usergrid

Version

Current Version: 0.10.11

See change log:

https://github.com/apache/incubator-usergrid/blob/master/sdks/nodejs/changelog.md

Overview

This Node.js module, which simplifies the process of making API calls to Usergrid from within Node.js, is part of the Apache Usergrid project http://usergrid.incubator.apache.org/. We welcome your contributions and suggestions. The official repository is located here:

https://github.com/apache/incubator-usergrid/tree/master/sdks/nodejs

You can download this package here:

• Download as a zip file: https://github.com/rodsimpson/usergrid-node-module/archive/master.zip
• Download as a tar.gz file: https://github.com/rodsimpson/usergrid-node-module/archive/master.tar.gz

Client side Javascript

Want to make calls to App Services (Usergrid) client-side? No problem - just head over to the Usergrid Javascript SDK:

https://github.com/apache/incubator-usergrid/tree/master/sdks/html5-javascript

The syntax for this Node module and the Javascript SDK are almost exactly the same so you can easily transition between them.

Installing

Use npm:

$ npm install usergrid

Getting started

Include the module:

var usergrid = require('usergrid');

Then create a new client:

var client = new usergrid.client({
	orgName:'yourorgname',
	appName:'sandbox',
	logging: true, //optional - turn on logging, off by default
});

The preceding example shows how to use the "Sandbox" testing app, which does not require any authentication. The "Sandbox" comes with all new App Services accounts.

If you are ready to use authentication, then create your client this way:

var client = new usergrid.client({
	orgName:'yourorgname',
	appName:'yourappname',
	authType:usergrid.AUTH_CLIENT_ID,
	clientId:'<your client id>',
	clientSecret:'<your client secret>',
	logging: false, //optional - turn on logging, off by default
	buildCurl: false //optional - turn on curl commands, off by default
});

The last two items are optional. The logging option will enable console.log output from the client. The buildCurl option will cause cURL equivalent commands of all calls to the API to be displayed in the console.log output.

Note: you can find your client secret and client id on the "Properties" page of the Admin Portal.

You are now ready to use the usergrid handle to make calls against the API.

About the samples

All of the samples provided in this readme file come from unit tests in the test.js which is located in the root of this project.

To run the test file, first do the following:

1. Change the org-name and app-name to point to your Usergrid account. Log into the Admin Portal to see this information.
2. Change the client secret and client id

Then run the code:

$ node test.js

The samples in this file will show you the many ways you can use this module.

Entities and Collections

Usergrid stores its data as "Entities" in "Collections". Entities are essentially JSON objects and Collections are just like folders for storing these objects. You can learn more about Entities and Collections in the App Services docs:

http://apigee.com/docs/usergrid/content/data-model

Entities

This module provides an easy way to make new entities. Here is a simple example that shows how to create a new object of type "dogs":

var options = {
	type:'dogs',
	name:'Dino'
}
client.createEntity(options, function (err, dog) {
	if (err) {
		//error - dog not created
	} else {
		//success -dog is created

		//once the dog is created, you can set single properties:
		dog.set('breed','Dinosaur');

		//or a JSON object:
		var data = {
			master:'Fred',
			state:'hungry'
		}
		//set is additive, so previously set properties are not overwritten
		dog.set(data);

		//finally, call save on the object to save it back to the database
		dog.save(function(err){
			if (err){
				//error - dog not saved
			} else {
				//success - new dog is saved
			}
		});
	}
});

note: all calls to the API will be executed asynchronously, so it is important that you use a callback.

You can also refresh the object from the database if needed (in case the data has been updated by a different client or device):

//call fetch to refresh the data from the server
dog.fetch(function(err){
	if (err){
		// error - dog not refreshed from database;
	} else {
		//dog has been refreshed from the database
		//will only work if the UUID for the entity is in the dog object
		//success - dog entity refreshed from database;
	}
});

To remove the entity from the database:

//the destroy method will delete the entity from the database
dog.destroy(function(err){
	if (err){
		//error - dog not removed from database
	} else {
		//success - dog removed from database (no real dogs were harmed!)
		dog = null; //no real dogs were harmed!
	}
});

To set properties on the entity, use the set() method:

//once the dog is created, you can set single properties:
dog.set('breed','Dinosaur');

//or a JSON object:
var data = {
	master:'Fred',
	state:'hungry'
}
//set is additive, so previously set properties are not overwritten
dog.set(data);

Note: These properties are now set locally, but make sure you call the .save() method on the entity to save them back to the database!

To get a single property from the entity, use the get method:

var breed = dog.get('breed');

or

var state = dog.get('state');

or, to get a JSON object with all properties, don't pass a key

var props = dog.get();

Based on the set statements above, our JSON object should look like this:

{
	name:'Dino',
	type:'dogs',
	breed:'Dinosaur',
	master:'Fred',
	state:'hungry'
}

Wait! But what if my entity already exists on the server?

During a client.createEntity call, there are two ways that you can choose to handle this situation. The question is, what should the client do if an entity with the same name, username, or uuid already exists on the server?

1. Give you back an error.
2. Give you back the pre-existing entity.

If you want to get back an error when the entity already exists, then simply call the client.createEntity function as above. If there is a collision, you will get back a 400 However, if you want the existing entity to be returned, then set the getOnExist flag to true:

var options = {
	type:'dogs',
	name:'Dino',
	getOnExist:true
}
client.createEntity(options, function (err, dog) {
	if (err) {
		//error - dog not created
	} else {
		//success -dog is created or returned, depending on if it already exists or not

Alternatively, if you know that you only want to retrieve an existing entity, use the getEntity method:

var options = {
	type:'users',
	username:'marty'
}
client.getEntity(options, function(err, existingUser){
	if (err){
		//error - existing user not retrieved
	} else {
		//success - existing user was retrieved

		var username = existingUser.get('username');
	}
});

The Collection object

The Collection object models Collections in the database. Once you start programming your app, you will likely find that this is the most useful method of interacting with the database. Creating a collection will automatically populate the object with entities from the collection. The following example shows how to create a Collection object, then how to use entities once the Collection has been populated with entities from the server:

//options object needs to have the type (which is the collection type)
var options = {
	type:'dogs',
	qs:{ql:'order by index'}
}

client.createCollection(options, function (err, dogs) {
	if (err) {
		//error - could not make collection
	} else {

		//success - new Collection worked

		//we got the dogs, now display the Entities:
		while(dogs.hasNextEntity()) {
			//get a reference to the dog
			dog = dogs.getNextEntity();
			var name = dog.get('name');
			notice('dog is called ' + name);
		}

		//success - looped through dogs

	}
});

You can also add a new entity of the same type to the collection:

//create a new dog and add it to the collection
var options = {
	name:'extra-dog',
	fur:'shedding'
}
//just pass the options to the addEntity method
//to the collection and it is saved automatically
dogs.addEntity(options, function(err, dog, data) {
	if (err) {
		//error - extra dog not saved or added to collection
	} else {
		//success - extra dog saved and added to collection
	}
});

Collection iteration and paging

The Collection object works in Pages of data. This means that at any given time, the Collection object will have one page of data loaded. You can iterate across all the entities in the current page of data by using the following pattern:

//we got the dogs, now display the Entities:
while(dogs.hasNextEntity()) {
	//get a reference to the dog
	dog = dogs.getNextEntity();
	var name = dog.get('name');
	notice('dog is called ' + name);
}

To get the next page of data from the server, use the following pattern:

if (dogs.hasNextPage()) {
	//there is a next page, so get it from the server
	dogs.getNextPage(function(err){
		if (err) {
			//error - could not get next page of dogs
		} else {
			//success - got next page of dogs
			//we got the dogs, now display the Entities:
			while(dogs.hasNextEntity()) {
				//get a reference to the dog
				dog = dogs.getNextEntity();
				var name = dog.get('name');
				notice('dog is called ' + name);
			}
			//success - looped through dogs
		}
	});
}

You can use the same pattern to get a previous page of data:

if (dogs.hasPreviousPage()) {
	//there is a previous page, so get it from the server
	dogs.getPreviousPage(function(err){
		if(err) {
			//error - could not get previous page of dogs
		} else {
			//success - got next page of dogs
			//we got the dogs, now display the Entities:
			while(dogs.hasNextEntity()) {
				//get a reference to the dog
				dog = dogs.getNextEntity();
				var name = dog.get('name');
				notice('dog is called ' + name);
			}
			//success - looped through dogs
		}
	});
}

By default, the database will return 10 entities per page. You can change that amount by setting a limit:

var options = {
	type:'dogs',
	qs:{limit:50} //limit statement set to 50
}

client.createCollection(options, function (err, dogs) {
	if (err) {
		//error - could not get all dogs
	} else {
		//success - got at most 50 dogs
	}
}

Several other convenience methods exist to make working with pages of data easier:

• getFirstEntity - gets the first entity of a page
• getLastEntity - gets the last entity of a page
• resetEntityPointer - sets the internal pointer back to the first element of the page
• getEntityByUUID - returns the entity if it is in the current page

Custom Queries

A custom query allows you to tell the API that you want your results filtered or altered in some way. To specify that the query results should be ordered by creation date, add the qs parameter to the options object:

var options = {
	type:'dogs',
	qs:{ql:'order by created DESC'}
};

You may find that you need to change the query on an existing object. Simply access the qs property directly:

dogs.qs = {ql:'order by created DESC'};

If you also wanted to get more entities in the result set than the default 10, say 100, you can specify a query similar to the following (the limit can be a maximum of 999):

dogs.qs = {ql:'order by created DESC',limit:'100'};

Note: there are many cases where expanding the result set is useful. But be careful - the more results you get back in a single call, the longer it will take to transmit the data back to your app.

Another common requirement is to limit the results to a specific query. For example, to get all brown dogs, use the following syntax:

dogs.qs = {ql:"select * where color='brown'"};

You can also limit the results returned such that only the fields you specify are returned:

dogs.qs = {'ql':"select name, age where color='brown'"};

Note: in the two preceding examples that we put single quotes around 'brown', so it will be searched as a string.

You can find more information on custom queries here:

http://apigee.com/docs/usergrid/content/queries-and-parameters

Modeling users with the Entity object

There is no specific User object in the module. Instead, you simply need to use the Entity object, specifying a type of "users". Here is an example:

//type is 'users', set additional paramaters as needed
var options = {
	type:'users',
	username:'marty',
	password:'mysecurepassword',
	name:'Marty McFly',
	city:'Hill Valley'
}

client.createEntity(options, function (err, marty) {
	if (err){
		//error - user not saved
	} else {
		//success - user saved
	}
});

If the user is modified, just call save on the user again:

//add properties cumulatively
marty.set('state', 'California');
marty.set("girlfriend","Jennifer");
marty.save(function(err){
	if (err){
		//error - user not updated
	} else {
		//success - user updated
	}
});

To refresh the user's information in the database:

marty.fetch(function(err){
	if (err){
		//error - not refreshed
	} else {
		//success - user refreshed
	}
});

If you no longer need the object, call the delete() method and the object will be deleted from database:

marty.destroy(function(err){
	if (err){
		//error - user not deleted from database
	} else {
		//success - user deleted from database
		marty = null; //blow away the local object
	}
});

Making connections

Connections are a way to connect to entities with some verb. This is called an entity relationship. For example, if you have a user entity with username of marty, and a dog entity with a name of einstein, then using our RESTful API, you could make a call like this:

POST users/marty/likes/dogs/einstein

This creates a one-way connection between marty and einstein, where marty "likes" einstein.

Complete documentation on the entity relationships API can be found here:

http://apigee.com/docs/usergrid/content/entity-relationships

The following code shows you how to create this connection, and then verify that the connection has been made:

marty.connect('likes', dog, function (err, data) {
	if (err) {
		// error - connection not created
	} else {

		//call succeeded, so pull the connections back down
		marty.getConnections('likes', function (err, data) {
			if (err) {
					//error - could not get connections
			} else {
				//verify that connection exists
				if (marty.likes.ralphy) {
					//success - connection exists
				} else {
					//error - connection does not exist
				}
			}
		});
	}
});

You can also remove connections, by using the disconnect method:

marty.disconnect('likes', dog, function (err, data) {
	if (err) {
		//error - connection not deleted
	} else {

		//call succeeded, so pull the connections back down
		marty.getConnections('likes', function (err, data) {
			if (err) {
				//error - error getting connections
			} else {
				//verify that connection exists
				if (marty.likes.einstein) {
					//error - connection still exists
				} else {
					//success - connection deleted
				}
			}
		});
	}
});

To log a user in

Up to this point, we have shown how you can use the client secret / client id combination to authenticate your calls against the API. For a server-side Node.js app, this may be all you need. However, if you do find that your app requires that you authenticate an individual user, you have several options.

The first is to use client-side authentication with Ajax. If you want to opt for this method, take a look at the Usergrid Javascript SDK. The syntax for usage is the same as this Node.js module, so it will be easy to pick up:

https://github.com/apache/incubator-usergrid/tree/master/sdks/html5-javascript

The other method is to log the user in server-side. When you log a user in, the API will return an OAuth token for you to use for calls to the API on the user's behalf. Once that token is returned, you can either make a new client just for the user, or change the auth method on the existing client. These methods are described below:

username = 'marty';
password = 'mysecurepassword';
client.login(username, password,
	function (err) {
		if (err) {
			//error - could not log user in
		} else {
			//success - user has been logged in

			//the login call will return an OAuth token, which is saved
			//in the client object for later use.  Access it this way:
			var token = client.token;

			//then make a new client just for the app user, then use this
			//client to make calls against the API
			var appUserClient = new usergrid.client({
				orgName:'yourorgname',
				appName:'yourappname',
				authType:usergrid.AUTH_APP_USER,
				token:token
			});

			//alternitavely, you can change the authtype of the client:
			client.authType = usergrid.AUTH_APP_USER;

			//Then make calls against the API.  For example, you can
			//get the user entity this way:
			client.getLoggedInUser(function(err, data, user) {
				if(err) {
					//error - could not get logged in user
				} else {
					//success - got logged in user

					//you can then get info from the user entity object:
					var username = user.get('username');

					//to log the user out, call the logout() method
					appUserClient.logout();
					client.logout();

					//verify the logout worked
					if (client.isLoggedIn()) {
						//error - logout failed
					} else {
						//success - user has been logged out
					}

					//since we don't need to App User level calls anymore,
					//set the authtype back to client:
					client.authType = usergrid.AUTH_CLIENT_ID;

					runner(step, marty);
				}
			});

		}
	}
);

To recap, once a user has been logged in, and an OAuth token has been acquired, use one of the two methods to make calls to the API:

1. Use the same client object and change auth types before each call

2. Grab the token and make a new client object specifically for user calls.

Either method will work.

To log a user out

To log the user out, call:

client.logout();

Or, if you made a new client object specifically for the app user:

appUserClient.logout();

This destroys the token and user object in the client object, effectively logging the user out.

Groups

This module provides an easy way to make new groups. They follow the same syntax as Entities

Making generic calls

If you find that you need to make calls to the API that fall outside of the scope of the Entity and Collection objects, you can use the following format to make any REST calls against the API:

client.request(options, callback);

This format allows you to make almost any call against the App Services (Usergrid) API. For example, to get a list of users:

var options = {
	method:'GET',
	endpoint:'users'
};
client.request(options, function (err, data) {
	if (err) {
		//error - GET failed
	} else {
		//data will contain raw results from API call
		//success - GET worked
	}
});

Or, to create a new user:

var options = {
	method:'POST',
	endpoint:'users',
	body:{ username:'fred', password:'secret' }
};
client.request(options, function (err, data) {
	if (err) {
		//error - POST failed
	} else {
		//data will contain raw results from API call
		//success - POST worked
	}
});

Or, to update the new user:

var options = {
	method:'PUT',
	endpoint:'users/fred',
	body:{ newkey:'newvalue' }
};
client.request(options, function (err, data) {
	if (err) {
		//error - PUT failed
	} else {
		//data will contain raw results from API call
		//success - PUT worked
	}
});

Or to delete the new user:

var options = {
	method:'DELETE',
	endpoint:'users/fred'
};
client.request(options, function (err, data) {
	if (err) {
		//error - DELETE failed
	} else {
		//data will contain raw results from API call
		//success - DELETE worked
	}
});

The Options Object for the client.request fuction:

• method - http method (GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE), defaults to GET
• qs - object containing querystring values to be appended to the uri
• body - object containing entity body for POST and PUT requests
• endpoint - API endpoint, for example "users/fred"
• mQuery - boolean, set to true if running management query, defaults to false
• buildCurl - boolean, set to true if you want to see equivalent curl commands in console.log, defaults to false

You can make any call to the API using the format above. However, in practice using the higher level Entity and Collection objects will make life easier as they take care of much of the heavy lifting.

cURL

cURL is an excellent way to make calls directly against the API. As mentioned in the Getting started section of this guide, one of the parameters you can add to the new client options object is buildCurl:

var client = new Usergrid.Client({
	orgName:'yourorgname',
	appName:'sandbox',
	logging: true, //optional - turn on logging, off by default
	buildCurl: true //optional - turn on curl commands, off by default
});

If you set this parameter to true, the SDK will build equivalent curl commands and send them to the console.log window. To learn how to see the console log, see this page:

http://apigee.com/docs/usergrid/content/displaying-app-services-api-calls-curl-commands

More information on cURL can be found here:

http://curl.haxx.se/

Contributing

We welcome your enhancements!

The Usergrid Node module is open source and licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (http://usergrid.incubator.apache.org/).

1. Fork it
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b my-new-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Added some feature')
4. Push your changes to the upstream branch (git push origin my-new-feature)
5. Create new Pull Request (make sure you describe what you did and why your mod is needed)

More information

For more information on Usergrid, see http://usergrid.incubator.apache.org/

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.