##Installing Node
Open the installer and follow the instructions.
##Getting Started
Similar to Sinatra/Ruby there needs to be an file that has a list of gems you need. When working with node, the file is called package.json.
You don't manually create the file. You can start it by typing:
npm init
which ask you a few questions about your application.
###Adding Packages To package.json
As you install your packages, you can type
npm install <package name> --save
If you forget the --save, you can just run the command again with the --save.
###Installing Express
npm install express --save
###.gitignore
You definitely should have this created. The node packages can be added to your commits which is annoying and takes time.
List of .gitignore files for every language
##Intro to Node
Node uses modules. A module is their own Javascript file and have their own scopes that hold their own variables. Modules are broken down into three key components:
require() is used to load modules into your code
exports allows you to expose pieces of code that other modules can use
module is the file itself which contains all the codes
###Example 1
hello.js
var message = 'Hello World!';
exports.sayHello = function(){
console.log(message);
}app.js
var hello = require('hello')
hello.sayHello()###Example 2 - same result as example 1, but different approach
hello.js
module.exports = function(){
var message = 'Hello World!';
console.log(message);
}app.js
var hello = require('hello');
hello();###Building A Node Server
server.js
var http = require('http');
var port = 1234;
http.createServer(function(req, res) {
res.writeHead(200, {
'Content-Type': 'text/plain'
});
res.end("Hello World!");
}).listen(port);
console.log('Our server is running at http://localhost:'+ port);##Intro To Express
server.js
var port = 1234;
var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.use('/', function(req, res){
res.send('Hello World')
})
app.listen(port);
console.log('Server running on http://localhost:' + port);As you can see, Express cuts down on a lot of the things we need to type and allows us to start using routes.
###Folder Structure
There is no structure! You can have stuff all over the place if you wanted under whatever folder you want.
But obviously it's better if you have some kind of structure so it'll be easier to find the files you are looking for.
Be in the main directory and then copy and paste the following line into your terminal to create the directories.
mkdir app && cd app && mkdir controllers && mkdir models && mkdir views && cd .. && mkdir config && cd config && mkdir env && cd .. && mkdir public && cd public && mkdir css && mkdir img && mkdir js && cd ..
###Packages To Install
####path
npm install path --save
####morgan
npm install morgan --save
####http
npm install http --save
####sessions
npm install sessions --save
####dotENV
npm install dotenv --save
####Embedded Javascript Files (.ejs)
npm install ejs --save