Child object under node loses name, ignores attribute list

[rhb]

I'm trying to implement a simple JSON template, where JSON data is always returned under a 'result' node. (I have not yet attempted the layout techniques mentioned in Issues #87 & #99 - looking forward to the wiki article covering this). I may be misusing the 'node' concept of RABL.

Without the parent node

the JSON output is correctly named (after the child object), and includes the attributes I specify. Here is that RABL & output:

object false

node :error do
  attributes @error
end
child @users do
  attributes :name, :id, :state
end

{
-error: [
null
]
-users: [
-{
-user: {
name: "Billy_bob"
id: 853
state: "Texas"
}
}
...

With parent node

the JSON returns the data from the users, but includes all user fields under a 'data' node :

node :error do
  attributes @error
end
node :result do
  child @users do
    attributes :name, :id, :state
  end
end

{
-error: [
null
]
-result: [
-{
-data: [
-{
bearing: 225
country: "USA"
county: null
created_at: "2011-08-16T02:49:32Z"
description: null
distance: 17.20354345468381
id: 853
name: "Billy_bob"
state: "Texas"
updated_at: "2011-08-16T02:49:32Z"
}
-{

[nesquena]

You are misunderstanding node, forgive me for making it unclear. node is unlike child. Think of node as making up your own data manually. So this doesnt work:

node :error do
  attributes @error
end

But this would:

node :error do
  @error
end

Basically dont use node with stuff like attributes. Use node and just return a value from it:

node :error do |object|
  { :do => "something", :bar => object.foo }
end

You can access the object but what you are doing is building an arbitrary value. node is meant to make rabl flexible where it otherwise is somewhat rigid for all the edge cases.

[nesquena]

Also in general attributes @error doesnt really make any sense to me semantically so I am not sure what you were trying to do there.

[nesquena]

To more specifically answer your question, you cant do this either:

node :result do
  child @users do
    attributes :name, :id, :state
  end
end

I recommend using the layout technique and not trying to embed the rabl DSL in node since node is "special" in that way it is used to compose arbitrary values and does not support other rabl DSL methods inside.

[rhb]

Thank you, I need to fix the way I output my @error hash.

However, my main problem is related to putting the child @users underneath node :result Is it legal to put a child object under a node?

[rhb]

Well, I thought it would work as one of the template examples suggests:

node data: do
  yield
end

I thought I could do the same in a single .rabl file. Thanks for your help, I'll try the layout approach mentioned in #87.

[nesquena]

Yeah, sorry to be a bother and also that this is sort of unclear right now but can you follow up with me if you get it working via the layout method. It should be trivial but just to make sure. That seems to me to be the best approach for what you are trying to achieve.

[nesquena]

Layout method would be something like:

# app/views/layouts/application.json.erb

{
  "status": "ok",
  "errors" : <%= @errors.as_json %>
  "result": <%= yield %>
}

or something. Note needs to be erb, sorry

[nesquena]

I think that

node data: do
  yield
end

was an imaginary syntax, that doesnt exist. I think the layout needs to be erb for the time being. But I can understand the confusion! Sorry RABL is still having some growing pains but it will get there :) I think the docs just need to be fleshed out.

[rhb]

Gotcha, that is helpful, thanks! If I get it working soon I'll add an example to the wiki page.

[nesquena]

I'd really appreciate it, thanks Ryan.