Merge pull request #14 from strongloop/feature/add-more-meat-to-readme

docs: move hand-written content to README.md

README.md

@@ -23,5 +23,293 @@ app.use(loopback.rest());
 app.listen();
 ```
 
-See [API docs](http://apidocs.strongloop.com/loopback-boot/) for
+See [API docs](http://apidocs.strongloop.com/loopback-boot/#api) for
 complete API reference.
+
+## Configurations and conventions
+
+The bootstrapping process takes care of the following tasks:
+
+ - Configuration of data-sources.
+ - Definition and configuration of custom Models, attaching models to
+   data-sources.
+ - Configuration of app settings like `host`, `port` or `restApiRoot`.
+ - Running additional boot scripts to keep the custom setup code in multiple
+   small files as opposed to keeping everything in the main app file.
+
+Below is the typical project layout. See the following sections for description
+of the project files.
+
+```
+project/
+  app.js
+  app.json
+  datasources.json
+  models.json
+  models/
+  boot/
+```
+
+### App settings
+
+The settings are loaded from the file `app.json` in the project root directory
+and can be accessed via `app.get('option-name')` from the code.
+
+Additionally, the following files can provide values to override `app.json`:
+
+ - `app.local.js` or `app.local.json`
+ - `app.{env}.js` or `app.{env}.json`, where `{env}` is the value of `NODE_ENV`
+   (typically `development` or `production`)
+
+**NOTE:** The additional files can override the top-level keys with
+value-types (strings, numbers) only. Nested objects and arrays are
+not supported at the moment.
+
+#### Example settings
+
+*app.json*
+
+```json
+{
+  "host": "localhost",
+  "port": 3000,
+  "restApiRoot": "/api"
+}
+```
+
+*app.production.js*
+
+```js
+module.exports = {
+  host: process.env.CUSTOM_HOST,
+  port: process.env.CUSTOM_PORT
+};
+```
+
+### Data sources
+
+The configuration of data sources is loaded from the file `datasources.json`
+in the project root directory, the data sources can be accessed via
+`app.datasources['datasource-name']` from the code.
+
+Additionally, the following files can provide values to override
+`datasources.json`:
+
+ - `datasources.local.js` or `datasources.local.json`
+ - `datasources.{env}.js` or `datasources.{env}.json`,
+    where `{env}` is the value of `NODE_ENV`
+   (typically `development` or `production`)
+
+**NOTE:** The additional files can override the top-level data-source options
+with value-types (strings, numbers) only. Nested objects and arrays are
+not supported at the moment.
+
+#### Example data sources
+
+*datasources.json*
+
+```js
+{
+  // the key is the datasource name
+  // the value is the config object to pass to
+  //   app.dataSource(name, config).
+  db: {
+    connector: 'memory'
+  }
+}
+```
+
+*datasources.production.json*
+
+```js
+{
+  db: {
+    connector: 'mongodb',
+    database: 'myapp',
+    user: 'myapp',
+    password: 'secret'
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### Models
+
+App models are loaded from the file `models.json`.
+
+#### Example models
+
+The following is example JSON for two `Model` definitions:
+`Dealership` and `Location`.
+
+```js
+{
+  // the key is the model name
+  "Dealership": {
+    // a reference, by name, to a dataSource definition
+    "dataSource": "my-db",
+    // the options passed to Model.extend(name, properties, options)
+    "options": {
+      "relations": {
+        "cars": {
+          "type": "hasMany",
+          "model": "Car",
+          "foreignKey": "dealerId"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    // the properties passed to Model.extend(name, properties, options)
+    "properties": {
+      "id": {"id": true},
+      "name": "String",
+      "zip": "Number",
+      "address": "String"
+    }
+  },
+  "Car": {
+    "dataSource": "my-db"
+    // options can be specified at the top level too
+    "relations": {
+      "dealer": {
+        "type": "belongsTo",
+        "model": "Dealership",
+        "foreignKey": "dealerId"
+      },
+    }
+    "properties": {
+      "id": {
+        "type": "String",
+        "required": true,
+        "id": true
+      },
+      "make": {
+        "type": "String",
+        "required": true
+      },
+      "model": {
+        "type": "String",
+        "required": true
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+#### Adding custom methods to models
+
+The models created from `models.json` come with the set of built-in methods
+like `find` and `create`. To implement your custom methods, you should
+create a javascript file in `models/` directory named after the model
+and define the methods there.
+
+Example:
+
+*models/car.js*
+
+```js
+module.exports = function(app) {
+  var Car = app.models.Car;
+
+  Car.prototype.honk = function(duration, cb) {
+    // make some noise for `duration` seconds
+    cb();
+  };
+};
+```
+
+### Boot scripts
+
+When the data sources and models are configured, the bootstrapper invokes
+all scripts in the `boot/` folder. The scripts are sorted lexicographically
+ingoring case.
+
+#### Example boot script
+
+*boot/authentication.js*
+
+```js
+module.exports = function(app) {
+  app.enableAuth();
+};
+```
+
+## Running in a browser
+
+The bootstrap process is implemented in two steps that can be called
+independently.
+
+### Build
+
+The first step loads all configuration files, merges values from additional
+config files like `app.local.js` and produces a set of instructions
+that can be used to boot the application.
+
+These instructions must be included in the browser bundle together
+with all configuration scripts from `models/` and `boot/`.
+
+Don't worry, you don't have to understand these details.
+Just call `boot.compileToBrowserify`, it will take care of everything for you.
+
+*build file (Gruntfile.js, gulpfile.js)*
+
+```js
+var browserify = require('browserify');
+var boot = require('loopback-boot');
+
+var b = browserify({
+  basedir: appDir,
+});
+
+// add the main application file
+b.require('./browser-app.js', { expose: 'loopback-app' });
+
+// add boot instructions
+boot.compileToBrowserify(appDir, b);
+
+// create the bundle
+var out = fs.createWriteStream('browser-bundle.js');
+b.bundle().pipe(out);
+// handle out.on('error') and out.on('close')
+```
+
+### Run
+
+In the browser, the main application file should call loopback-boot
+to setup the loopback application by executing the instructions
+contained in the browser bundle:
+
+*browser-app.js*
+
+```js
+var loopback = require('loopback');
+var boot = require('loopback-boot');
+
+var app = module.exports = loopback();
+boot(app);
+```
+
+The app object created above can be accessed via `require('loopback-app')`,
+where `loopback-app` is the identifier used for the main app file in
+the browserify build shown above.
+
+Here is a simple example demonstrating the concept:
+
+*index.html*
+
+```xml
+<script src="app.bundle.js"></script>
+<script>
+var app = require('loopback-app');
+var User = app.models.User;
+
+User.login(
+  { email: 'test@example.com', password: '12345' },
+  function(err, res) {
+    if (err) {
+      console.error('Login failed: ', err);
+    } else {
+      console.log('Logged in.');
+    }
+  }
+);
+</script>
+```

docs.json

@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 {
   "content": [
+    "README.md",
     {
-      "title": "Bootstrap API",
+      "title": "API",
       "depth": 2
     },
     "index.js",
-    "browser.js",
+    "browser.js"
-    "docs/configuration.md",
-    "docs/browserify.md"
   ]
 }

docs/browserify.md

@@ -1,74 +0,0 @@
-## Running in a browser
-
-The bootstrap process is implemented in two steps that can be called
-independently.
-
-### Build
-
-The first step loads all configuration files, merges values from additional
-config files like `app.local.js` and produces a set of instructions
-that can be used to boot the application.
-
-These instructions must be included in the browser bundle together
-with all configuration scripts from `models/` and `boot/`.
-
-Don't worry, you don't have to understand these details.
-Just call `boot.compileToBrowserify`, it will take care of everything for you.
-
-```js
-/*-- build file --*/
-var browserify = require('browserify');
-var boot = require('loopback-boot');
-
-var b = browserify({
-  basedir: appDir,
-});
-
-// add the main application file
-b.require('./app.js', { expose: 'loopback-app' });
-
-// add boot instructions
-boot.compileToBrowserify(appDir, b);
-
-// create the bundle
-var out = fs.createWriteStream('app.bundle.js');
-b.bundle().pipe(out);
-// handle out.on('error') and out.on('close')
-```
-
-### Run
-
-In the browser, the main application file should call loopback-boot
-to setup the loopback application by executing the instructions
-contained in the browser bundle:
-
-```js
-/*-- app.js --*/
-var loopback = require('loopback');
-var boot = require('loopback-boot');
-
-var app = module.exports = loopback();
-boot(app);
-```
-
-The app object created above can be accessed via `require('loopback-app')`,
-where `loopback-app` is the identifier used for the main app file in
-the browserify build shown above.
-
-Here is a simple example demonstrating the concept:
-
-```xml
-<script src="app.bundle.js"></script>
-<script>
-var app = require('loopback-app');
-var User = app.models.User;
-
-User.login({ email: 'test@example.com', password: '12345', function(err, res) {
-  if (err) {
-    console.error('Login failed: ', err);
-  } else {
-    console.log('Logged in.');
-  }
-});
-</script>
-```

docs/configuration.md

@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-## Configuration and conventions
-
-### Model Definitions
-
-The following is example JSON for two `Model` definitions:
-"dealership" and "location".
-
-```js
-{
-  "dealership": {
-    // a reference, by name, to a dataSource definition
-    "dataSource": "my-db",
-    // the options passed to Model.extend(name, properties, options)
-    "options": {
-      "relations": {
-        "cars": {
-          "type": "hasMany",
-          "model": "Car",
-          "foreignKey": "dealerId"
-        }
-      }
-    },
-    // the properties passed to Model.extend(name, properties, options)
-    "properties": {
-      "id": {"id": true},
-      "name": "String",
-      "zip": "Number",
-      "address": "String"
-    }
-  },
-  "car": {
-    "dataSource": "my-db"
-    "properties": {
-      "id": {
-        "type": "String",
-        "required": true,
-        "id": true
-      },
-      "make": {
-        "type": "String",
-        "required": true
-      },
-      "model": {
-        "type": "String",
-        "required": true
-      }
-    }
-  }
-}
-```