mu2

What is mu2?

The mu2 npm package is a streaming Mustache template engine for Node.js. It allows you to render Mustache templates efficiently by streaming data into the template, which can be particularly useful for large datasets or when working with I/O-bound operations.

What are mu2's main functionalities?

Rendering a Mustache Template

This feature allows you to render a Mustache template by streaming data into it. The example demonstrates how to compile and render a template named 'example.mustache' with a data object containing a 'name' property. The rendered output is then piped to a file named 'output.html'.

const mu = require('mu2');
const fs = require('fs');

mu.root = __dirname + '/templates';

const stream = mu.compileAndRender('example.mustache', { name: 'World' });

stream.pipe(fs.createWriteStream('output.html'));

stream.on('end', () => {
  console.log('Template rendering complete.');
});

Setting Template Root Directory

This feature allows you to set the root directory for your Mustache templates. By setting the 'mu.root' property, you can specify the directory where your templates are located, making it easier to manage and organize your template files.

const mu = require('mu2');

mu.root = __dirname + '/templates';

console.log('Template root directory set to:', mu.root);

Other packages similar to mu2

mustache

The 'mustache' package is a popular logic-less template engine for Node.js and the browser. It provides similar functionality to mu2 but does not include streaming capabilities. Instead, it focuses on simplicity and ease of use for rendering Mustache templates.

handlebars

The 'handlebars' package is an extension of the Mustache templating language, offering additional features such as helpers and partials. While it does not provide streaming capabilities like mu2, it is more powerful and flexible, making it suitable for more complex templating needs.

ejs

The 'ejs' package is a simple templating language that lets you generate HTML markup with plain JavaScript. It is not based on Mustache but offers similar functionality for rendering templates. EJS does not support streaming but is known for its ease of use and flexibility.

README

Mu - a fast, streaming Node.js Mustache engine

Warning: This version is not API compatible with 0.1.

Install

I have had some issues with my npm auth and got it in a bit of a rut, so for now you have to:

npm install mu2

Issues

Currently mu does not support changing the tag form ({{ }} to say <% %>).

Usage

There are a few ways to use mu 0.5. Here is the simplest:

var mu = require('mu2'); // notice the "2" which matches the npm repo, sorry..

mu.root = __dirname + '/templates'
mu.compileAndRender('index.html', {name: "john"})
  .on('data', function (data) {
    console.log(data.toString());
  });

Here is an example mixing it with the http module:

var http = require('http')
  , util = require('util')
  , mu   = require('mu2');

mu.root = __dirname + '/templates';

http.createServer(function (req, res) {

  var stream = mu.compileAndRender('index.html', {name: "john"});
  util.pump(stream, res);

}).listen(8000);

Taking that last example here is a little trick to always compile the templates in development mode (so the changes are immediately reflected).

var http = require('http')
  , util = require('util')
  , mu   = require('mu2');

mu.root = __dirname + '/templates';

http.createServer(function (req, res) {

  if (process.env.NODE_ENV == 'DEVELOPMENT') {
    mu.clearCache();
  }

  var stream = mu.compileAndRender('index.html', {name: "john"});
  util.pump(stream, res);

}).listen(8000);

API

mu.root

  A path to lookup templates from. Defaults to the working directory.


mu.compileAndRender(String templateName, Object view)

  Returns: Stream

  The first time this function is called with a specific template name, the
  template will be compiled and then rendered to the stream. Subsequent
  calls with the same template name will use a cached version of the compiled
  template to improve performance (a lot).


mu.compile(filename, callback)

  Returns nil
  Callback (Error err, Any CompiledTemplate)

  This function is used to compile a template. Usually you will not use it
  directly but when doing wierd things, this might work for you. Does not
  use the internal cache when called multiple times, though it does add the
  compiled form to the cache.


mu.compileText(String name, String template, Function callback)

  Returns nil
  Callback (err, CompiledTemplate)

  Similar to mu.compile except it taks in a name and the actual string of the
  template. Does not do disk io. Does not auto-compile partials either.


mu.render(Mixed filenameOrCompiledTemplate, Object view)

  Returns Stream

  The brother of mu.compile. This function takes either a name of a template
  previously compiled (in the cache) or the result of the mu.compile step.

  This function is responsible for transforming the compiled template into the
  proper output give the input view data.


mu.renderText(String template, Object view, Object partials)

  Returns Stream

  Like render, except takes a template as a string and an object for the partials.
  This is not a very performant way to use mu, so only use this for dev/testing.


mu.clearCache(String templateNameOrNull)

  Clears the cache for a specific template. If the name is omitted, clears all cache.