Calling listen() with an optional URL to be used on its internal run() call

[paulocoghi]

Hello, Luke!

I am implementing navaid as a long-lived router on an app that will be used both on web and smartphones (through Cordova).

Is there an option on navaid to avoid the automatic call of run() when calling listen() or a way to provide a specific URL to this first call, like / instead of the current URL?

This helps my app to run fine on smartphones as well, because otherwise the run() call will fail with the initial URL provided by Cordova, that is something like file:///home/user/app/directory/index.html.

I used Page.js to to this before, and on the smartphones I used its dispatch: false option to avoid this firs "run". But Navaid is so incredibly smaller that I prefer it over Page.js.

Thanks again!

[paulocoghi]

Naturally the logic to identify if I am behind Cordova or not is on my side. (I've done this)

I would just like to know if it would be a problem to allow an optional argument to listen() to provide a desired URL instead of the current one on the browser.

[paulocoghi]

If am thinking correctly, updating the line 44 and 74 with an optional u argument would allow this without breaking changes.

In the normal scenario, when calling listen() without arguments, the run() call will fallback to location.pathname as it already does.

	$.listen = function (u) {	// line 44

		// ...

		return $.run(u);	// line 74
	}

Only two additional bytes to navaid 😁 😄 😅

If you approve, I can make a PR.

[lukeed]

Hey hey :)

Would passing in / initially be enough? Does the rest of the (Cordova) app work beyond that first call?

Also, that'd be the wrong run – you'd have to pass u into here: https://github.com/lukeed/navaid/blob/master/src/index.js#L74

[paulocoghi]

What a fast reply! I corrected the last comment to the line 74 :)

Would passing in / initially be enough? Does the rest of the (Cordova) app work beyond that first call?

Yes.

[paulocoghi]

It is enough because the future (non-external) URL's to be called will continue to be managed by navaid normally.

And the external URL's will be opened outside the app, on the smartphone's default browser.

[lukeed]

Cool :) Go ahead and start a PR if you'd like. I can take care of the docs & tests if you prefer.

[paulocoghi]

Ok!

[paulocoghi]

As I've done in previous apps, I always set the app's internal links with an initial '/' so they will be not treated as relative URLs, no matter the route the user is navigating on.

Everything works perfectly on smartphones this way (when packaged by Cordova).

When publishing to smartphones, the URL of images are automatically prefixed with a variable to use the original path from the filesystem, on my personalized build phase, so we have zero issues with images as well.

[lukeed]

Yup, same. It's how most developers think of URLs so might as well write it that way too. If you know your base is some fixed /foobar/ path, then that's Navaid's base

Simple to reason about and implement

[paulocoghi]

I can take care of the docs & tests if you prefer.

I would like to update the docs and tests as well!

[paulocoghi]

Although all existing tests passed after the modification, testing the the listen function would require puppeteer or similar libraries, because it expected variables from the browser, like history.

I implemented tests with it on my browser-sync/livereload alternative project Liven.

But do you think it is relevant to the project that I implement the tests with puppeteer? It seems to me like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 😅

[lukeed]

No, I really don't want to be testing the browser.

You can test it by faking the method:

let expected;
let ctx = navaid();

ctx.run = function (uri) {
  t.is(uri, expected;, '~> run() received expected value');
}

ctx.listen(expected = undefined);
ctx.listen(expected = '/foo');

[paulocoghi]

Ok! 👍

[paulocoghi]

My attempt was similar, but wrap() is called inside listen() that tries to access the history variable and it fails because history is not defined.

But I wouldn't want to disturb you if this is taking your time. I'm thinking of a solution.

[lukeed]

I'm happy to do it, I just don't want both of us doing the same work haha

[paulocoghi]

Ok, I will leave the tests for you. I really apologize 😅

[lukeed]

Lol don't sweat it bud, thank you

[lukeed]

Now available as v1.1.0 🎉