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lib/phoenix_live_controller.ex
defmodule Phoenix.LiveController do
@moduledoc ~S"""
Controller-style abstraction for building multi-action live views on top of `Phoenix.LiveView`.
`Phoenix.LiveView` API differs from `Phoenix.Controller` API in order to emphasize stateful
lifecycle of live views, support long-lived processes behind them and accommodate their much
looser ties with the router. Contrary to HTTP requests that are rendered and discarded, live
actions are mounted and their processes stay alive to handle events & miscellaneous process
interactions and to re-render as many times as necessary. Because of these extra complexities, the
library drives developers towards single live view per router action.
At the same time, `Phoenix.LiveView` provides a complete solution for router-aware live navigation
and it introduces the concept of live actions both in routing and in the live socket. These
features mean that many live views may play a role similar to classic controllers.
It's all about efficient code organization - just like a complex live view's code may need to be
broken into multiple modules or live components, a bunch of simple live actions centered around
similar topic or resource may be best organized into a single live view module, keeping the
related web logic together and giving the room to share common code. That's where
`Phoenix.LiveController` comes in: to organize live view code that covers multiple live actions in
a fashion similar to how Phoenix controllers organize multiple HTTP actions. It provides a
pragmatic convention that still keeps pieces of a stateful picture visible by enforcing clear
function annotations.
Here's an exact live equivalent of an HTML controller generated with the `mix phx.gen.html Blog
Article articles ...` scaffold, powered by `Phoenix.LiveController`:
# lib/my_app_web.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb do
def live_controller do
quote do
use Phoenix.LiveController
alias MyAppWeb.Router.Helpers, as: Routes
end
end
end
# lib/my_app_web/router.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb.Router do
scope "/", MyAppWeb do
live "/articles", ArticleLive, :index
live "/articles/new", ArticleLive, :new
live "/articles/:id", ArticleLive, :show
live "/articles/:id/edit", ArticleLive, :edit
end
end
# lib/my_app_web/live/article_live.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
alias MyApp.Blog
alias MyApp.Blog.Article
@action_handler true
def index(socket, _params) do
articles = Blog.list_articles()
assign(socket, articles: articles)
end
@action_handler true
def new(socket, _params) do
changeset = Blog.change_article(%Article{})
assign(socket, changeset: changeset)
end
@event_handler true
def create(socket, %{"article" => article_params}) do
case Blog.create_article(article_params) do
{:ok, article} ->
socket
|> put_flash(:info, "Article created successfully.")
|> push_redirect(to: Routes.article_path(socket, :show, article))
{:error, %Ecto.Changeset{} = changeset} ->
assign(socket, changeset: changeset)
end
end
@action_handler true
def show(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
article = Blog.get_article!(id)
assign(socket, article: article)
end
@action_handler true
def edit(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
article = Blog.get_article!(id)
changeset = Blog.change_article(article)
assign(socket, article: article, changeset: changeset)
end
@event_handler true
def update(socket, %{"article" => article_params}) do
article = socket.assigns.article
case Blog.update_article(article, article_params) do
{:ok, article} ->
socket
|> put_flash(:info, "Article updated successfully.")
|> push_redirect(to: Routes.article_path(socket, :show, article))
{:error, %Ecto.Changeset{} = changeset} ->
assign(socket, article: article, changeset: changeset)
end
end
@event_handler true
def delete(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
article = Blog.get_article!(id)
{:ok, _article} = Blog.delete_article(article)
socket
|> put_flash(:info, "Article deleted successfully.")
|> push_redirect(to: Routes.article_path(socket, :index))
end
end
`Phoenix.LiveController` is not meant to be a replacement of `Phoenix.LiveView` - although most
live views may be represented with it, it will likely prove beneficial only for specific kinds of
live views. These include live views with following traits:
* Orientation around same resource, e.g. web code for specific context like in `mix phx.gen.html`
* Mounting or event handling code that's mostly action-specific
* Param handling code that's action-specific and prevails over global mounting code
* Common redirecting logic executed before mounting or event handling, e.g. auth logic
## Mounting actions
*Action handlers* replace `c:Phoenix.LiveView.mount/3` entry point in order to split mounting of
specific live actions into separate functions. They are annotated with `@action_handler true` and,
just like with Phoenix controller actions, their name is the name of the action they mount.
# lib/my_app_web/router.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb.Router do
scope "/", MyAppWeb do
live "/articles", ArticleLive, :index
live "/articles/:id", ArticleLive, :show
end
end
# lib/my_app_web/live/article_live.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
@action_handler true
def index(socket, _params) do
articles = Blog.list_articles()
assign(socket, articles: articles)
end
@action_handler true
def show(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
article = Blog.get_article!(id)
assign(socket, article: article)
end
end
Note that action handlers don't have to wrap the resulting socket in the `{:ok, socket}` tuple,
which also brings them closer to Phoenix controller actions.
## Handling events
*Event handlers* replace `c:Phoenix.LiveView.handle_event/3` callbacks in order to make the event
handling code consistent with the action handling code. These functions are annotated with
`@event_handler true` and their name is the name of the event they handle.
# lib/my_app_web/templates/article/*.html.leex
<%= link "Delete", to: "#", phx_click: :delete, phx_value_id: article.id, data: [confirm: "Are you sure?"] %>
# lib/my_app_web/live/article_live.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
@event_handler true
def delete(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
article = Blog.get_article!(id)
{:ok, _article} = Blog.delete_article(article)
socket
|> put_flash(:info, "Article deleted successfully.")
|> push_redirect(to: Routes.article_path(socket, :index))
end
end
Note that, consistently with action handlers, event handlers don't have to wrap the resulting
socket in the `{:noreply, socket}` tuple.
Also note that, as a security measure, LiveController won't convert binary names of events that
don't have corresponding event handlers into atoms that wouldn't be garbage collected.
## Handling process messages
*Message handlers* offer an alternative (but not a replacement) to
`c:Phoenix.LiveView.handle_info/2` for handling process messages in a fashion consistent with
action and event handlers. These functions are annotated with `@message_handler true` and their
name equals to a "label" atom extracted from the supported message payload:
- for atom payloads: that atom (e.g. `:refresh_article`)
- for tuple payloads: an atom placed as first element in a tuple (e.g. `{:article_update, ...}`)
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
@action_handler true
def show(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
:timer.send_interval(5_000, self(), :refresh_article)
assign(socket, article: Blog.get_article!(id))
end
@message_handler true
def refresh_article(socket, _message) do
assign(socket, article: Blog.get_article!(socket.assigns.article.id))
end
end
Support for handling messages wrapped in tuples allows to incorporate `Phoenix.PubSub` in
live controllers in effortless and consistent way.
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
alias Phoenix.PubSub
@action_handler true
def show(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
article = Blog.get_article!(id)
PubSub.subscribe(MyApp.PubSub, "article:#{article.id}")
assign(socket, article: Blog.get_article!(id))
end
@message_handler true
def article_update(socket, {_, article}) do
assign(socket, article: article)
end
@event_handler true
def update(socket = %{assigns: %{article: article}}, %{"article" => article_params}) do
article = socket.assigns.article
case Blog.update_article(article, article_params) do
{:ok, article} ->
PubSub.broadcast(MyApp.PubSub, "article:#{article.id}", {:article_update, article})
socket
|> put_flash(:info, "Article updated successfully.")
|> push_redirect(to: Routes.article_path(socket, :show, article))
{:error, %Ecto.Changeset{} = changeset} ->
assign(socket, article: article, changeset: changeset)
end
end
For messages that can't be handled by message handlers, a specific implementation of
`c:Phoenix.LiveView.handle_info/3` may still be provided.
Note that, consistently with action & event handlers, message handlers don't have to wrap the
resulting socket in the `{:noreply, socket}` tuple.
## Updating params without redirect
For live views that [implement parameter
patching](https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix_live_view/Phoenix.LiveView.html#module-live-navigation) (e.g.
to avoid re-mounting the live view & resetting its DOM or state), action handlers also replace
`c:Phoenix.LiveView.handle_params/3` callbacks. The same action handler is called once when
mounting and then it's called again whenever params are patched.
This means that parameter patching is supported out-of-the-box for action handlers that work just
as fine for initial mount as for subsequent parameter changes.
# lib/my_app_web/templates/article/index.html.leex
<%= live_patch "Page 2", to: Routes.article_path(@socket, :index, page: "2") %>
# lib/my_app_web/live/article_live.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
@action_handler true
def index(socket, params) do
articles = Blog.list_articles(page: params["page"])
assign(socket, articles: articles)
end
end
Using the `mounted?/1` helper, action handlers may conditionally invoke parts of their logic
depending on whether socket was already mounted, e.g. to initiate timers or run expensive loads
that don't depend on params only upon the first mount.
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
@action_handler true
def index(socket, params) do
if connected?(socket) && !mounted?(socket),
do: :timer.send_interval(5_000, self(), :check_for_new_articles)
socket = unless mounted?(socket),
do: assign(socket, tags: Blog.list_tags()),
else: socket
articles = Blog.list_articles(page: params["page"])
assign(socket, articles: articles)
end
end
When called after being mounted, action handler may also access the current live URL via the
`get_current_url/1` helper function. This is however not possible during the mounting (more on
that in docs for `get_current_url/1`).
Note that an action handler will only be called once when mounting, even though native LiveView
calls both `mount/3` and `handle_params/3` at that moment.
## Chaining & plugs
Phoenix controllers are [backed by the power of Plug
pipelines](https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix/Phoenix.Controller.html#module-plug-pipeline) in order to
organize common code called before actions and to allow halting early. LiveController provides
similar solution for these problems via `plug/1` macro supported by the `chain/2`
helper function.
`plug/1` allows to define callbacks that are called in a chain in order to act on a socket before
an actual action, event or message handler is called:
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
plug :require_authenticated_user
defp require_authenticated_user(socket = %{assigns: %{current_user: user}}) do
if user do
socket
else
socket
|> put_flash(:error, "You must log in first.")
|> push_redirect(to: "/")
end
end
end
There are multiple ways to specify plug callback:
- `plug :require_authenticated_user` - calls local function with `socket` argument
- `plug LiveUserAuth` - calls external module's `call` function with `socket` argument
- `plug {LiveUserAuth, :require_authenticated_user}` - calls external function with `socket` argument
- `plug require_authenticated_user(...args)` - calls local function with arbitrary args
- `plug LiveUserAuth.require_authenticated_user(...args)` - calls external function with arbitrary args
> **Note**: `Phoenix.LiveController.Plug` behaviour is available for defining module plugs that
> are expected to expose a single `call(socket)` plug function (second case above).
It's possible to scope given plug to only a subset of handlers with the `when` condition.
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
plug :require_authenticated_user when action not in [:index, :show]
end
Following variables may be referenced when specifying arbitrary args or the `when` condition:
* `socket` - current LiveView socket (`Phoenix.LiveView.Socket` struct)
* `name` - handler name (atom)
* `action` - action handler name (atom or `nil`)
* `event` - event handler name (atom or `nil`)
* `params` - action or event params (map or `nil`)
* `message` - message payload (atom/tuple or `nil`)
All plug forms may be freely mixed with the `when` conditions.
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
plug require_user_role(socket, :admin)
plug fetch_own_article(socket, params) when action in [:edit] or event in [:update, :delete]
defp require_user_role(socket = %{assigns: %{current_user: user}}, required_role) do
if user.role == required_role do
socket
else
socket
|> put_flash(:error, "You must be #{required_role} in order to continue.")
|> push_redirect(to: "/")
end
end
defp fetch_own_article(
socket = %{assigns: %{current_user: %{id: user_id}}},
%{"id" => article_id}
) do
case Blog.get_article!(id) do
article = %{author_id: ^user_id} ->
assign(socket, :article, article)
_ ->
socket
|> put_flash(:error, "You can't modify someone else's article.")
|> push_redirect(to: "/")
end
end
end
> **Pro tip**: Condition in `when` is not really a guard and it's evaluated in runtime, therefore
> it's possible to call any function within it. This makes it easy, for example, to only call a
> plug upon mounting and/or only when socket is connected:
>
> ```
> plug fetch_article(socket, params) when not mounted?(socket)
> plug start_counter(socket) when connected?(socket) and not mounted?(socket)
> ```
If multiple plugs are defined, they'll be called in a chain. If any of them redirects the socket
or returns a tuple instead of just socket then the chain will be halted, which will also prevent
action, event or message handler from being called.
This is guaranteed by internal use of the `chain/2` function. This simple helper calls
any function that takes socket as argument & that returns it only if the socket wasn't previously
redirected or wrapped in a tuple and passes the socket through otherwise. It may also be used
inside a plug or handler code for a similar result:
defmodule MyAppWeb.ArticleLive do
use MyAppWeb, :live_controller
@action_handler true
def edit(socket, %{"id" => id}) do
socket
|> require_authenticated_user()
|> chain(&assign(&1, article: Blog.get_article!(id)))
|> chain(&authorize_article_author(&1, &1.assigns.article))
|> chain(&assign(&1, changeset: Blog.change_article(&.assigns.article)))
end
end
After all plugs are called without halting the chain, `c:action_handler/3`, `c:event_handler/3`
and `c:message_handler/3` - rough equivalents of
[`action/2`](https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix/Phoenix.Controller.html#module-overriding-action-2-for-custom-arguments)
plug in Phoenix controllers - complete the pipeline by calling functions named after specific
actions, events or messages.
## Applying session
Session, previously passed to `c:Phoenix.LiveView.mount/3`, may now be accessed via the
`get_session/1` and `get_session/2` helpers in plugs and handlers.
defmodule MyAppWeb.LiveUserAuth do
def fetch_current_user(socket) do
user_token = get_session[socket, :user_token)
user = user_token && Accounts.get_user_by_session_token(user_token)
assign(socket, current_user: user)
end
end
Combined with plugs, this allows to easily implement app-wide session handlers.
defmodule MyAppWeb do
def live_controller do
quote do
use Phoenix.LiveController
# ...
plug {MyAppWeb.LiveUserAuth, :fetch_current_user}
end
end
end
## Specifying LiveView options
Any options that were previously passed to `use Phoenix.LiveView`, such as `:layout` or
`:container`, may now be passed to `use Phoenix.LiveController`.
use Phoenix.LiveController, layout: {MyAppWeb.LayoutView, "live.html"}
## Rendering actions
Implementation of the `c:Phoenix.LiveView.render/1` callback may be omitted in which case the
default implementation will be injected. It'll ask the view module named after specific live
module to render HTML template named after the action - the same way that Phoenix controllers do
when the `Phoenix.Controller.render/2` is called without a template name.
For example, `MyAppWeb.ArticleLive` mounted with `:index` action will render with following call:
MyAppWeb.ArticleView.render("index.html", assigns)
Custom `c:Phoenix.LiveView.render/1` implementation may still be provided if necessary.
"""
alias Phoenix.LiveView.Socket
@doc ~S"""
Invokes action handler for specific action.
It can be overridden, e.g. in order to modify the list of arguments passed to action handlers.
@impl true
def action_handler(socket, name, params) do
apply(__MODULE__, name, [socket, params, socket.assigns.current_user])
end
It can be wrapped, e.g. for sake of logging or modifying the socket returned from action handlers.
@impl true
def action_handler(socket, name, params) do
Logger.debug("#{__MODULE__} started handling #{name}")
socket = super(socket, name, params)
Logger.debug("#{__MODULE__} finished handling #{name}")
socket
end
Read more about the role that this callback plays in the live controller pipeline in docs for
`Phoenix.LiveController`.
"""
@callback action_handler(
socket :: Socket.t(),
name :: atom,
params :: Socket.unsigned_params()
) ::
Socket.t()
| {:ok, Socket.t()}
| {:ok, Socket.t(), keyword()}
| {:noreply, Socket.t()}
@doc ~S"""
Invokes event handler for specific event.
It works in a analogous way and opens analogous possibilities to `c:action_handler/3`.
Read more about the role that this callback plays in the live controller pipeline in docs for
`Phoenix.LiveController`.
"""
@callback event_handler(
socket :: Socket.t(),
name :: atom,
params :: Socket.unsigned_params()
) :: Socket.t() | {:ok, Socket.t()}
@doc ~S"""
Invokes message handler for specific message.
It works in a analogous way and opens analogous possibilities to `c:action_handler/3`.
Read more about the role that this callback plays in the live controller pipeline in docs for
`Phoenix.LiveController`.
"""
@callback message_handler(
socket :: Socket.t(),
name :: atom,
message :: any
) :: Socket.t() | {:noreply, Socket.t()}
@optional_callbacks action_handler: 3,
event_handler: 3,
message_handler: 3
defmacro __using__(opts) do
view_module =
__CALLER__.module
|> to_string()
|> String.replace(~r/(Live|LiveController)$/, "")
|> Kernel.<>("View")
|> String.to_atom()
quote do
use Phoenix.LiveView, unquote(opts)
@behaviour unquote(__MODULE__)
Module.register_attribute(__MODULE__, :actions, accumulate: true)
Module.register_attribute(__MODULE__, :events, accumulate: true)
Module.register_attribute(__MODULE__, :messages, accumulate: true)
Module.register_attribute(__MODULE__, :plugs, accumulate: true)
@on_definition unquote(__MODULE__)
@before_compile unquote(__MODULE__)
import unquote(__MODULE__)
# Implementations of Phoenix.LiveView callbacks
def mount(params, session, socket),
do:
Phoenix.LiveController.LiveViewCallbacks.mount(
__MODULE__,
&__live_controller_before__(&1, :action, &2, &3),
params,
session,
socket
)
def handle_params(params, url, socket),
do:
Phoenix.LiveController.LiveViewCallbacks.handle_params(
__MODULE__,
&__live_controller_before__(&1, :action, &2, &3),
params,
url,
socket
)
def handle_event(event_string, params, socket),
do:
Phoenix.LiveController.LiveViewCallbacks.handle_event(
__MODULE__,
&__live_controller_before__(&1, :event, &2, &3),
event_string,
params,
socket
)
def render(assigns = %{live_action: action}),
do: unquote(view_module).render("#{action}.html", assigns)
# Default implementations of Phoenix.LiveController callbacks
def action_handler(socket, name, params),
do: apply(__MODULE__, name, [socket, params])
def event_handler(socket, name, params),
do: apply(__MODULE__, name, [socket, params])
def message_handler(socket, name, message),
do: apply(__MODULE__, name, [socket, message])
defoverridable action_handler: 3,
event_handler: 3,
message_handler: 3,
render: 1
end
end
defmacro __before_compile__(env) do
quote do
Module.delete_attribute(__MODULE__, :action_handler)
Module.delete_attribute(__MODULE__, :event_handler)
Module.delete_attribute(__MODULE__, :message_handler)
@doc false
def __live_controller__(:actions), do: @actions
def __live_controller__(:events), do: @events
def __live_controller__(:messages), do: @messages
# Catch-all inserted late in order to allow misc clauses to match before it
def handle_info(message, socket),
do:
Phoenix.LiveController.LiveViewCallbacks.handle_message(
__MODULE__,
&__live_controller_before__(&1, :message, &2, &3),
message,
socket
)
unquote(Phoenix.LiveController.PlugChain.build_before(env.module))
end
end
def __on_definition__(env, _kind, name, _args, _guards, _body) do
pull_handler_attribute(env.module, :action_handler, :actions, name)
pull_handler_attribute(env.module, :event_handler, :events, name)
pull_handler_attribute(env.module, :message_handler, :messages, name)
end
defp pull_handler_attribute(module, source_attr, target_attr, name) do
with true <- Module.delete_attribute(module, source_attr),
current_names = Module.get_attribute(module, target_attr),
false <- Enum.member?(current_names, name) do
Module.put_attribute(module, target_attr, name)
end
end
@doc """
Define a callback that acts on a socket before action, event or essage handler.
Read more about the role that this macro plays in the live controller pipeline in docs for
`Phoenix.LiveController`.
"""
defmacro plug(target) do
{target, conditions} = extract_when(target)
{target_mod, target_fun, args} =
case target do
atom when is_atom(atom) -> {nil, atom, nil}
ast = {:__aliases__, _meta, _parts} -> {Macro.expand(ast, __CALLER__), :call, nil}
{ast = {:__aliases__, _meta, _parts}, fun} -> {Macro.expand(ast, __CALLER__), fun, nil}
{fun, _meta, args} -> {nil, fun, args}
end
plug = {__CALLER__, args, conditions, target_mod, target_fun}
quote do
@plugs unquote(Macro.escape(plug))
end
end
defp extract_when({:when, _, [left, when_conditions]}), do: {left, when_conditions}
defp extract_when(other), do: {other, true}
@doc ~S"""
Calls given function if socket wasn't redirected, passes the socket through otherwise.
Read more about the role that this function plays in the live controller pipeline in docs for
`Phoenix.LiveController`.
"""
@spec chain(
socket ::
Socket.t() | {:ok, Socket.t()} | {:ok, Socket.t(), keyword()} | {:noreply, Socket.t()},
func :: function
) :: Socket.t()
def chain(socket = %{redirected: nil}, func), do: func.(socket)
def chain(halted_socket, _func), do: halted_socket
@doc ~S"""
Returns true if the socket was previously mounted by action handler.
Read more about the role that this function plays when implementing action handlers in docs for
`Phoenix.LiveController`.
"""
@spec mounted?(socket :: Socket.t()) :: boolean()
def mounted?(%{__struct__: Socket, controller: %ControllerState{mounted?: mounted}}),
do: mounted
@doc ~S"""
Returns the mounted live controller's URL with query params.
Note that for every first execution of action handler (i.e. for when `mounted?(socket)` returns
false) the returned URL will be nil. This is because the action handler first runs before the live
view passes the URL to the `c:Phoenix.LiveView.handle_params/3` (in order to get a chance to
return extra options such as `temporary_assigns`).
"""
@spec get_current_url(socket :: Socket.t()) :: String.t() | nil
def get_current_url(%{__struct__: Socket, controller: %ControllerState{url: url}}), do: url
@doc ~S"""
Returns the whole session.
Although `get_session/2` allows atom keys, they are always normalized to strings. So this function
always returns a map with string keys.
"""
@spec get_session(socket :: Socket.t()) :: map
def get_session(%{__struct__: Socket, controller: %ControllerState{session: session}}),
do: session
@doc ~S"""
Returns session value for the given key. If key is not set, nil is returned.
The key can be a string or an atom, where atoms are automatically converted to strings.
"""
@spec get_session(socket :: Socket.t(), String.t() | atom()) :: any()
def get_session(socket, key), do: get_session(socket) |> Map.get(to_string(key))
end