Node.js & Express.js Series | Chapter 5 | Advance Templating (Partials)

Welcome to Chapter 5 of our Node.js & Express.js Series! In this chapter, we will be exploring the concept of advance templating with partials in Node.js and Express.js.

What are Partials?

Partials are a way to break down large and complex templates into smaller, reusable parts. This allows you to maintain a clean and organized codebase and make your templates more maintainable.

How to Use Partials in Express.js?

To use partials in Express.js, you first need to install the ‘express-partials’ module. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

npm install express-partials

Once you have installed the ‘express-partials’ module, you can include it in your Express.js application by requiring it in your main app file:

var expressPartials = require('express-partials');

Then, you can use the ‘express-partials’ middleware in your app:

app.use(expressPartials());

Creating and Using Partials in Your Templates

To create a partial, you need to create a new file with the ‘.ejs’ extension (or any other templating language you are using) and include the code that you want to reuse in your main templates. For example, you can create a file called ‘header.ejs’ and include the header section of your website.

Once you have created your partials, you can include them in your main templates using the ‘include’ directive. For example, if you want to include the ‘header’ partial in your ‘index.ejs’ file, you can do so by adding the following code:

<% include header.ejs %>

Conclusion

Using partials in Node.js and Express.js can greatly improve the maintainability and organization of your codebase. By breaking down your templates into smaller, reusable parts, you can make your code more readable and easier to maintain. In the next chapter, we will explore how to use partials in combination with data from our backend to create dynamic and interactive templates.