I have a Meteor helper that is not reactive.
How do I detect that a new key has been added to Session so my helper will rerun ?
'sessions': function() { // FIXME: not reactive
return _.keys(Session.keys).sort();
}
Thanks ! :)
Edit: I know that Session itself is reactive. But the keys of the Session dictionary is not. I would like to be able to detect that a new Session key has been added.
You can achieve this by using Tracker.
The Session is an instance of ReactiveDict, and does not have a way of "subscribing" to all of the keys.
Implementing this involves overriding the original set() method by monkey-patching.
One way of doing this is by creating a Tracker dependency for the entire dict and invalidating it every time a key is set:
import { Tracker } from 'meteor/tracker';
import { Session } from 'meteor/session';
const originalSet = Session.set;
Session.keyDependendy = new Tracker.Dependency();
Session.set = function() {
originalSet.apply(this, arguments);
this.keyDependendy.changed();
}
// in your helper
'sessions': function() {
Session.keyDependendy.depend();
return _.keys(Session.keys).sort();
}
You can also make it more general by patching ReactiveDict's prototype.
Related
Let's say that two users do changes to the same document while offline, but in different sections of the document. If user 2 goes back online after user 1, will the changes made by user 1 be lost?
In my database, each row contains a JS object, and one property of this object is an array. This array is bound to a series of check-boxes on the interface. What I would like is that if two users do changes to those check-boxes, the latest change is kept for each check-box individually, based on the time the when the change was made, not the time when the syncing occurred. Is GroundDB the appropriate tool to achieve this? Is there any mean to add an event handler in which I can add some logic that would be triggered when syncing occurs, and that would take care of the merging ?
The short answer is "yes" none of the ground db versions have conflict resolution since the logic is custom depending on the behaviour of conflict resolution eg. if you want to automate or involve the user.
The old Ground DB simply relied on Meteor's conflict resolution (latest data to the server wins) I'm guessing you can see some issues with that depending on the order of when which client comes online.
Ground db II doesn't have method resume it's more or less just a way to cache data offline. It's observing on an observable source.
I guess you could create a middleware observer for GDB II - one that checks the local data before doing the update and update the client or/and call the server to update the server data. This way you would have a way to handle conflicts.
I think to remember writing some code that supported "deletedAt"/"updatedAt" for some types of conflict handling, but again a conflict handler should be custom for the most part. (opening the door for reusable conflict handlers might be useful)
Especially knowing when data is removed can be tricky if you don't "soft" delete via something like using a "deletedAt" entity.
The "rc" branch is currently grounddb-caching-2016 version "2.0.0-rc.4",
I was thinking about something like:
(mind it's not tested, written directly in SO)
// Create the grounded collection
foo = new Ground.Collection('test');
// Make it observe a source (it's aware of createdAt/updatedAt and
// removedAt entities)
foo.observeSource(bar.find());
bar.find() returns a cursor with a function observe our middleware should do the same. Let's create a createMiddleWare helper for it:
function createMiddleWare(source, middleware) {
const cursor = (typeof (source||{}).observe === 'function') ? source : source.find();
return {
observe: function(observerHandle) {
const sourceObserverHandle = cursor.observe({
added: doc => {
middleware.added.call(observerHandle, doc);
},
updated: (doc, oldDoc) => {
middleware.updated.call(observerHandle, doc, oldDoc);
},
removed: doc => {
middleware.removed.call(observerHandle, doc);
},
});
// Return stop handle
return sourceObserverHandle;
}
};
}
Usage:
foo = new Ground.Collection('test');
foo.observeSource(createMiddleware(bar.find(), {
added: function(doc) {
// just pass it through
this.added(doc);
},
updated: function(doc, oldDoc) {
const fooDoc = foo.findOne(doc._id);
// Example of a simple conflict handler:
if (fooDoc && doc.updatedAt < fooDoc.updatedAt) {
// Seems like the foo doc is newer? lets update the server...
// (we'll just use the regular bar, since thats the meteor
// collection and foo is the grounded data
bar.update(doc._id, fooDoc);
} else {
// pass through
this.updated(doc, oldDoc);
}
},
removed: function(doc) {
// again just pass through for now
this.removed(doc);
}
}));
Clearly, I am doing something wrong with ReactiveVar because I cannot get it to work as I expect it should.
I am trying to set the value of an ReactiveVar by calling a Meteor.call method which returns the list of usernames. But it does not update when the usernames get changed in another part of the app.
I tried both:
Template.qastatistics.created = function () {
this.trackUsernames = new ReactiveVar(false);
var instance = Template.instance();
Meteor.call('trackUsernames', function (err, data) {
instance.trackUsernames.set(data);
});
};
and:
Template.qastatistics.helpers({
users: function () {
var usernames,
instance = Template.instance();
if (instance.trackUsernames.get() === false) {
Meteor.call('trackUsernames', function (err, data) {
instance.trackUsernames.set(data);
});
}
usernames = instance.trackUsernames.get();
...
But neither updates the list of usernames when these change in the database.
Is this even possible with ReactiveVars or have I completely misunderstood them?
EDIT: The usernames I mention are not from Meteor.users collection, but rather a distinct call from another collection that has usernames in it.
Fist of all I would use the onCreated function instead of defining created. That's a little more extendable and it's the new API. created is just kept around for backwards compatibility.
About your problem. You are right, you seem to have misunderstood what ReactiveVars do. They are a reactive data source. That means that when you call myReactiveVar.get in some Tracker.autorun (aka. reactive computation), the computation will rerun whenever myReactiveVar.set is called.
You got the first part right. Spacebars helpers always run inside their own computation. What you got wrong is thinking that a method call is a reactive action. That means, that you could call trackUsernames and set the trackUsernames ReativeVar again and the value in your template would update itself. But a method is only run once. It doesn't do anything fancy with reactivity.
A method call only transfers data once. When you publish a set of documents (like all users) on the other hand, they will be updated dynamically. Whenever a change happens inside that set of published documents, it will be synced to the client. So in general, it's a better idea to use publications and subscriptions to sync data reactively. If you'd want to use a method for the same thing you'd need to do some kind of polling (so your back in the stone-age again).
The easiest way to implement what you are trying to do is to use Meteor.users.find().fetch(). As it says in the docs fetch registers dependencies for all the documents you are fetching if it's being called from within a reactive computation.
First you'll need to properly set up your publications, so that users can see other users usernames. I'll leave that to you. Then you need to reimplement your helper
Template.qastatistics.helpers({
users: function () {
var usernames = _.pluck(Meteor.users.find().fetch(), 'username');
...
Thanks to suggestions from #kyll, I managed to get what I wanted by publishing the data I need:
server:
cope.publish.usernamesID = Random.id();
Meteor.publish("itemsusernames", function () {
self = this;
var initializing = true;
var handle = Items.find().observeChanges({
added: function (id) {
!initializing && self.changed(
"itemsusernames",
cope.publish.usernamesID,
Items.distinct("p4User"));
},
changed: function (id) {
!initializing && self.changed(
"itemsusernames",
cope.publish.usernamesID,
Items.distinct("p4User"));
},
removed: function (id) {
!initializing && self.changed(
"itemsusernames",
cope.publish.usernamesID,
Items.distinct("p4User"));
}
});
initializing = false;
self.added("itemsusernames", cope.publish.usernamesID, Items.distinct("p4User"));
self.ready();
self.onStop(function () {
handle.stop();
});
});
client:
users: function () {
var usernames = [],
oUsernames = ItemsUsernames.find().fetch();
if (!oUsernames[0]) return [];
usernames = $.map(oUsernames[0], function (value, index) {
if (!isNaN(index)) {
return [value];
}
});
...
And ofcourse: ItemsUsernames = new Mongo.Collection("itemsusernames");
I am seeing a repeatable issue where a user authenticates ("logs in") with a Meteor server, and then a client subscription that depends on userId is updated (and dependent UI templates reactively update) before Meteor.userId() registers the successful login.
For example, in this code snippet, the assert will throw:
var coll = new Meteor.Collection("test");
if (Meteor.isServer) {
Meteor.publish('mineOrPublic', function () {
// Publish public records and those owned by subscribing user
return coll.find({owner: { $in: [ this.userId, null ]}});
});
}
if (Meteor.isClient) {
var sub = Meteor.subscribe('mineOrPublic');
var cursor = coll.find({});
cursor.observe({
added: function (doc) {
if (doc.owner) {
// This should always be true?!
assert(doc.owner === Meteor.userId());
}
}
});
}
Analogous to the added function above, if I write a template helper that checks Meteor.userId(), it will see a value of null, even when it is invoked with a data context of a document with an owner.
There is apparently a race condition between Meteor collection Pub/Sub and the Account userId update mechanisms. It seems to me that Meteor.userId() should always be updated before any subscriptions update based on a change in this.userId in a server publish function, but for some reason the opposite usually seems to be true (that is, the assert in the code above will usually throw).
The reason I care is because I have packages that depend on obtaining a valid Meteor Authentication token (using Accounts._storedLoginToken()) on the client for use in securing HTTP requests for files stored on the Meteor server. And the authentication token isn't correct until Meteor.userId() is. So the flow of events usually goes something like this:
User logs in
Publish function on server reruns based on the change in this.userId.
Client begins receiving new documents corresponding to the change in userId.
UI Template reactively updates to add DOM elements driven by new documents
Some of the DOM elements are <img> tags with src= values that depend on the data context.
HTTP requests are triggered and ultimately fail with 403 (forbidden) errors because the required authentication cookie hasn't been set yet.
Meteor.userId() finally updates on the client, and code reactively runs to set the authentication cookie
Helpers in the template that depend on a session variable set in the cookie update code are rerun, but the DOM doesn't change, because the URLs in the <img> tags don't change.
Because the DOM doesn't change, the tags don't retry their failed attempts to load the images.
Everything settles down, and the user has to manually reload the page to get their images to appear.
I've come up with two possible approaches to work around this issue:
In the template helper that generates the URL for the <img> tag, always append a dummy query string such as: "?time=" + new Date().getTime(). This causes the DOM to change every time the helper is called and fixes the problem, but it screws-up browser caching and if not coordinated will cause some assets to unnecessarily load multiple times, etc.
In every template helper that touches document data add a test of:
if (this.owner && this.owner !== Meteor.userId()) {
// Perhaps Meteor.loggingIn() could be used above?
// Invalid state, output placeholder
} else {
// Valid state, output proper value for template
}
I really hope someone knows of a less kludgy way to work around this. Alternatively, if consensus arises that this is a bug and Meteor's behavior is incorrect in this respect. I will happily file an issue on Github. I mostly really enjoy working with Meteor, but this is the kind of gritty annoyance that grinds in the gears of "it just works".
Thanks for any and all insights.
After trying lots of things, this variation on the example code in the OP seems to consistently solve the race condition, and I find this an acceptable resolution, unlike my initial attempted workarounds.
I still feel that this kind of logic should be unnecessary and welcome other approaches or opinions on whether Meteor's behavior in the OP sample code is correct or erroneous. If consensus emerges in the comments that Meteor's behavior is wrong, I will create an issue on Github for this.
Thanks for any additional feedback or alternative solutions.
var coll = new Meteor.Collection("test");
if (Meteor.isServer) {
Meteor.publish('mineOrPublic', function (clientUserId) {
if (this.userId === clientUserId) {
// Publish public records and those owned by subscribing user
return coll.find({owner: { $in: [ this.userId, null ]}});
} else {
// Don't return user owned docs unless client sub matches
return coll.find({owner: null});
}
});
}
if (Meteor.isClient) {
Deps.autorun(function () {
// Resubscribe anytime userId changes
var sub = Meteor.subscribe('mineOrPublic', Meteor.userId());
});
var cursor = coll.find({});
cursor.observe({
added: function (doc) {
if (doc.owner) {
// This should always be true?!
assert(doc.owner === Meteor.userId());
}
}
});
}
This code works by giving the server publish function the information it needs to recognize when it is running ahead of the client's own login state, thereby breaking the race condition.
I think this is something that Meteor should do automatically: clients should not see documents based on changes to this.userId in a publish function until after the client Meteor.userId() has been updated.
Do others agree?
I tried with this code that works on server too. In association with FileCollection package.
if (Meteor.isServer) {
CurrentUserId = null;
Meteor.publish(null, function() {
CurrentUserId = this.userId;
});
}
....
OrgFiles.allow({
read: function (userId, file) {
if (CurrentUserId !== file.metadata.owner) {
return false;
} else {
return true;
}
}
...
Meteor Collections have a transform ability that allows behavior to be attached to the objects returned from mongo.
We want to have autopublish turned off so the client does not have access to the database collections, but we still want the transform functionality.
We are sending data to the client with a more explicit Meteor.publish/Meteor.subscribe or the RPC mechanism ( Meteor.call()/Meteor.methods() )
How can we have the Meteor client automatically apply a transform like it will when retrieving data directly with the Meteor.Collection methods?
While you can't directly use transforms, there is a way to transform the result of a database query before publishing it. This is what the "publish the current size of a collection" example describes here.
It took me a while to figure out a really simple application of that, so maybe my code will help you, too:
Meteor.publish("publicationsWithHTML", function (data) {
var self = this;
Publications
.find()
.forEach(function(entry) {
addSomeHTML(entry); // this function changes the content of entry
self.added("publications", entry._id, entry);
});
self.ready();
});
On the client you subscribe to this:
Meteor.subscribe("publicationsWithHTML");
But your model still need to create a collection (on both sides) that is called 'publications':
Publications = new Meteor.Collection('publications');
Mind you, this is not a very good example, as it doesn't maintain the reactivity. But I found the count example a bit confusing at first, so maybe you'll find it helpful.
(Meteor 0.7.0.1) - meteor does allow behavior to be attached to the objects returned via the pub/sub.
This is from a pull request I submitted to the meteor project.
Todos = new Meteor.Collection('todos', {
// transform allows behavior to be attached to the objects returned via the pub/sub communication.
transform : function(todo) {
todo.update = function(change) {
Meteor.call('Todos_update', this._id, change);
},
todo.remove = function() {
Meteor.call('Todos_remove', this._id);
}
return todo;
}
});
todosHandle = Meteor.subscribe('todos');
Any objects returned via the 'todos' topic will have the update() and the remove() function - which is exactly what I want: I now attach behavior to the returned data.
Try:
let transformTodo = (fields) => {
fields._pubType = 'todos';
return fields;
};
Meteor.publish('todos', function() {
let subHandle = Todos
.find()
.observeChanges({
added: (id, fields) => {
fields = transformTodo(fields);
this.added('todos', id, fields);
},
changed: (id, fields) => {
fields = transformTodo(fields);
this.changed('todos', id, fields);
},
removed: (id) => {
this.removed('todos', id);
}
});
this.ready();
this.onStop(() => {
subHandle.stop();
});
});
Currently, you can't apply transforms on the server to published collections. See this question for more details. That leaves you with either transforming the data on the client, or using a meteor method. In a method, you can have the server do whatever you want to the data.
In one of my projects, we perform our most expensive query (it joins several collections, denormalizes the documents, and trims unnecessary fields) via a method call. It isn't reactive, but it greatly simplifies our code because all of the transformation happens on the server.
To extend #Christian Fritz answer, with Reactive Solution using peerlibrary:reactive-publish
Meteor.publish("todos", function() {
const self = this;
return this.autorun(function(computation) {
// Loop over each document in collection
todo.find().forEach(function(entry) {
// Add function to transform / modify each document here
self.added("todos", entry._id, entry);
});
});
});
I have two collections
Offers (relevant fields: _id)
ShareRelations (relevant fields: receiverId and offerId)
and I'd like to publish only Offers to the logged in user which have been shared to him.
Actually, I'm doing this by using a helper array (visibleOffers) which I fill by looping for each ShareRelations and use this array later on the Offers.find as $in selector.
I wonder if this might be the meteor way to do this, or if I could do with less and/or prettier code?
My actual code to publish the Offers is the following:
Meteor.publish('offersShared', function () {
// check if the user is logged in
if (this.userId) {
// initialize helper array
var visibleOffers = [];
// initialize all shareRelations which the actual user is the receiver
var shareRelations = ShareRelations.find({receiverId: this.userId});
// check if such relations exist
if (shareRelations.count()) {
// loop trough all shareRelations and push the offerId to the array if the value isn't in the array actually
shareRelations.forEach(function (shareRelation) {
if (visibleOffers.indexOf(shareRelation.offerId) === -1) {
visibleOffers.push(shareRelation.offerId);
}
});
}
// return offers which contain the _id in the array visibleOffers
return Offers.find({_id: { $in: visibleOffers } });
} else {
// return no offers if the user is not logged in
return Offers.find(null);
}
});
Furthermore, the actual solution has the downside that if a new share relations is being created, the Offers collection on the client doesn't get updated with the newly visible offer instantly (read: page reload required. But I'm not sure if this is the case because of this publish method or because of some other code an this question is not primary because of this issue).
What you are looking for is a reactive join. You can accomplish this by directly using an observe in the publish function, or by using a library to do it for you. Meteor core is expected to have a join library at some point, but until then I'd recommend using publish-with-relations. Have a look at the docs, but I think the publish function you want looks something like this:
Meteor.publish('offersShared', function() {
return Meteor.publishWithRelations({
handle: this,
collection: ShareRelations,
filter: {receiverId: this.userId},
mappings: [{collection: Offers, key: 'offerId'}]
});
});
This should reactively publish all of the ShareRelations for the user, and all associated Offers. Hopefully publishing both won't be a problem.
PWR is a pretty legit package - several of us use it in production, and Tom Coleman contributes to it. The only thing I'll caution you about is that as of this writing, the current version in atmosphere (v0.1.5) has a bug which will result in a fairly serious memory leak. Until it gets bumped, see my blog post about how to run an updated local copy.
update 2/5/14:
The discover meteor blog has an excellent post on reactive joins which I highly recommend reading.
The way to do this is along the lines of this Question using observeChanges(). Still trying to figure out how to get it all working for my example, see Meteor, One to Many Relationship & add field only to client side collection in Publish?
You can use the reactive-publish package (I am one of authors):
Meteor.publish('offersShared', function () {
// check if the user is logged in
if (this.userId) {
this.autorun(function (computation) {
// initialize helper array
var visibleOffers = [];
// initialize all shareRelations which the actual user is the receiver
var shareRelations = ShareRelations.find({receiverId: this.userId}, {fields: {offerId: 1}});
// loop trough all shareRelations and push the offerId to the array if the value isn't in the array actually
shareRelations.forEach(function (shareRelation) {
if (visibleOffers.indexOf(shareRelation.offerId) === -1) {
visibleOffers.push(shareRelation.offerId);
}
});
// return offers which contain the _id in the array visibleOffers
return Offers.find({_id: { $in: visibleOffers } });
});
} else {
// return no offers if the user is not logged in
return Offers.find(null);
}
});
You can simply wrap your existing non-reactive code into an autorun and it will start to work. Just be careful to be precise which fields you query on because if you query on all fields then autorun will be rerun on any field change of ShareRelations, not just offerId.