A really simple helper to transform hierarchically structured routes into express routes. Supports trigger characters to add middleware downstream.

Get it like this: npm install expressive-routes

Use it like this:

var router = require('expressive-routes'),
    app = express();

// map of route triggers to appropriate middleware
var triggerMap = {
  '!': helper.ensureAuthenticated,
  '$': helper.ensureAdministrator
};

// some contrived routes
var routes = {
  '/': {get: Main.index},
  '/login': {post: Session.login},
  '/logout': {get: Session.logout},
  '/$admin': {
    get: Admin.index,
    '/users' : {
      get: Admin.users,
      '/:user_id': {
        get: Admin.userDetails,
        '/destroy' : {post: [Admin.contrivedMethod, Admin.destroyUser]},
        '/update' : {post: Admin.updateUser}
      }
    }
  },
  '/!account': {
    get: Account.index,
    post: Account.updateProfile
  }
};

router(app, routes, triggerMap, true);

// OUTPUT:

// get    / (1)
// post   /login (1)
// get    /logout (1)
// get  $ /admin (2)
// get  $ /admin/users (2)
// get  $ /admin/users/:user_id (2)
// post $ /admin/users/:user_id/destroy (3)
// post $ /admin/users/:user_id/update (2)
// get  ! /account (2)
// post ! /account (2)

With verbose mapping, the above output is printed, with the preceeding triggers depicting which middleware was injected. The trailing number indicating the number of middlewares on the route.

Because the $ was set on the /admin route, itself and all children will have the ensureAdministrator() middleware. If a trigger is added to the child of a route that also has a trigger, the subsequent trigger will be added to the stack.

The /$admin/users/:user_id/destroy also shows arrays of functions are also supported as endpoints.

• More tests soon?
• Better regex support, perhaps?