path- and other problems using node.JS and Socket.IO

Question

Hi,

I'm using node.JS in VirtualBox on a TurnkeyLinux hosted by Windows. I was following the instructions here. node.JS is living in /root/node. Although I can run simple examples successfully I'm having a hard time figuring out certain things, cause I'm not a Linux-guy normally. I wanted to use socket.io.

1. I managed installing node.JS itself using git and tried that with Express and Socket.IO too. (e.g. git clone git://github.com/LearnBoost/Socket.IO.git). It seems to work, but I can't find that stuff anywhere! Was in /root/node when calling git, expecting changes in the lib-folder...

2. node.JS is using the CommonJS module system. In the Socket.IO example io = require('../') is used to import Socket.IO which looks pretty strange to me. Other expamples on the web are referring to './Socket.IO-node'. As a module is just a JS-file following certain rules I would expect sth like a path to such a file, as I found http.js in /root/node/lib. By the way, looking at the server.js example: Is there a certain reason using var for http, but not for the rest of the variables (url, fs, io, sys)?

3. On clientside the first line on "How to use" Socket.IO is: io.setPath(...). setPath is not mentioned anywhere else on the page. Where should it point to, relative to what?

4. I've found no information about stoping/restarting node using the shell. Probably it's so obvious, that it's never mentioned anywhere ;)

Thanks for helping out.

Answer 1

1. The git-version that comes with the Turnkey-Core these days is quite outdated. Maybe this is causing problems. I worked around using my git on windows and WinSCP ;)

2. There is an inbuild automatism that index.js is used by default like index.html is used by default on webservers. So '../' is pointing to index.js in the parent folder, which then exports the listener of socket.io. Guillermo Rauch has put an index.js in the socket.io-folder now, so sth like './lib/socket.io/' is working. Note that there are examples out there with sth like './socket.io/socket.io.js', but socket.io.js doesn't exist anymore for some good reasons.
   Of course the var is used for all variables. I've seen the commas as semicolons. Maybe I should change my screen-resolution ;)

3. It comes clear when looking at the example. setPath points to the folder where socket.io.js and it's lib-directory lives, relative to the html-file that uses it. This is needed for the flash-sockets to work.

4. Well, it's not that simple. You may look up the PID usind 'ps ux' and then 'kill' the process using the PID. A better way is using upstart. Or you do it by code using autorestart.