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shotgun-client is a plugin for node-shotgun that allows creation of real-time web consoles that communicate with the shotgun shell on the server.
npm install shotgun-client
Using the client couldn't be easier. All it takes is some minor configuration on the server and a script reference on the client.
Simple Http Server:
// app.js
// Create a simple http server.
var static = require('node-static'),
http = require('http'),
file = new(static.Server)('./public');
// Start the server and do things as you normally would.
var server = http.createServer(function (req, res) {
req.addListener('end', function () {
file.serve(req, res);
});
}).listen(1337, '127.0.0.1');
// Require shotgun and shotgun-client then create a new shell.
var shotgun = require('shotgun'),
shotgunClient = require('shotgun-client'),
shell = new shotgun.Shell();
// Use shotgun-client to wire up the server and the shell.
shotgunClient.attach(server, shell);
console.log('Server running at http://127.0.0.1:1337/');
If you'd like to see an example of shotgun-client running in an Express app then check out my example application. It's not really any different, but sometimes it helps to have a working example.
Client w/jQuery:
<html>
<head>
<title>shotgun-client demo</title>
<style type="text/css">
body {
color: #fff;
background-color: #000;
padding: 50px;
}
</style>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/scripts/jquery.js" />
<script type="text/javascript" src="/shotgun/shotgun.client.js" />
<script type="text/javascript">
$(function () {
$('body').shotgunConsole();
});
</script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
The included jQuery adapter is designed to get you up and running quickly. Just call .shotgunConsole() on any element and it will be instantly transformed into a simple console that communicates directly, in realtime, with your shotgun shell on the server. This is more for the user who wants some sort of admin interface for their website. If you want to create more than one console and have it tied to different shotgun shell instances then pass in an options object with a namespace property.
// server
var shotgun = require('shotgun'),
shotgunClient = require('shotgun-client'),
shell1 = new shotgun.Shell({ namespace: 'shell1' }),
shell2 = new shotgun.Shell({ namespace: 'shell2' });
shotgunClient.attach(server, shell1, shell2);
// client
$(function () {
$('div#shell1').shotgunConsole({ namespace: 'shell1' });
$('div#shell2').shotgunConsole({ namespace: 'shell2' });
});
If a namespace is not specified then it defaults to "shotgun". The shell
$('body').shotgunConsole('cmds', function (result, $display, $console) {
// result - the object returned by the shotgun shell.
// $display - the element to write text to.
// $console - the element you called .shotgunConsole() on. In this example it is 'body'.
if (result.exit) {
$console.slideUp('fast', function () {
$console.empty();
});
}
});
In this example we checked result.exit and used jQuery to make the console element disappear.
If you need something even more customized or simply don't want to use jQuery then it's still really simple. Just create and use the client shell directly.
Client w/out jQuery
<html>
<head>
<title>node-client demo</title>
<style type="text/css">
body {
color: #fff;
background-color: #000;
padding: 50px;
}
</style>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/scripts/jquery.js" />
<script type="text/javascript" src="/shotgun/shotgun.client.js" />
<script type="text/javascript">
var client = new shotgun.Client();
client.execute('help', function (result) {
console.log(result);
// result is the exact same object returned by shell.execute() on the server.
});
</script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
You can also specify a namespace if you're consuming the client without JQuery.
var client = new shotgun.Client('shell1');
Note that you have access to result.context but you don't have to worry about passing it back into client.execute; the shotgun client script will do this for you. However, if for some reason you do need to manipulate the context then you can pass it back like this:
var client = new shotgun.Client(),
customContext = {}; // Usually result.context.
client.execute('help', customContext, function (result) {
console.log(result);
// result is the exact same object returned by shell.execute() on the server.
});