Dynamic routes and web page hooks in Feather CMS on prime of Vapor 4

Routing in Vapor 4

Clicking a hyperlink in your browser often takes you to a brand new web page on some web site. That is fairly simple, all people loves searching the world large internet by means of clicking hyperlinks, proper? 😅

The opposite a part of the story occurs on the server aspect behind the scenes. A backend server can deal with a given URL in a number of methods, however these days the most well-liked strategy is to make use of a search engine optimisation pleasant element (let’s name this path) to find out the content material that must be returned as a response to the consumer (browser), in fact we’re utilizing the HTTP protocol to switch knowledge.

So when a consumer asks for a selected route (path, URL, no matter… e.g. /foo) the server must resolve what to return. This choice making course of known as routing. In Vapor 4 you possibly can simply setup route handlers for a selected endpoint.

import Vapor

public func configure(_ app: Utility) throws {
    app.get("foo") { req -> String in
        return "bar"
    }
}

That is completely positive, however fairly a static strategy. By static I imply that you need to alter the Swift code if you wish to register a brand new route. You additionally need to rebuild and ultimately redeploy the server utility if you wish to replicate the adjustments. That is programmer pleasant, however not so person pleasant.

One other factor is that you need to be particular about your path whenever you setup your routes, in any other case you need to use the catchall sample if you wish to deal with dynamic routes. Generally this could additionally result in some sudden issues, nevertheless it’s not the tip of the world. Vapor is ready for the difficulty and the framework handles this downside in such a chic manner. Good job staff Vapor. 👍

So, how can we register dynamic routes utilizing Feather and permit the tip person to specify customized endpoints? Is it doable to jot down the web page in Swift and afterward connect the code to an endpoint?

Dynamic routes in Feather CMS

So as to write a web page in Swift and register it afterward underneath a dynamic path element you need to implement a customized web page hook operate. That is fairly easy, you simply need to create a brand new module and implement the invoke methodology identical to we did it for the frontend-page hook within the Feather CMS module tutorial put up. A customized web page hook is a particular hook operate the place you explicitly set the title of the hook with a -page suffix. The static module will permit you to render this web page by way of a particular content material filter, extra about this half afterward. 💪

import Vapor
import Fluent
import ViperKit

remaining class FooModule: ViperModule {

    static var title: String = "foo-module"

    func invoke(title: String, req: Request, params: [String : Any] = [:]) -> EventLoopFuture<Any?>? {
        change title {
        case "foo-page":
            let content material = params["page-content"] as! FrontendContentModel
            return attempt! self.renderPage(req: req, web page: content material).map { $0 as Any }
        default:
            return nil
        }
    }
    
    func renderPage(req: Request, web page content material: FrontendContentModel) throws -> EventLoopFuture<Response> {
        req.eventLoop.future("foo").encodeResponse(for: req)
    }
}

The code is fairly easy, each single web page must be related to a FrontendContentModel object. You may can retreive this mannequin as an enter parameter and use it in the event you want particular frontend associated attributes through the rendering course of. Please remember that you at all times need to return a future with a typical Response sort. It is because hooks are very particular capabilities and the web page hook can solely work with Response objects, you possibly can at all times use the encodeResponse methodology in many of the circumstances. Within the hook you need to forged as soon as extra to Any, as a result of we love casting dynamic varieties in strongly typed languages. Anyway, it really works nice in apply… 🙈

So in the event you do not care an excessive amount of about this complete sort casting hell, you possibly can merely place your present Vapor route handler into the render operate and return the output as a response. This fashion you possibly can log in to the CMS and create a brand new web page with a singular slug for it. Let me present you ways to do that actual fast. After you log in as an admin, simply open the “Static / Pages” menu merchandise from the dashboard and create a brand new web page with the [foo-page] shortcode content material. Give it a reputation and press save.

If you happen to click on on the attention icon on the highest left nook you need to be capable of see the draft model of your web page. As you possibly can see it is only a clean web page with the uncooked “foo” textual content on it, nothing particular, however hey, be happy to use Leaf and render some precise content material. Now in the event you return to the admin you need to see slightly feather icon subsequent to the preview button, in the event you click on on that you could edit the user-facing content material particulars of your web page, such because the slug (path, permalink, URL, no matter you name it), meta title and outline, social preview picture, publish date, content material filters and so on.

You may at all times change the slug and hook up your web page into a brand new route. Whenever you press the save button (or hit cmd+s) the adjustments will likely be dwell instantly, no must rebuild your backend server in any respect. In fact, in the event you tousled your code on the primary place you continue to have to repair that earlier than you possibly can hook it up, however hopefully that will not occur too usually. 🔨

The important thing takeaway right here is that you could write your code in Swift and afterward hook the web page as much as a selected route utilizing a dynamic strategy. That is actual good if you need to change the URL of a put up or a web page, however you continue to have the chance to create a daily web page or put up utilizing the admin interface. You need to use HTML or markdown or you possibly can at all times construct your personal content material filter for Feather CMS in the event you want extra customized conduct. If you do not know the place to begin with Feather, you need to learn my getting began tutorial, if in case you have points, please report on GitHub or submit a PR.