Intermediate Express.js: How To
So far, we only have simple HTML tags and ejs tags in each ejs file. Every template page has no style at all. And the basic HTML header and footer are also missing.
Today, I learned how to add styles and partials in ejs file.
Link Style
Step One: Touch a Separate CSS file
I create a new directory “Style” under the “EJSDemo” directory, then I add a new CSS file “app.css” inside “Style” folder.
Step Two: Add app.use(express.static()) in the app.js
I add app.use(express.static(“style”)) in the “app.js”. This will tell Express.js to serve the content of “Style” directory.
Step Three: Write styles in CSS file
I simple give body an orange background color and set text color to be grey.
Step Four: Link to CSS file in the EJS file
I just add <link> tag to link the “app.css” file on the top of the h1 tag in each ejs template.
As the result, when I run the app and send “/posts” request, I receive a styled page.
Add Partials: Header and Footer
Partials are files or templates that we can write, then we can include in other templates.
Step One: Create new files
I create a new directory “Partials” and add two ejs files “header” and “footer” inside it.
Step Two: Write header
In the header file, I add the basic HTML <head>, <title>, <body> and <link> to the “app.css” file. Those tags are on the top of every HTML page.
Step Three: Write Footer
The footer is simple. It just includes the closing tag for body and html. I also add a simple paragraph on the top of closing tags.
Step Four: Add partials in each ejs template
Since “header” and “footer” files are created, I don’t have to copy and paste each header and footer code in every template again and again.
I just need to write simple ejs tags to include the “header” and “footer” in the ejs template. That will make the code clean.
As the result, I send the “/wantto/workout” page, it shows title “Demo App”, adds styles, and displays the footer message.
