How to create a normal sails model without being in the models folder

javascript, models, node.js, sails.js, waterline

Solution

What are you trying to do is not easy and a bit messy with Sails in the current state of the project. I'm referring to the v0.10 version. What you'll have to do is

- Inject the model definition found in `SimplePlugin.SimpleModel` into sails.models

- Inject a dummy controller for the model with `_config: { rest: true }`

Please note that the code examples I posted are taken from a custom Sails hook I am working on and assume access to `sails` and the code examples to be executed during the `loadHooks` phase of Sails initialization / before the `MiddlewareRegistry` phase (compare: lib/app/load.js).

1. Inject model definition

Following the hints in the `orm` hook in Sails v0.10 you have to:

- Get the models and adapters defined in `api`, merge your new model into the dictionary

- Normalize the model definitions via `sails.hooks.orm.normalizeModelDef`

- Load the normalized model definitions into Waterline

- Unload exisisting adapter connections via `teardown`

- Reinitialize Waterline

- Expose the initialized Waterline collections to sails and the global scope via `sails.hooks.orm.prepareModels` (previously: `sails.hooks.orm.exposeModels`, changed with: 8d96895662)

Because you have to reinitialize Waterline and reload all model definitions I'd recommend to collect all model definitions to inject and pass them to the inject function once. The example code below reflects this.

...

function injectPluginModels(pluginModels, cb) {
  // copy sails/lib/hooks/orm/loadUserModules to make it accessible here
  var loadUserModelsAndAdapters = require('./loadUserModules')(sails);

  async.auto({
    // 1. load api/models, api/adapters
    _loadModules: loadUserModelsAndAdapters,

    // 2. Merge additional models,  3. normalize model definitions
    modelDefs: ['_loadModules', function(next){
      _.each(additionModels, function(aditionModel) {
         _.merge(sails.models, additionalModel);
      });

      _.each(sails.models, sails.hooks.orm.normalizeModelDef);
      next(null, sails.models);
    }],

    // 4. Load models into waterline, 5. tear down connections, 6. reinitialize waterline
    instantiatedCollections: ['modelDefs', function(next, stack){
      var modelDefs = stack.modelDefs;

      var waterline = new Waterline();
      _.each(modelDefs, function(modelDef, modelID){
        waterline.loadCollection(Waterline.Collection.extend(modelDef));
      });

      var connections = {};

      _.each(sails.adapters, function(adapter, adapterKey) {
        _.each(sails.config.connections, function(connection, connectionKey) {
          if (adapterKey !== connection.adapter) return;
          connections[connectionKey] = connection;
        });
      });

      var toTearDown = [];

      _.each(connections, function(connection, connectionKey) {
        toTearDown.push({ adapter: connection.adapter, connection: connectionKey });
      });

      async.each(toTearDown, function(tear, callback) {
         sails.adapters[tear.adapter].teardown(tear.connection, callback);
      }, function(){
         waterline.initialize({
           adapters: sails.adapters,
           connections: connections
         }, next)
      });
    }],

    // 7. Expose initialized models to global scope and sails
    _prepareModels: ['instantiatedCollections', sails.hooks.orm.prepareModels]

  }, cb);
};

...

Would allow you to:

// Read your plugins
...

var pluginModels = // Get all the plugin models
injectPluginModels(pluginModels, function(){
  // Plugin models now available via global[pluginModel.globalId] and sails.models[pluginModel.identity]
});

2. Inject controller

For each model that should be exposed via blueprint methods you have to:

- Create a controller definition with matching identity and enabled blueprints

- Save controller to `sails.controllers[controllerId]`

- Save controller to `sails.hooks.controllers.middleware[controllerId]`

The Sails `MiddlewareRegistry` will automatically pick up the controllers found in these objects.

function mountBlueprintsForModels(pluginModels) {
  _.each(pluginModels, function(pluginModel){
    var controller = _.cloneDeep(pluginModel);
    controller._config = { rest: true };

    var controllerId = pluginModel.identity;

    if (!_.isObject(sails.controllers[controllerId])) {
      sails.controllers[controllerId] = controller;
    }

    if (!_.isObject(sails.hooks.controllers.middleware[controllerId])) {
      sails.hooks.controllers.middleware[controllerId] = controller;
    }
  });
}

3. In action

// E.g. in /api/hooks/plugins/index.js
/*
 * Module dependencies
 */

var async = require('async'),
    _ = require('lodash'),
    waterline = require('waterline');

module.exports = function(sails) {

  // injectPluginModels and mountBlueprintsForModels defined here
  ...

  return {

    initialize: function(cb) {
      sails.after('hook:orm:loaded', function() {
        yourNiftyPluginLoader(function(err, plugins) {
          // assuming plugin.models holds array of models for this plugin
          // customize for your use case
          var pluginModels = _.pluck(plugins, 'models');
          injectPluginModels(pluginModels, cb);
          mountBlueprintsForModels(pluginModels);
        });
      });
    }

  }

}

Problem

Original source