What is the best way to tackle a nested Directive scope problem?

Question

What is the best way to tackle a nested Directive scope problem?

Currently utilizing ionic platform, I've developed a unique "Notification" directive that is responsible for preprocessing to identify the type of notification ('alert', 'message' or 'important message') based on an object provided within an attribute. Within the template of this directive, there's another directive called "Update Notification" which gets invoked when the user slides the item to the left - triggering an update modal with a form whose model is passed via the attribute "notification."

The primary issue I'm encountering lies in the fact that the template of "Update Notification" triggers showUpdateNotification(), but it appears to be invoking the scope functions of the "Notification" directive instead of its own defined scope.

I aim to establish the update functionality exclusively within the "Update Notification" directive so that it can be accessed elsewhere in the application with a different template. However, I'm currently grappling with resolving the scope conflict.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Directive for Notification:

.directive("notification", function($rootScope, BibleService, FirebaseLoginService){
    return{
        restrict: 'AE',
        scope:{
            type: '@?type',
            message: '=?message'
        },
        replace: true,
        template: "<div ng-include='contentUrl'></div>",
        link: function(scope, element, attrs){
            scope.contentUrl = 'templates/directives/' + attrs.file + '.html';
               attrs.$observe("file",function(v){
                   scope.contentUrl = 'templates/directives/' + v + '.html';
               });

        },
        controller: function($scope, $rootScope){
            //something interesting here.
            $scope.hidden = false;
            $scope.leaderImage = "";
            $scope.notification = "";
            $scope.canEdit = false;

            if($scope.message){
                $scope.leaderImage = $scope.message.leader.image;
                if($scope.message.important){
                    $scope.type ="important"

                }else{
                    $scope.type = "message"
                }

                if(FirebaseLoginService.loggedUser().id === $scope.message.leader.id){
                    $scope.canEdit = true;
                }else{
                    $scope.canEdit = false;
                };

            }




            if($scope.type === "alert" && $rootScope.pastDue){
                $scope.title = "ATTENTION:"
                $scope.notification = $rootScope.pastDueNotification;

            }else if($scope.type === "message"){
                if($scope.message){
                    $scope.title = $scope.message.title;
                    $scope.notification = $scope.message.text;
                }

            }else{
                if($scope.message){
                    $scope.title = $scope.message.title;
                    $scope.notification = $scope.message.text;
                }

            }

            $scope.closeNotification = function(){
                $scope.hidden = true;
            }           
        }
    };
});

Template for Notification:

<ion-list show-delete="false" can-swipe="true">  
<ion-item ng-if="type === 'alert'" ng-hide="hidden" class="item item-icon-left notification-alert item-text-wrap" ng-href="#/app/billing">
<i class="icon ion-alert-circled light"></i>
<h2 class="light"><b>{{title}}</b></h2><hr>
<p><span class="light"><b>{{notification}}</b></span></p>
<ion-option-button class="button-calm" ng-click="closeNotification()">
  Close
</ion-option-button>
</ion-item>

<ion-item ng-if="type === 'important'" ng-hide="hidden" class="item item-icon-left notification-important item-text-wrap">
<i class="icon ion-android-hand royal"></i>

<div class="row">
    <div class="col-80">
        <h2 class="light"><b>Important Message: </b></h2>
        <hr><p ng-if="title"><span class="royal"><b>{{title}}</b></span></p>
        <p class="small"><span class="light"><b>{{notification}}</b></span></p> 
        {{message}}
    </div>
    <div class="col-20">
        <img class="notification-thumb" ng-src="{{leaderImage}}" alt="">
    </div>
</div>

<update-notification notification="message" file="updateNotificationOption"></update-notification>
<ion-option-button class="button-calm" ng-click="closeNotification()">
  Close
</ion-option-button>
</ion-item>

<ion-item ng-if="type === 'message'" ng-hide="hidden" class="item item-icon-left notification-message item-text-wrap">
<i class="icon ion-paper-airplane dark"></i>

<div class="row">
    <div class="col-80">
        <h2>Message:</h2>
        <hr><p ng-if="title"><b>{{title}}</b></p>
        <p class="small">{{notification}}</p>
        {{message}}
    </div>
    <div class="col-20">
        <img class="notification-thumb" ng-src="{{leaderImage}}" alt="">
    </div>
</div>

<update-notification notification="message" file="updateNotificationOption"></update-notification>
<ion-option-button class="button-calm" ng-click="closeNotification()">
  Close
</ion-option-button>
</ion-item>

Directive for Update Notification:

.directive("updateNotification", function($rootScope, $localStorage, $timeout, $ionicListDelegate, ChurchService){
    return{

        restrict: 'E',
        scope:{
            notification: '='
        },
        replace: true,
        template: "<div ng-include='contentUrl'></div>",
        link: function(scope, element, attrs){
            scope.contentUrl = 'templates/directives/' + attrs.file + '.html';
               attrs.$observe("file",function(v){
                   scope.contentUrl = 'templates/directives/' + v + '.html';
               });

        },
        controller: function($scope, $ionicModal, $location){
            var ctrl = this;
            $scope.notice = $scope.notification;
            var church = {};

            ChurchService.getbyLeader($localStorage.seedUser.leadershipID).then(function(ch){
                church = ch;
            });

            $scope.updateNotification = function (data) {
                $rootScope.show('Updating notification...');

                if(church.notifications){
                    for (var i=0; i<church.notifications.length; i++){
                        var note = church.notifications[i];
                        if(note.date === data.date){
                            note = data;
                        }
                    }
                }

                ChurchService.update(church).then(function(){
                    $scope.closeUpdateNotification();
                    $location.path('/app/church/'+data.id);
                    $rootScope.hide();
                }, ctrl.updateNotificationFailure);

            };

            ctrl.updateNotificationFailure = function(error) {
                console.log('POST ERROR:', error);
                $rootScope.notify("The Notification wasn't updated. Please try again later.")
            };

            $ionicModal.fromTemplateUrl('templates/updateNotification.html',{
                scope: $scope
            }).then(function(modal){
                $scope.updateNotificationModal = modal;
            });

            // Open the update modal
            $scope.showUpdateNotification = function() {
                $scope.updateNotificationModal.show();
                $ionicListDelegate.closeOptionButtons();
                //console.log($scope.prayerObj);

            };

            // Triggered in the update modal to close it
            $scope.closeUpdateNotification = function() {
                $scope.updateNotificationModal.hide();

            };
        }
    };
});

Template for Update Notification:

<ion-option-button class="button-balanced" ng-click="showUpdateNotification()">
Edit
</ion-option-button>

Visit this Plunker (apologies for the poor translation of Sass styling)

javascript angularjs angularjs-directive ionic-framework

Answer 1

Answer №1

Exploring your example, I found that directive-to-directive communication is a common challenge. Instead of focusing on your specific case, let's discuss the general methods used for such communication.

CALLBACKS IN SCOPE

One commonly used method is setting up callbacks within the scope of the inner directive to communicate with external entities. This can be achieved by defining a callback function in the inner directive like this:

directive = {
    scope: {
        onFoo: '&'
    },
    link: function($scope, elem, attrs){
        elem.bind('onClick', function(evt){ 
             //without any parameters
             $scope.onFoo()

             //with parameters for callback
             $scope.onFoo({ $args:'foo' })
        }
    }
}

You can then call this callback in the template where the directive is used, passing necessary arguments if required:

<my-directive on-foo="doSomething()"/>

or with arguments for the callback:

<my-directive on-foo="doSomething($args)"/>

REAL DIRECTIVE-TO-DIRECTIVE COMMUNICATION USING `require`

For more complex interactions between directives, you can utilize the require field while defining your directive. This approach is commonly seen when a custom directive requires an ng-model for an input element. Here's an example:

directive = {
    require: '^ngModel',
    link: function($scope, elem, attrs, ngModel){
        ngModel.parsers.push( function(){ ... })
    }
}

In your scenario, you can define a controller on the outer directive and then require it in the inner directive:

outerDirective = {
    controllerAs: 'outer',
    controller: function(){ 
         function OuterDirectiveController(){ ... }
         OuterDirectiveController.prototype.doOuter = function(){ ... }
         return OuterDirectiveController
    },
    template: '<div><input><div>...</div><div inner-directive></inner-directive>'
 }

Within the inner directive, you can access the methods of the outer directive's controller through the require attribute:

 innerDirective = {
      require: 'outerDirective',
      link: function($scope, elem, attrs, outerDirective){
           elem.bind('submit', function(){ outerDirective.doOuter()})
      }
 }

EVENT BUS APPROACH

An alternative method is using an event bus for communication, which is a traditional way of connecting various components in MVC frameworks. While not the preferred Angular approach, it can be handy when other methods fail. However, it does require directives to have prior knowledge of defined events. Here's an example:

 outerDirective = {
      link:function($scope, elem, attrs){  
           $scope.$on( 'decendentEvent', function( evt, data ){ ... })
      }
 }


 innerDirective = {
      link:function($scope, elem, attrs){  
           elem.bind('submit', function(){
               $scope.$emit( 'decendentEvent', { foo:123 })
           }
      }
 }

Answer 2

Exploring your example, I found that directive-to-directive communication is a common challenge. Instead of focusing on your specific case, let's discuss the general methods used for such communication.

CALLBACKS IN SCOPE

One commonly used method is setting up callbacks within the scope of the inner directive to communicate with external entities. This can be achieved by defining a callback function in the inner directive like this:

directive = {
    scope: {
        onFoo: '&'
    },
    link: function($scope, elem, attrs){
        elem.bind('onClick', function(evt){ 
             //without any parameters
             $scope.onFoo()

             //with parameters for callback
             $scope.onFoo({ $args:'foo' })
        }
    }
}

You can then call this callback in the template where the directive is used, passing necessary arguments if required:

<my-directive on-foo="doSomething()"/>

or with arguments for the callback:

<my-directive on-foo="doSomething($args)"/>

REAL DIRECTIVE-TO-DIRECTIVE COMMUNICATION USING `require`

For more complex interactions between directives, you can utilize the require field while defining your directive. This approach is commonly seen when a custom directive requires an ng-model for an input element. Here's an example:

directive = {
    require: '^ngModel',
    link: function($scope, elem, attrs, ngModel){
        ngModel.parsers.push( function(){ ... })
    }
}

In your scenario, you can define a controller on the outer directive and then require it in the inner directive:

outerDirective = {
    controllerAs: 'outer',
    controller: function(){ 
         function OuterDirectiveController(){ ... }
         OuterDirectiveController.prototype.doOuter = function(){ ... }
         return OuterDirectiveController
    },
    template: '<div><input><div>...</div><div inner-directive></inner-directive>'
 }

Within the inner directive, you can access the methods of the outer directive's controller through the require attribute:

 innerDirective = {
      require: 'outerDirective',
      link: function($scope, elem, attrs, outerDirective){
           elem.bind('submit', function(){ outerDirective.doOuter()})
      }
 }

EVENT BUS APPROACH

An alternative method is using an event bus for communication, which is a traditional way of connecting various components in MVC frameworks. While not the preferred Angular approach, it can be handy when other methods fail. However, it does require directives to have prior knowledge of defined events. Here's an example:

 outerDirective = {
      link:function($scope, elem, attrs){  
           $scope.$on( 'decendentEvent', function( evt, data ){ ... })
      }
 }


 innerDirective = {
      link:function($scope, elem, attrs){  
           elem.bind('submit', function(){
               $scope.$emit( 'decendentEvent', { foo:123 })
           }
      }
 }

What is the best way to tackle a nested Directive scope problem?

Answer №1

CALLBACKS IN SCOPE

REAL DIRECTIVE-TO-DIRECTIVE COMMUNICATION USING `require`

EVENT BUS APPROACH

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What is the best way to tackle a nested Directive scope problem?

Answer №1

CALLBACKS IN SCOPE

REAL DIRECTIVE-TO-DIRECTIVE COMMUNICATION USING require

EVENT BUS APPROACH

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REAL DIRECTIVE-TO-DIRECTIVE COMMUNICATION USING `require`