actix-htmx 0.3.2

Actix Web middleware for use when developing with htmx
Documentation

actix-htmx

Comprehensive middleware for building dynamic web applications with htmx and Actix Web.

crates.io Apache 2.0 or MIT licensed Documentation

actix-htmx provides a comprehensive solution for building dynamic web applications with htmx and Actix Web. It offers type-safe access to htmx request headers, easy response manipulation, and powerful event triggering capabilities.

Features

  • Request Detection: Automatically detect htmx requests, boosted requests, and history restore requests
  • Header Access: Type-safe access to all htmx request headers (current URL, target, trigger, prompt, etc.)
  • Event Triggering: Trigger custom JavaScript events with optional data at different lifecycle stages
  • Response Control: Full control over htmx behavior with response headers (redirect, refresh, swap, retarget, etc.)
  • Type Safety: Fully typed API leveraging Rust's type system for correctness
  • Zero Configuration: Works out of the box with sensible defaults
  • Performance: Minimal overhead with efficient header processing

Installation

Add this to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
actix-htmx = "0.3"
actix-web = "4"

Quick Start

  1. Register the middleware on your Actix Web app:
use actix_htmx::HtmxMiddleware;
use actix_web::{web, App, HttpServer};

#[actix_web::main]
async fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
    HttpServer::new(|| {
        App::new()
            .wrap(HtmxMiddleware)  // Add this line
            .route("/", web::get().to(index))
    })
    .bind("127.0.0.1:8080")?
    .run()
    .await
}
  1. Use the Htmx extractor in your handlers:
use actix_htmx::Htmx;
use actix_web::{HttpResponse, Responder};

async fn index(htmx: Htmx) -> impl Responder {
    if htmx.is_htmx {
        // This is an htmx request - return partial HTML
        HttpResponse::Ok().body("<div>Partial content for htmx</div>")
    } else {
        // Regular request - return full page
        HttpResponse::Ok().body(r##"
            <!DOCTYPE html>
            <html>
                <head>
                    <script src="https://unpkg.com/htmx.org@2.0.6"></script>
                </head>
                <body>
                    <div id="content">
                        <button hx-get="/" hx-target="#content">
                            Click me for htmx!
                        </button>
                    </div>
                </body>
            </html>
        "##)
    }
}

Usage Examples

Accessing Request Information

use actix_htmx::Htmx;
use actix_web::{HttpResponse, Responder};

async fn handler(htmx: Htmx) -> impl Responder {
    // Check if this is an htmx request
    if htmx.is_htmx {
        println!("This is an htmx request!");
        
        // Access htmx-specific information
        if let Some(target) = htmx.target() {
            println!("Target element: {}", target);
        }
        
        if let Some(trigger) = htmx.trigger() {
            println!("Triggered by element: {}", trigger);
        }
        
        if let Some(current_url) = htmx.current_url() {
            println!("Current page URL: {}", current_url);
        }
    }
    
    // Check for boosted requests
    if htmx.boosted {
        println!("This is a boosted request!");
    }
    
    // Check for history restore
    if htmx.history_restore_request {
        println!("This is a history restore request!");
    }
    
    HttpResponse::Ok().body("Hello, htmx!")
}

Controlling Response Behaviour

use actix_htmx::{Htmx, SwapType, TriggerType};
use actix_web::{HttpResponse, Responder};

async fn create_item(htmx: Htmx) -> impl Responder {
    // Trigger a custom JavaScript event
    htmx.trigger_event(
        "itemCreated".to_string(),
        Some(r#"{"id": 123, "name": "New Item"}"#.to_string()),
        Some(TriggerType::Standard)
    );
    
    // Change how content is swapped
    htmx.reswap(SwapType::OuterHtml);
    
    // Update the URL without navigation
    htmx.push_url("/items/123".to_string());
    
    // Redirect after successful creation
    htmx.redirect("/items".to_string());
    
    HttpResponse::Ok().body("<div>Item created!</div>")
}

Event Triggering

htmx supports triggering custom events at different lifecycle stages:

use actix_htmx::{Htmx, TriggerType};
use actix_web::{HttpResponse, Responder};

async fn handler(htmx: Htmx) -> impl Responder {
    // Trigger immediately when response is received
    htmx.trigger_event(
        "dataLoaded".to_string(),
        None,
        Some(TriggerType::Standard)
    );
    
    // Trigger after content is swapped into DOM
    htmx.trigger_event(
        "contentSwapped".to_string(),
        Some(r#"{"timestamp": "2024-01-01"}"#.to_string()),
        Some(TriggerType::AfterSwap)
    );
    
    // Trigger after htmx has settled (animations complete, etc.)
    htmx.trigger_event(
        "pageReady".to_string(),
        None,
        Some(TriggerType::AfterSettle)
    );
    
    HttpResponse::Ok().body("<div>Content updated!</div>")
}

Advanced Response Control

use actix_htmx:{Htmx;
use actix_web::{HttpResponse, Responder};

async fn advanced_handler(htmx: Htmx) -> impl Responder {
    // Change the target element for this response
    htmx.retarget("#different-element".to_string());
    
    // Select specific content from response
    htmx.reselect(".important-content".to_string());
    
    // Replace URL in browser history (no new history entry)
    htmx.replace_url("/new-path".to_string());
    
    // Refresh the entire page
    htmx.refresh();
    
    // Redirect using htmx (no full page reload)
    htmx.redirect_with_swap("/dashboard".to_string());
    
    HttpResponse::Ok().body(r#"
        <div class="important-content">
            This content will be selected and swapped!
        </div>
        <div class="other-content">
            This won't be swapped due to reselect.
        </div>
    "#)
}

Swap Types

The SwapType enum provides all htmx swap strategies:

  • InnerHtml - Replace inner HTML (default)
  • OuterHtml - Replace entire element
  • BeforeBegin - Insert before element
  • AfterBegin - Insert at start of element
  • BeforeEnd - Insert at end of element
  • AfterEnd - Insert after element
  • Delete - Delete the element
  • None - Don't swap content

Trigger Types

Events can be triggered at different points:

  • Standard - Trigger immediately when response received
  • AfterSwap - Trigger after content swapped into DOM
  • AfterSettle - Trigger after htmx settling (animations, etc.)

Complete Example

Check out the todo example for a complete working application that demonstrates:

  • Setting up the middleware
  • Handling both htmx and regular requests
  • Using response headers for dynamic behaviour
  • Event triggering

Documentation

For detailed API documentation, visit docs.rs/actix-htmx.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under either of

at your option.