attributes objects (and arrays)
to add, create, and reset, and the attributes will be converted into a
model of the proper type.
Looks like will have to re-write add method something like this :
add: function(models, options) {
var modelClass = this.model;
isProperIns = this.models.every.(function(model){
return model instanceof modelClass;
});
if (!isProperIns) {
throw new Error("Some of models has unacceptable type")
}
return this.set(models, _.extend({merge: false}, options, addOptions));
}
The purpose of a Collection's model property is not to limit which models the Collection can accept. Rather, that property defines the Model class which the Collection will use when it needs to create a new Model. For instance,when you pass an object literal of Model attributes (as opposed to an instantiated Model) to JokesCollection.add, or when you fetch models in to a JokesCollection, Backbone will use Joke as the Model to instantiate those new additions to the Collection.
There are two ways to ensure your JokesCollection is only populated with instances of Joke. The first way is to never add Model instances to the JokesCollection directly, and instead either:
A) Bring new Jokes in from the server by calling fetch on a JokesCollection
B) add only "raw" Model attributes to the JokesCollection; don't add instantiated Models
However, if you're concerned about a developer accidentally adding a non-Joke Model to the Collection, your other option (as first suggested by #Evgeniy) is to overwrite your JokesCollection's add method. Unlike #Evgeniy's answer though I would not recommend re-writing Backbone's internals. Instead, I would use a simple overwrite that just calls the base Backbone method if possible:
add: function(models, options) {
if (models instanceof Joke) {
// Use the normal Backbone.Collection add method
return Backbone.Collection.prototype.add.call(this, models, options);
}
var allModelsAreJokes = _(models).all(function(model) {
return model instanceof Joke;
));
if (allModelsAreJokes) {
// Use the normal Backbone.Collection add method
return Backbone.Collection.prototype.add.call(this, models, options);
}
// Handle the case where non-Jokes are passed in; either:
// A) convert whatever was passed in to be a Joke:
// var rawModels = _(models).isArray() ? _(models).invoke('toJSON') : model.toJSON();
// return Backbone.Collection.prototype.add.call(this, rawModels, options);
// B) just don't add anything
}
I have a collection of items. I would like to keep track of the current selection. When the user clicks on a different item in the collection, I want to indicate that the item is selected and display the details of the selected item. Think of this as a list with a detail view (like a typical email client).
Example of a master-detail layout (source):
I currently have something like this (written in CoffeeScript, templates use haml-coffee):
class Collections.Items extends Backbone.Collection
model: Models.Item
setCurrentSelection: (id)->
# what to do here? Is this even the right way to do it?
getCurrentSelection: ->
# what to do here? Is this even the right way to do it?
class Views.ItemsPage extends Backbone.View
list_template: JST['items/list']
details_template: JST['items/details']
events:
'click .item': 'updateSelection'
initialize: (options)->
#collection = options.collection
render: ->
$('#items_list').html(#list_template(collection: #collection.toJSON())) # not sure if this is how to render a collection
$('#item_details').html(#details_template(item: #collection.currentSelection().toJSON())) # how to implement currentSelection?
#
updateSelection: (event)->
event.preventDefault()
item_id = $(event.currentTarget).data('id')
# mark the item as selected
# re-render using the new selection
# templates/items/list.hamlc
%ul
- for item in #collection
%li{data:{id: item.id}, class: ('selected' if item.selected?)} # TODO: How to check if selected?
= item.name
# templates/items/details.hamlc
%h2= #item.name
I'm not sure if I'm following you (my CoffeeScript is a bit rusty), but I think what you're trying to do is set a selected property on the appropriate model in your updateSelection method, and then re-render your view.
In other words:
updateSelection: (event)->
event.preventDefault()
item_id = $(event.currentTarget).data('id')
model = this.collection.get(item_id) # get the model to select
model.selected = true # mark the item as selected
this.render() # re-render using the new selection
even saying "my CoffeeScript is a bit rusty" is too much for me. But i'll still attempt to explain as best as i can in js.
First the backbone way is to keep models as a representation of a REST resource document. (server side - persisted data).
Client side presentation logic should stick to views. to remember which list item is visible in in the details part is job of the that specific view. initiating change request for details view model is job of the list of items.
the ideal way is to have two separate views for list and details. (you can also go a bit more ahead and have a view for every item in the list view.
parent view
var PageView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function() {
//initialize child views
this.list = new ItemListView({
collection : this.collection //pass the collection to the list view
});
this.details = new ItemDetailView({
model : this.collection.at(1) //pass the first model for initial view
});
//handle selection change from list view and replace details view
this.list.on('itemSelect', function(selectedModel) {
this.details.remove();
this.details = new ItemDetailView({
model : selectedModel
});
this.renderDetails();
});
},
render: function() {
this.$el.html(this.template); // or this.$el.empty() if you have no template
this.renderList();
this.renderDetails();
},
renderList : function(){
this.$('#items_list').append(this.list.$el); //or any other jquery way to insert
this.list.render();
},
renderDetails : function(){
this.$('#item_details').append(this.details.$el); //or any other jquery way to insert
this.details.render();
}
});
list view
var ItemListView = Backbone.View.extend({
events : {
'click .item': 'updateSelection'
},
render: function() {
this.$el.html(this.template);
this.delegateEvents(); //this is important
}
updateSelection : function(){
var selectedModel;
// a mechanism to get the selected model here - can be same as yours with getting id from data attribute
// or you can have a child view setup for each model in the collection. which will trigger an event on click.
// such event will be first captured by the collection view and thn retriggerd for page view to listen.
this.trigger('itemSelect', selectedModel);
}
});
details view
var ItemDetailView = Backbone.View.extend({
render: function() {
this.$el.html(this.template);
this.delegateEvents(); //this is important
}
});
This won't persist the state through routes if you don't reuse your views. in that case you need to have a global state/event saving mechanism. somthing like following -
window.AppState = {};
_.extend(window.AppState, Backbone.Events);
//now your PageView initilize method becomes something like this -
initialize: function() {
//initialize child views
this.list = new ItemListView({
collection : this.collection //pass the collection to the list view
});
var firstModel;
if(window.AppState.SelectedModelId) {
firstModel = this.collection.get(window.AppState.SelectedModelId);
} else {
firstModel = this.collection.at(1);
}
this.details = new ItemDetailView({
model : firstModel //pass the first model for initial view
});
//handle selection change from list view and replace details view
this.list.on('itemSelect', function(selectedModel) {
window.AppState.SelectedModelId = selectedModel.id;
this.details.remove();
this.details = new ItemDetailView({
model : selectedModel
});
this.renderDetails();
});
}
EDIT
Handling selected class (highlight) in list view . see comments for reference.
list view template -
<ul>
<% _.each(collection, function(item, index){ %>
<li data-id='<%= item.id %>'><%= item.name %></li>
<% }); %>
</ul>
inside list view add following method -
changeSelectedHighlight : function(id){
this.$(li).removeClass('selected');
this.$("[data-id='" + id + "']").addClass('selected');
}
simply call this method from updateSelection method and during PageView initialize.
this.list.changeSelectedHighlight(firstModel.id);
Let's say I have some items to show in a list. The list has a view that aggregates all the items as item views. Now I want to handle the click events on the item views and I delegate the handling to the list view.
Let's see some example code:
ItemView = Backbone.View.extend({
className: 'item',
initialize: function() {
this.$el.data('backbone-view', this);
}
});
Note that I am attaching the view object itself as a property of the root element, which essentially creates a circular reference situation for the view and the element.
ListView = Backbone.View.extend({
initialize: function() {
// contains the item views
this.items = [];
// click event delegation
this.$el.click(_.bind(this._onClick, this));
},
addItem: function(v) {
if ( !(v instanceof ItemView) ) return;
this.items.push(v);
this.$el.append(v.el);
},
_onClick: function(e) {
var el = $(e.target).closest('.item'),
view = el.data('backbone-view');
// do something with the view
}
});
This is a very general pattern whenever one has to deal with any kind of list views.
I am getting the item view back in the handler via the data property that I set on the item on the initialization time. I need to get item view because anything that I want to do on the item as part of handling the click event is based on the view.
Also note that I am using closest because item view may be complex and the actual target of the click event may be a descendant of the root element.
So the question: is this way to binding the view to it's root element via data properties the right approach -- in particular when considering garbage collection and memory leaks? Can there be something better than this?
You should catch the events in the child view. In my opinion, any Backbone view should only handle the DOM events of its element and its children. If views are nested, as yours are, the most specific view should handle the events.
If you want to delegate handling to the parent view, you can trigger a backbone event in the ItemView, and listen to those in the ListView.
ItemView = Backbone.View.extend({
events: {
"click":"onClick"
},
onClick: function() {
//trigger a custom event, passing the view as first argument
this.trigger('click', this);
}
});
ListView = Backbone.View.extend({
addItem: function(v) {
if ( !(v instanceof ItemView) ) return;
//listen to custom event
this.listenTo(v, 'click', this._onClick);
this.items.push(v);
this.$el.append(v.el);
},
_onClick:function(itemView) {
//...
}
});
If the click event represents some "higher level" action, such as select or activate, you should name your custom events as such. This way you can create a logical, robust interface between your views without concerning the parent ListView with the implementation details of its child. Only ItemView should know that whether it's been clicked, hovered, double clicked etc.
I'm adding an item to my backbone collection like this:
item = existingItem.clone()
myCollection.add(item)
I have overwritten sync in MyCollection like this:
sync: function() {
console.log('sync is called')
}
however it seems that sync does not get called after the add - which executes successfully and fires an 'add' event. Am I missing something? or is this the correct behavior?
What you want is myCollection.create(item).
Check the Backbone Collection.create() doc
Collection.create returns the model, but in some cases you might need access to the xhr object. In that case you can do:
// add the model to the collection first
// so that model.url() will reference the collection's URL
myCollection.add(myModel)
// now save. this will trigger a POST to the collection URL
// save() returns the xhr so we can attach .done/.fail handlers
myModel.save()
.done(function(res) {
console.log('it worked')
})
.fail(function(err) {
console.log('it failed')
// might be a good idea to remove the model from the collection
// since it's not on the server
myCollection.remove(myModel)
})
My Code:
I am new to Backbone.js and trying to build an app with Backbone.js and PHP. When I am trying to call add in the router, I am getting error:
Uncaught TypeError: Object [object Object] has no method 'set'.
Please help me to find my mistake.
Thanks.
// Models
window.Users = Backbone.Model.extend({
urlRoot:"./bb-api/users",
defaults:{
"id":null,
"name":"",
"email":"",
"designation":""
}
});
window.UsersCollection = Backbone.Collection.extend({
model:Users,
url:"./bb-api/users"
});
// Views
window.AddUserView = Backbone.View.extend({
template:_.template($('#new-user-tpl').html()),
initialize:function(){
this.model.bind("click", this.render, this);
},
render:function(){
$(this.el).html(this.template(this.model.toJSON()));
return this;
},
events:{
"click .add":"saveUser"
},
saveUser:function(){ alert('saveUser');
this.model.set({
name:$("#name").val(),
email:$("#email").val(),
designation:$("#designation").val()
});
if(this.model.isNew()){
this.model.create(this.model);
}
return false;
}
});
// Router
var AppRouter = Backbone.Router.extend({
routes:{
"":"welcome",
"users":"list",
"users/:id":"userDetails",
"add":"addUser"
},
addUser:function(){
this.addUserModel = new UsersCollection();
this.addUserView = new AddUserView({model:this.addUserModel});
$('#content').html(this.addUserView.render().el);
}
});
var app = new AppRouter();
Backbone.history.start();
As suggested in the comments, the problem starts here here:
this.addUserModel = new UsersCollection();
this.addUserView = new AddUserView({model:this.addUserModel});
and finishes here:
saveUser:function(){ alert('saveUser');
this.model.set({
By passing a collection in place of a model you create confusion, and as a result later in the saveUser function you try to call a Backbone.Model method (set) on a Backbone.Collection instance.
Note: As of version 1.0.0 Backbone.Collection now has a set method. In previous versions, such as the one used by the question's author, that method was instead called update.
There are several steps you can take to clarify this code. For starters, I would rename your model and collection classes so that it's clear that the model is the singular form and the collection is the plural form:
window.Users => window.User
window.UsersCollection => window.Users
Next, I would create a new User model, instead of a Users collection, and pass that to your view:
this.addUserModel = new User();
this.addUserView = new AddUserView({model:this.addUserModel});
Finally, I'd remove these lines:
if(this.model.isNew()){
this.model.create(this.model);
}
For one thing, the model will always be new (as you just created it before passing it in), but more importantly you don't need to call the Collection's create method because that method creates a new model, when you already have one created. Perhaps what you should add instead is :
this.model.save();
if your intent is to save the model to your server.
Since you already specified a urlRoot for the model, that should be all you need to create a new model, pass it to your view, have your view fill in its attributes based on DOM elements, and finally save that model's attributes to your server.
I think you are facing problem with object scope. When event fired it send to event object to that function. Just try this it may work
Declare global variable with the current view inside the initialize
initialize : function(){ self = this; }
then change this to self,
saveUser:function(){ alert('saveUser');
self.model.set({
name:$("#name").val(),
email:$("#email").val(),
designation:$("#designation").val()
});
if(self.model.isNew()){
self.model.create(this.model);
}
return false;
}