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How to detect when scope property is set in Angular directive link function?

I'm building a directive that needs to initialize some data based on values passed into it through the scope. The problem is that when I try and initialize the data in the link function, the passed in value isn't available yet. Is there anyway to only run the initialization when the passed in value is available? I thought about using a watch as in the following code but it seems messy (and doesn't seem to work anyway).
.directive('etMemberActivitySummary', [function () {
return {
restrict: 'E',
templateUrl: '<div>My template</div>',
transclude: false,
scope: {
memberModel: '='
},
link: function(scope, element, attrs, controller) {
var watcher = scope.$watch(
function() {
return scope.memberModel
},
function(value) {
console.log(value);
if (value != null) {
console.log('Watch');
console.log(value);
watcher();
// Perform initialization based on scope.memberModel here
}
});
}
}
}])
Is there a correct way to do this? If it helps, the passed in value is in itself retrieved from a web service.
Update 1
Turns out that if I put an ng-if="ctrl.memberModel" on the directive usage like the following and get rid of all the watch stuff, it works. Is this the best way to do this?
<et-member-activity-summary member-model="ctrl.memberModel" ng-if="ctrl.memberModel"></et-member-activity-summary>

How to avoid using 'scope.$parent...' in angular 1.2

We're developing a set of (ideally) flexible, component-based re-usable templates in angularjs 1.2 to develop a series of e-learning modules.
Part of the spec requires the tracking of 'completable' components. At the moment the main controller looks like this:
app.controller('mainCtrl', ['$scope', function($scope) {
$scope.completables = [];
$scope.completed = [];
$scope.addCompletable = function (object) {
$scope.completables.push(object);
// also set correlating completed property to 'false' for each completable added
$scope.completed.push(false);
}
$scope.componentCompleted = function(id) {
// Set complete to 'true' for matching Sscope.completed array index
// We COULD use .indexOf on the completables array, but that doesn't work with IE8
var tempArray = $scope.completables;
var matchingIndex = -1;
for (var i=0; i<tempArray.length; i++) {
if (tempArray[i]==id) {
matchingIndex = i;
}
}
if (i>-1) {
$scope.completed[matchingIndex] = true;
}
}
}]);
We have a eng-completable attribute that triggers the following directive:
app.directive('engCompletable', function() {
return {
restrict: 'A',
link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
// add the id of this element to the completables array in the main controller
scope.$parent.addCompletable(attrs.id);
}
}
});
So every time angular encounters an 'eng-completable' attribute on an element, it calls addCompletable on the parent scope which adds the element id to the 'completables' array and 'false' to the corresponding index of the 'completed' array.
In the eng-popup attribute directive, we have a function to check if it has been made visible:
app.directive('engPopup', function() {
return {
restrict: 'A',
replace: true,
templateUrl: 'components/popup.html',
link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
scope.$watch(function() { return element.is(':visible') }, function() {
scope.$parent.componentCompleted(attrs.id);
});
}
};
});
Which also uses the parent scope to trigger the 'componentCompleted' function. I've been told that referring to the parent scope is bad practise, and it is also messing up our unit tests, apparently.
I'd like to know what is the alternative. How can I let my app know that a specific component has been completed? And where should this state be tracked?
I'd really like to know HOW to do this - not just be told that I'm doing it the wrong way. Please let me know what the alternative is.
But, as always, any help will be much appreciated.

One alternative would be to create a Service to be responsible to track all the components and keep their states (complete/not completed).
It will remove the need for $scope.parent and the service can be injected into any controller or directive you need.
:)

If that completables list is application-wide yo could consider adding it to your $rootScope along with the addCompletable method —and any other relate methods— instead of adding it to your mainController's $scope.
This way you could substitude your scope.$parent.componentCompleted(attrs.id); with $rootScope.componentCompleted(attrs.id); and avoid to make calls to scope.$parent.

How to pass the angular's directive's link and controller to it

Say that I have a straight forward directive:
angular
.module('myApp')
.directive('myDiv', ['MyService1', 'MyService2',
function(MyService1, MyService2) {
return {
restrict: 'E',
link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
scope.myVars = MyService1.generateSomeList();
MyService2.runSomeCommands();
// Do a lot more codes here
// Lines and Lines
// Now run some embedded function here
someEmbeddedFunction();
function someEmbeddedFunction()
{
// More embedding
// This code is really getting nasty
}
}
}
}
]);
The code above has so much indentation and crowded that at least to me, it is very hard to read and unenjoyable to work with.
Instead, I want to move the link and someEmbeddedFunction out and just call them. So something along the lines of this:
function link(scope, element, attrs, MyService1, MyService2)
{
scope.myVars = MyService1.generateSomeList();
MyService2.runSomeCommands();
// Do a lot more codes here
// Lines and Lines
// Now run some embedded function here
someEmbeddedFunction();
}
function someEmbeddedFunction()
{
// This is much nicer and less tabbing involved
}
angular
.module('myApp')
.directive('myDiv', ['MyService1', 'MyService2',
function(MyService1, MyService2) {
return {
restrict: 'E',
link: link // This is line that I need to get it to work
}
]);
The problem is that MyService1 and MyService2 are not passed to the link function (i.e. if I only had a link function with scope, element, attrs then the code above would work just fine). How can I pass those variables as well?
I tried to call the function as link: link(scope, element, attrs, MyService1, MyService2) but then it says scope, element, attrs are undefined.
Note I realize that the someEmbeddedFunction can right now be moved out without a problem. This was just for demonstrating purposes.
Edit
The only way I can think to get this to work is call the link function from the directive this way:
link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
link(scope, element, attrs, MyService1, MyService2);
}

As you observed, the only way to call your non-standard link function is to do so manually within a "standard" link function.
i.e.
link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
link(scope, element, attrs, MyService1, MyService2);
}
This is because the link function doesn't get injected like other functions in Angular. Instead, it always gets the same series of arguments (regardless of what you call the function parameters):
The scope
The element (as an angular.element() instance)
The attrs object
An array or single controller instance that you required
A transclude function (if your directive uses transclusion)
Nothing else.

I use this scheme to keep it simple & readable:
var awesomeDir = function (MyService, MyAnotherService) {
var someEmbeddedFunction = function () {
MyService.doStuff();
};
var link = function ($scope, $elem, $attrs) {
someEmbeddedFunction();
};
return {
template: '<div>...</div>',
replace: true,
restrict: 'E',
link: link
};
};
awesomeDir.$inject = ['MyService', 'MyAnotherService'];
app.directive('awesomeDir', awesomeDir);

Call function on directive parent scope with directive scope argument

I am developing a directive which shows and hides it's contents based on a click event (ng-click) defined in it's template. On some views where the directive is used I'd like to be able to know if the directive is currently showing or hiding it's contents so I can respond to the DOM changes. The directive has isolated scope and I am trying to notify the parent scope when the directive has been "toggled". I'm attempting to accomplish this by passing a callback function to the directive where it is used that can be called when the directive's state changes i.e hides or shows
I'm not sure how to correctly implement this being that the state of the directive (hidden or shown) is stored in the directive's isolated scope and is determined after the ng-click. Therefore I need to call the parent scope's function from within the directive and not from withing the view.
This will make WAAY more sense with an example. Here is a plunked demonstrating what I'd like to do:
http://plnkr.co/edit/hHwwxjssOKiphTSO1VIS?p=info
var app = angular.module('main-module',[])
app.controller('MainController', function($scope){
$scope.myValue = 'test value';
$scope.parentToggle = function(value){
$scope.myValue = value;
};
});
app.directive('toggle', function(){
return {
restrict: 'A',
template: '<a ng-click="toggle();">Click Me</a>',
replace: true,
scope: {
OnToggle: '&'
},
link: function($scope, elem, attrs, controller) {
$scope.toggleValue = false;
$scope.toggle = function () {
$scope.toggleValue = !$scope.toggleValue;
$scope.OnToggle($scope.toggleValue)
};
}
};
});
I'm relatively new to Angular. Is this a bad idea to begin with? Should I be using a service or something rather than passing around function refs?
Thanks!

Update
You can also use & to bind the function of the root scope (that is actually the purpose of &).
To do so the directive needs to be slightly changed:
app.directive('toggle', function(){
return {
restrict: 'A',
template: '<a ng-click="f()">Click Me</a>',
replace: true,
scope: {
toggle: '&'
},
controller: function($scope) {
$scope.toggleValue = false;
$scope.f = function() {
$scope.toggleValue = !$scope.toggleValue;
$scope.toggle({message: $scope.toggleValue});
};
}
};
});
You can use like this:
<div toggle="parentToggle(message)"></div>
Plunk
You could bind the function using =. In addition ensure the property name in your scope and tag are matching (AngularJS translates CamelCase to dash notation).
Before:
scope: {
OnToggle: '&'
}
After:
scope: {
onToggle: '='
}
Furthermore don't use on-toggle="parentToggle({value: toggleValue})" in your main template. You do not want to call the function but just passing a pointer of the function to the directive.
Plunk

Modify template in directive (dynamically adding another directive)

Problem
Dynamically add the ng-bind attribute through a custom directive to be able to use ng-bind, ng-bind-html or ng-bind-html-unsafe in a custom directive with out manually adding to the template definition everywhere.
Example
http://jsfiddle.net/nstuart/hUxp7/2/
Broken Directive
angular.module('app').directive('bindTest', [
'$compile',
function ($compile) {
return {
restrict: 'A',
scope: true,
compile: function (tElem, tAttrs) {
if (!tElem.attr('ng-bind')) {
tElem.attr('ng-bind', 'content');
$compile(tElem)
}
return function (scope, elem, attrs) {
console.log('Linking...');
scope.content = "Content!";
};
}
};
}]);
Solution
No idea. Really I can not figure out why something like the above fiddle doesn't work. Tried it with and with out the extra $compile in there.
Workaround
I can work around it might adding a template value in the directive, but that wraps the content in an extra div, and I would like to be able to that if possible. (See fiddle)
Second Workaround
See the fiddle here: http://jsfiddle.net/nstuart/hUxp7/4/ (as suggested by Dr. Ikarus below). I'm considering this a workaround for right now, because it still feels like you should be able to modify the template before you get to the linking function and the changes should be found/applied.

You could do the compiling part inside the linking function, like this:
angular.module('app').directive('bindTest', ['$compile', function ($compile) {
return {
restrict: 'A',
scope: true,
link: {
post: function(scope, element, attrs){
if (!element.attr('ng-bind')) {
element.attr('ng-bind', 'content');
var compiledElement = $compile(element)(scope);
}
console.log('Linking...');
scope.content = "Content!";
}
}
};
}]);
Let me know how well this worked for you http://jsfiddle.net/bPCFj/

This way seems more elegant (no dependency with $compile) and appropriate to your case :
angular.module('app').directive('myCustomDirective', function () {
return {
restrict: 'A',
scope: {},
template: function(tElem, tAttrs) {
return tAttrs['ng-bind'];
},
link: function (scope, elem) {
scope.content = "Happy!";
}
};
});
jsFiddle : http://jsfiddle.net/hUxp7/8/
From Angular directive documentation :
You can specify template as a string representing the template or as a function which takes two arguments tElement and tAttrs (described in the compile function api below) and returns a string value representing the template.

The source code tells all! Check out the compileNodes() function and its use of collectDirectives().
First, collectDirectives finds all the directives on a single node. After we've collected all the directives on that node, then the directives are applied to the node.
So when your compile function on the bindTest directive executes, the running $compile() is past the point of collecting the directives to compile.
The extra call to $compile in your bindTest directive won't work because you are not linking the directive to the $scope. You don't have access to the $scope in the compile function, but you can use the same strategy in a link function where you do have access to the $scope

You guys were so close.
function MyDirective($compile) {
function compileMyDirective(tElement) {
tElement.attr('ng-bind', 'someScopeProp');
return postLinkMyDirective;
}
function postLinkMyDirective(iScope, iElement, iAttrs) {
if (!('ngBind' in iAttrs)) {
// Before $compile is run below, `ng-bind` is just a DOM attribute
// and thus is not in iAttrs yet.
$compile(iElement)(iScope);
}
}
var defObj = {
compile: compileMyDirective,
scope: {
someScopeProp: '=myDirective'
}
};
return defObj;
}
The result will be:
<ANY my-directive="'hello'" ng-bind="someScopeProp">hello</ANY>