Integrating Chat with (webapp2 + python 2.7 + Jinja2) - google-app-engine

Question

I'm trying to add chat to my site and am integrating some code with my existing code. The chat app works fine on its own when it's all set up in the original main.app file. But when I try to move that same code to a handlers.py file and then setup up routes in routes.py I get errors saying template variables are undefined. Are the two different codes conflicting in the way they render templates? They seem to be using webapp2 differently, i.e. my code renders templates like this:
self.render_template('secure_zone.html', **params)
And the chat app like this:
self.response.out.write(render("main.html",
username=username,
usernameerror=usernameerror,
channel=channelname,
channelerror=channelerror))
Are both acceptable?
Here's my handlers.py file:
Routes are setup in routes.py and added in main.py
"""
import httpagentparser
from boilerplate import models
from boilerplate.lib.basehandler import BaseHandler
from boilerplate.lib.basehandler import user_required
class SecureRequestHandler(BaseHandler):
"""
Only accessible to users that are logged in
"""
#user_required
def get(self, **kwargs):
user_session = self.user
user_session_object = self.auth.store.get_session(self.request)
user_info = models.User.get_by_id(long( self.user_id ))
user_info_object = self.auth.store.user_model.get_by_auth_token(
user_session['user_id'], user_session['token'])
try:
params = {
"user_session" : user_session,
"user_session_object" : user_session_object,
"user_info" : user_info,
"user_info_object" : user_info_object,
"userinfo_logout-url" : self.auth_config['logout_url'],
}
return self.render_template('secure_zone.html', **params)
except (AttributeError, KeyError), e:
return "Secure zone error:" + " %s." % e
Here's the main.py file for the chat app:
import os
import hashlib
import urllib
import logging
import re
import json
import webapp2
import jinja2
from google.appengine.api import channel as channel_api # 'channel' is kind of ambiguous in context
from google.appengine.ext import db
from google.appengine.api import memcache
# This section will eventually get moved to a Handler class
template_dir = os.path.join(
os.path.dirname(__file__), 'templates')
jinja_env = jinja2.Environment(
loader = jinja2.FileSystemLoader(template_dir),
autoescape = True)
def render_str(template, **params):
'''Returns a string of the rendered template'''
t = jinja_env.get_template(template)
return t.render(params)
def render(template, **kw):
'''Render using the template and parameters'''
return(render_str(template, **kw))
# End Handler
class Main(webapp2.RequestHandler):
def get(self):
'''Show connection page'''
return self.render_template("main.html", channel="#udacity")
def post(self):
'''Displays chat UI'''
username = self.request.get('username')
channelname = self.request.get('channel')
usernameerror = ""
if not username:
usernameerror="Please enter a username"
elif not re.compile(r'^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{3,20}$').match(username):
usernameerror = "Username must consist of 3-20 alphanumeric characters."
elif get_user(username):
usernameerror="Username already in use"
channelerror = ""
if channelname and not re.compile(r'^#[\w]{3,20}$').match(channelname):
channelerror="Channel must consist of 3-20 alpha_numeric characters and start with a #"
if len(usernameerror+channelerror) > 0:
self.response.out.write(render("main.html",
username=username,
usernameerror=usernameerror,
channel=channelname,
channelerror=channelerror))
app = webapp2.WSGIApplication([
('/', Main),
('/communication', Communication),
('/_ah/channel/connected/?', Connect),
('/_ah/channel/disconnected/?', Disconnect)
], debug=True)

Answer 1

The specific error you posted in the comments "Error: 'Main' object has no attribute 'render_template'" is because in your Main handler, you try to return self.render_template. You should be just calling the function like this:
render_template("main.html", channel="#udacity")
Please note that I did not check the rest of your code, so if you run into any other issues, please post the specific errors you get.

Answer 2

It is because your webapp2.RequestHandler do not have the corresponding function "render_template"
you can use a BaseHandler with render_template function added to achieve the template rendering
from google.appengine.ext.webapp import template
class BaseHandler(webapp2.RequestHandler):
def render_template(self, filename, **template_args):
path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'templates', filename)
self.response.write(template.render(path, template_args))
class Main(BaseHandler):
def get(self):
'''Show connection page'''
return self.render_template("main.html", channel="#udacity")
ref: http://blog.notdot.net/2011/11/Migrating-to-Python-2-7-part-2-Webapp-and-templates
I just started using webapp2 + python 2.7 + Jinja2 few days, and that is the same problem I encountered.
Hope this solution can help you ;)