> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://node-girls.gitbook.io/intro-to-express/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://node-girls.gitbook.io/intro-to-express/intro-to-backend-development-with-node.js/extra/individual-blog-posts.md). # Individual Blog Posts {% hint style="info" %} This is an optional extension step, just for fun. It assumes you've already finished the tutorial. {% endhint %} We could make the CMS even better, by making it possible to retrieve and view individual blog posts. Let's take a look at how we can do that. ### Step 1 - URL parameters We don't want to have to write a handler for each URL in our application. Express's [URL parameters](https://expressjs.com/en/guide/routing.html#route-parameters) let us specify dynamic sections of the a URL - a space for a blog post ID or username, for example. You can think of them as function arguments being passed to your server. Express's URL parameters use a `:` for dynamic parts of the URL: * `/users/:userId` - matches URLs like `/users/123`, `/users/node-girls` * `/users/:userId/posts/:postId` - matches URLs like `/users/node-girls/posts/node-is-best` Let's add a handler for serving individual blog posts: {% code title="server.js" %} ```javascript app.get('/posts/:postId', function (req, res) { res.send('post id: ' + req.params.postId); }); ``` {% endcode %} What do you think you'll see when you visit in your browser? ### Step 2 - Reading from the file and sending the specific blog post Just like with [`/create-post`](https://github.com/node-girls/express-workshop/blob/master/step08.md#reading-from-your-hard-drive), you need to read your JSON file. Try and send the post content back to the browser:`res.send(postContentHere)` ### Step 3 - Rendering a template Right now we're just sending the plain text of your blog post, but you probably want to jazz up your post with some HTML and CSS. For this, we can use Express's built in templating system. You can use any template language you want (like [pug/jade](https://pugjs.org/), [ejs](http://www.embeddedjs.com/), or [handlebars](http://handlebarsjs.com/)), but we're going to use [mustache](https://mustache.github.io/) (which is very similar to handlebars) in this example. Run `npm install --save mustache-express`, then check the documentation for [mustache-express](https://www.npmjs.com/package/mustache-express) and [Express's templating](http://expressjs.com/en/guide/using-template-engines.html). You'll need to create a template file in `views/post.mustache` like this: {% code title="views/post.mustache" %} ```javascript Blog Post

yay blog post!

``` {% endcode %} If you get stuck, check out the [example solution](https://github.com/node-girls/express-workshop-complete/tree/templating) :) ### Even More Stretch Goals: * Give your posts titles * Add a post listing page * Render posts as Markdown * Yay! --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://node-girls.gitbook.io/intro-to-express/intro-to-backend-development-with-node.js/extra/individual-blog-posts.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.