How to export a variable from app.js to another route in Node js

Question

I am using socket.io in my node project and wanted to know how to export the io variable

this is what i have done so far but i get this error: Object #<Object> has no method 'on'

in app.js:

        var express = require('express');
var path = require('path');
var favicon = require('serve-favicon');
var logger = require('morgan');
var cookieParser = require('cookie-parser');
var bodyParser = require('body-parser');

var routes = require('./routes/index')(io);
var users = require('./routes/user');

var app = require('express')();
var server = require('http').Server(app);
var io = require('socket.io')(server);
server.listen(4000);

require('./routes/index')(io);

// view engine setup
app.set('views', path.join(__dirname, 'views'));
app.set('view engine', 'jade');

// app.use(favicon(__dirname + '/public/img/favicon.ico'));
app.use(logger('dev'));
app.use(bodyParser.json());
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({
  extended: true
}));
app.use(cookieParser());
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'public')));

app.use('/', routes);
app.use('/users', users);

/// catch 404 and forward to error handler
app.use(function(req, res, next) {
    var err = new Error('Not Found');
    err.status = 404;
    next(err);
});

/// error handlers

// development error handler
// will print stacktrace
if (app.get('env') === 'development') {
    app.use(function(err, req, res, next) {
        res.status(err.status || 500);
        res.render('error', {
            message: err.message,
            error: err,
            title: 'error'
        });
    });
}

// production error handler
// no stacktraces leaked to user
app.use(function(err, req, res, next) {
    res.status(err.status || 500);
    res.render('error', {
        message: err.message,
        error: {},
        title: 'error'
    });
});
/*
io.on('connection', function (socket) {
  socket.emit('news', { hello: 'world' });
  socket.on('my other event', function (data) {
    console.log(data);
  });
});
*/

module.exports = app;

in index.js

var io = require('../app');

io.on('connection', function (socket) {
  socket.emit('news', { hello: 'world' });
  socket.on('my other event', function (data) {
    console.log(data);
  });
});

the reason I want to export the variable, so I don’t need to define io - index.js, as in app.js, which leads to the fact that I basically define both the server and the application variable!

I just want to make all my socket.io files in the index.js path essentially (except for the need to override the app, server and io variables in index.js)!

I hope I have explained myself enough.

Thank!

Answer 1

. index.js io

var routes = require('./routes/index');
/* index.js starts being executed at this point
 * hence, io is undefined inside index.js
 */

,

app.js

var app = require('express')();
var server = require('http').Server(app);
var io = require('socket.io')(server);
server.listen(4000);
module.exports = io;

var routes = require('./routes/index');
var users = require('./routes/user');

index.js

 var io = require('../app');

io.on('connection', function (socket) {
    socket.emit('news', { hello: 'world' });
    socket.on('my other event', function (data) {
    console.log(data);
    });
});

Answer 2

, .

io.sockets.on('connection', ... ); 

Answer 3

It looks like a circular dependency (app.js index.js and index.js require app.js for the app)

Try it.

change app.js to:

var express = require('express');
var path = require('path');
var favicon = require('serve-favicon');
var logger = require('morgan');
var cookieParser = require('cookie-parser');
var bodyParser = require('body-parser');

var users = require('./routes/user');

var app = require('express')();
var server = require('http').Server(app);
var io = require('socket.io')(server);
server.listen(4000);

require('./routes/index')(io);

// view engine setup
app.set('views', path.join(__dirname, 'views'));
app.set('view engine', 'jade');

// app.use(favicon(__dirname + '/public/img/favicon.ico'));
app.use(logger('dev'));
app.use(bodyParser.json());
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({
  extended: true
}));
app.use(cookieParser());
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'public')));

app.use('/users', users);

/// catch 404 and forward to error handler
app.use(function(req, res, next) {
  var err = new Error('Not Found');
  err.status = 404;
  next(err);
});

/// error handlers

// development error handler
// will print stacktrace
if (app.get('env') === 'development') {
  app.use(function(err, req, res, next) {
    res.status(err.status || 500);
    res.render('error', {
      message: err.message,
      error: err,
      title: 'error'
    });
  });
}

// production error handler
// no stacktraces leaked to user
app.use(function(err, req, res, next) {
  res.status(err.status || 500);
  res.render('error', {
    message: err.message,
    error: {},
    title: 'error'
  });
});
/*
 io.on('connection', function (socket) {
 socket.emit('news', { hello: 'world' });
 socket.on('my other event', function (data) {
 console.log(data);
 });
 });
 */

module.exports = app;

change index.js to:

module.exports = function(io){
  io.on('connection', function (socket) {
    socket.emit('news', { hello: 'world' });
    socket.on('my other event', function (data) {
      console.log(data);
    });
  });
}