javascript

What Makes EJS the Secret Sauce for Your Node.js Web Development?

Crafting Dynamic Web Applications with Node.js: Discover the Power of EJS Templating

What Makes EJS the Secret Sauce for Your Node.js Web Development?

When you’re diving into the world of building dynamic web applications with Node.js, one nifty tool you shouldn’t miss out on is a templating engine. These engines make crafting HTML content a breeze. Among the crowd, Embedded JavaScript (EJS) stands out as a popular and versatile choice. Let’s explore how EJS can streamline your web development, bringing simplicity and efficiency to your projects.

First things first, setting up your Node application is a must. You’ll need to install some core packages, specifically Express and EJS. Express is your go-to web framework for handling HTTP requests and responses, and EJS is what will power your HTML templates.

// Install Express and EJS
npm install express ejs --save

With these packages installed, setting up your Express application to use EJS as the templating engine is pretty straightforward.

// Filename - index.js
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

// Set EJS as the templating engine
app.set('view engine', 'ejs');

Next up, it’s all about creating those EJS templates. Think of EJS templates as HTML files sprinkled with JavaScript. By default, Express looks for these templates in a folder named views. So, make sure to create a views folder in your project directory and toss your EJS templates in there.

For instance, a really simple home.ejs template could look something like this:

<!-- views/home.ejs -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Home Page</title>
    <style>
        body {
            background-color: skyblue;
            color: white;
            font-size: 2em;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <center>This is our home page.</center>
</body>
</html>

To bring your home.ejs template to life, you’ll need to set up a route in your Express app that uses the res.render method.

// Define a route to render the home.ejs template
app.get('/home', (req, res) => {
    res.render('home');
});

Run your application, head to the /home route, and voila! Express will render and send the home.ejs template as HTML to the client.

EJS shines when it comes to injecting dynamic data into your templates. Imagine having a user object that you want to display on your page:

// Define a user object
const user = {
    name: 'John Doe',
    age: 30
};

// Define a route to render the home.ejs template with dynamic data
app.get('/home', (req, res) => {
    res.render('home', { user });
});

Using EJS tags, you can access this dynamic data right within your template:

<!-- views/home.ejs -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Home Page</title>
    <style>
        body {
            background-color: skyblue;
            color: white;
            font-size: 2em;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <center>Welcome, <%= user.name %></center>
    <p>You are <%= user.age %> years old.</p>
</body>
</html>

EJS offers various tags that let you embed JavaScript logic directly within your HTML templates. Some common tags include:

  • Scriptlet Tag (<% %>): Ideal for control flow and holding JavaScript code.

    <!-- views/home.ejs -->
    <body>
        <% if (user.age >= 18) { %>
            <p>You are an adult.</p>
        <% } else { %>
            <p>You are a minor.</p>
        <% } %>
    </body>
    
  • Output Tags (<%= %> and <%- %>): These tags evaluate a value and render the result in the browser.

    <!-- views/home.ejs -->
    <body>
        <p>Your name is <%= user.name %>.</p>
    </body>
    

Another cool feature of EJS is support for partial templates, allowing you to reuse common HTML fragments across different pages. Although EJS doesn’t natively support layouts, you can create your own by making partials for each section and including them in your main template.

Take the header and footer, for example:

<!-- views/partials/header.ejs -->
<header>
    <h1>My Website</h1>
</header>

<!-- views/partials/footer.ejs -->
<footer>
    <p>&copy; 2024 My Website</p>
</footer>

You can then include these partials in your main template like this:

<!-- views/home.ejs -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Home Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <%- include('./partials/header'); -%>
    <center>Welcome, <%= user.name %></center>
    <%- include('./partials/footer'); -%>
</body>
</html>

For a more practical example, say you want to create a form that calculates the square and cube of a number entered by the user. Start by making the form in your EJS template:

<!-- views/calculate.ejs -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Calculate</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Enter a number:</h1>
    <form action="/calculate" method="post">
        <input type="number" id="number" name="number" required>
        <button type="submit">Calculate</button>
    </form>
    <% if (result) { %>
        <p>Square: <%= result.square %></p>
        <p>Cube: <%= result.cube %></p>
    <% } %>
</body>
</html>

Next, handle the form submission and display the results using Express:

// Define a route to handle form submission and render results
app.post('/calculate', (req, res) => {
    const number = parseInt(req.body.number);
    const result = {
        square: number * number,
        cube: number * number * number
    };
    res.render('calculate', { result });
});

And that’s it! Now, you have a form that dynamically calculates and displays the square and cube of an input number.

Using EJS in your Node.js apps can greatly boost your efficiency and capability to generate dynamic HTML content. Its simple yet powerful features, such as partial templates and dynamic data injection, make building server-rendered web applications a walk in the park. Whether you’re crafting a simple web page or diving into a complex application, EJS equips you with the tools to create engaging, dynamic user interfaces effortlessly.

By sticking to these guidelines and examples, you can harness EJS to streamline your web development workflow, delivering rich, dynamic web pages to your users with ease. Get creative and see where EJS can take your projects!

Keywords: Node.js, EJS, Express, web development, dynamic HTML, templating engine, server-rendered applications, JavaScript, HTML templates, Express routes



Similar Posts
Blog Image
Component Communication in Angular: Mastering Event Emitters, Subjects, and Services!

Angular components communicate through Event Emitters, Subjects, and Services. Event Emitters for parent-child, Subjects for complex scenarios, and Services for app-wide communication. Combine methods for optimal results. Remember to manage subscriptions to avoid memory leaks.

Blog Image
Snapshot Testing Done Right: Advanced Strategies for Large Components

Snapshot testing automates component output comparison, ideal for large components. It catches unexpected changes but should complement other testing methods. Use targeted snapshots, review updates carefully, and integrate with CI for effectiveness.

Blog Image
Is Your Website Missing the Secret Ingredient for Universal Compatibility?

Bridging the Browser Divide: Making Modern JavaScript Work on Aging Browsers with Polyfills

Blog Image
What Makes Local Storage the Secret Weapon of Smart Web Developers?

Stash Your Web Snacks: A Deep Dive into Local Storage's Magic

Blog Image
Unlock Node.js Power: V8 Engine Secrets and Memory Magic for Lightning-Fast Apps

Node.js optimization involves understanding V8 engine, memory management, asynchronous programming, event loop, streams, and built-in tools. Techniques include JIT compilation, object pooling, worker threads, clustering, and profiling.

Blog Image
Nested Routes in Angular: The Secret Weapon for Complex UIs!

Nested routes in Angular organize components hierarchically, enhancing code structure and user experience. They enable intuitive navigation, lazy loading, and data sharing between parent-child routes, improving app performance and maintainability.