Accessing controller method means accessing a method on parent scope from directive controller/link/scope.
If the directive is sharing/inheriting the parent scope then it is quite straight forward to just invoke a parent scope method.
Little more work is required when you want to access parent scope method from Isolated directive scope.
There are few options (may be more than listed below) to invoke a parent scope method from isolated directives scope or watch parent scope variables (option#6 specially).
Note that I used link function
in these examples but you can use a directive controller
as well based on requirement.
Option#1. Through Object literal and from directive html template
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="plunker">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
<script>document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" />');</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
<script data-require="[email protected]" src="https://code.angularjs.org/1.3.9/angular.js" data-semver="1.3.9"></script>
<script src="app.js"></script>
</head>
<body ng-controller="MainCtrl">
<p>Hello {{name}}!</p>
<p> Directive Content</p>
<sd-items-filter selected-items="selectedItems" selected-items-changed="selectedItemsChanged(selectedItems)" items="items"> </sd-items-filter>
<P style="color:red">Selected Items (in parent controller) set to: {{selectedItemsReturnedFromDirective}} </p>
</body>
</html>
itemfilterTemplate.html
<select ng-model="selectedItems" multiple="multiple" style="height: 200px; width: 250px;" ng-change="selectedItemsChanged({selectedItems:selectedItems})" ng-options="item.id as item.name group by item.model for item in items | orderBy:'name'">
<option>--</option>
</select>
app.js
var app = angular.module('plunker', []);
app.directive('sdItemsFilter', function() {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
items: '=',
selectedItems: '=',
selectedItemsChanged: '&'
},
templateUrl: "itemfilterTemplate.html"
}
})
app.controller('MainCtrl', function($scope) {
$scope.name = 'TARS';
$scope.selectedItems = ["allItems"];
$scope.selectedItemsChanged = function(selectedItems1) {
$scope.selectedItemsReturnedFromDirective = selectedItems1;
}
$scope.items = [{
"id": "allItems",
"name": "All Items",
"order": 0
}, {
"id": "CaseItem",
"name": "Case Item",
"model": "PredefinedModel"
}, {
"id": "Application",
"name": "Application",
"model": "Bank"
}]
});
working plnkr: http://plnkr.co/edit/rgKUsYGDo9O3tewL6xgr?p=preview
Option#2. Through Object literal and from directive link/scope
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="plunker">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
<script>document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" />');</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
<script data-require="[email protected]" src="https://code.angularjs.org/1.3.9/angular.js" data-semver="1.3.9"></script>
<script src="app.js"></script>
</head>
<body ng-controller="MainCtrl">
<p>Hello {{name}}!</p>
<p> Directive Content</p>
<sd-items-filter selected-items="selectedItems" selected-items-changed="selectedItemsChanged(selectedItems)" items="items"> </sd-items-filter>
<P style="color:red">Selected Items (in parent controller) set to: {{selectedItemsReturnedFromDirective}} </p>
</body>
</html>
itemfilterTemplate.html
<select ng-model="selectedItems" multiple="multiple" style="height: 200px; width: 250px;"
ng-change="selectedItemsChangedDir()" ng-options="item.id as item.name group by item.model for item in items | orderBy:'name'">
<option>--</option>
</select>
app.js
var app = angular.module('plunker', []);
app.directive('sdItemsFilter', function() {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
items: '=',
selectedItems: '=',
selectedItemsChanged: '&'
},
templateUrl: "itemfilterTemplate.html",
link: function (scope, element, attrs){
scope.selectedItemsChangedDir = function(){
scope.selectedItemsChanged({selectedItems:scope.selectedItems});
}
}
}
})
app.controller('MainCtrl', function($scope) {
$scope.name = 'TARS';
$scope.selectedItems = ["allItems"];
$scope.selectedItemsChanged = function(selectedItems1) {
$scope.selectedItemsReturnedFromDirective = selectedItems1;
}
$scope.items = [{
"id": "allItems",
"name": "All Items",
"order": 0
}, {
"id": "CaseItem",
"name": "Case Item",
"model": "PredefinedModel"
}, {
"id": "Application",
"name": "Application",
"model": "Bank"
}]
});
working plnkr: http://plnkr.co/edit/BRvYm2SpSpBK9uxNIcTa?p=preview
Option#3. Through Function reference and from directive html template
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="plunker">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
<script>document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" />');</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
<script data-require="[email protected]" src="https://code.angularjs.org/1.3.9/angular.js" data-semver="1.3.9"></script>
<script src="app.js"></script>
</head>
<body ng-controller="MainCtrl">
<p>Hello {{name}}!</p>
<p> Directive Content</p>
<sd-items-filter selected-items="selectedItems" selected-items-changed="selectedItemsChanged" items="items"> </sd-items-filter>
<P style="color:red">Selected Items (in parent controller) set to: {{selectedItemsReturnFromDirective}} </p>
</body>
</html>
itemfilterTemplate.html
<select ng-model="selectedItems" multiple="multiple" style="height: 200px; width: 250px;"
ng-change="selectedItemsChanged()(selectedItems)" ng-options="item.id as item.name group by item.model for item in items | orderBy:'name'">
<option>--</option>
</select>
app.js
var app = angular.module('plunker', []);
app.directive('sdItemsFilter', function() {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
items: '=',
selectedItems:'=',
selectedItemsChanged: '&'
},
templateUrl: "itemfilterTemplate.html"
}
})
app.controller('MainCtrl', function($scope) {
$scope.name = 'TARS';
$scope.selectedItems = ["allItems"];
$scope.selectedItemsChanged = function(selectedItems1) {
$scope.selectedItemsReturnFromDirective = selectedItems1;
}
$scope.items = [{
"id": "allItems",
"name": "All Items",
"order": 0
}, {
"id": "CaseItem",
"name": "Case Item",
"model": "PredefinedModel"
}, {
"id": "Application",
"name": "Application",
"model": "Bank"
}]
});
working plnkr: http://plnkr.co/edit/Jo6FcYfVXCCg3vH42BIz?p=preview
Option#4. Through Function reference and from directive link/scope
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="plunker">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
<script>document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" />');</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
<script data-require="[email protected]" src="https://code.angularjs.org/1.3.9/angular.js" data-semver="1.3.9"></script>
<script src="app.js"></script>
</head>
<body ng-controller="MainCtrl">
<p>Hello {{name}}!</p>
<p> Directive Content</p>
<sd-items-filter selected-items="selectedItems" selected-items-changed="selectedItemsChanged" items="items"> </sd-items-filter>
<P style="color:red">Selected Items (in parent controller) set to: {{selectedItemsReturnedFromDirective}} </p>
</body>
</html>
itemfilterTemplate.html
<select ng-model="selectedItems" multiple="multiple" style="height: 200px; width: 250px;" ng-change="selectedItemsChangedDir()" ng-options="item.id as item.name group by item.model for item in items | orderBy:'name'">
<option>--</option>
</select>
app.js
var app = angular.module('plunker', []);
app.directive('sdItemsFilter', function() {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
items: '=',
selectedItems: '=',
selectedItemsChanged: '&'
},
templateUrl: "itemfilterTemplate.html",
link: function (scope, element, attrs){
scope.selectedItemsChangedDir = function(){
scope.selectedItemsChanged()(scope.selectedItems);
}
}
}
})
app.controller('MainCtrl', function($scope) {
$scope.name = 'TARS';
$scope.selectedItems = ["allItems"];
$scope.selectedItemsChanged = function(selectedItems1) {
$scope.selectedItemsReturnedFromDirective = selectedItems1;
}
$scope.items = [{
"id": "allItems",
"name": "All Items",
"order": 0
}, {
"id": "CaseItem",
"name": "Case Item",
"model": "PredefinedModel"
}, {
"id": "Application",
"name": "Application",
"model": "Bank"
}]
});
working plnkr: http://plnkr.co/edit/BSqx2J1yCY86IJwAnQF1?p=preview
Option#5: Through ng-model and two way binding, you can update parent scope variables.. So, you may not require to invoke parent scope functions in some cases.
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="plunker">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
<script>document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" />');</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
<script data-require="[email protected]" src="https://code.angularjs.org/1.3.9/angular.js" data-semver="1.3.9"></script>
<script src="app.js"></script>
</head>
<body ng-controller="MainCtrl">
<p>Hello {{name}}!</p>
<p> Directive Content</p>
<sd-items-filter ng-model="selectedItems" selected-items-changed="selectedItemsChanged" items="items"> </sd-items-filter>
<P style="color:red">Selected Items (in parent controller) set to: {{selectedItems}} </p>
</body>
</html>
itemfilterTemplate.html
<select ng-model="selectedItems" multiple="multiple" style="height: 200px; width: 250px;"
ng-options="item.id as item.name group by item.model for item in items | orderBy:'name'">
<option>--</option>
</select>
app.js
var app = angular.module('plunker', []);
app.directive('sdItemsFilter', function() {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
items: '=',
selectedItems: '=ngModel'
},
templateUrl: "itemfilterTemplate.html"
}
})
app.controller('MainCtrl', function($scope) {
$scope.name = 'TARS';
$scope.selectedItems = ["allItems"];
$scope.items = [{
"id": "allItems",
"name": "All Items",
"order": 0
}, {
"id": "CaseItem",
"name": "Case Item",
"model": "PredefinedModel"
}, {
"id": "Application",
"name": "Application",
"model": "Bank"
}]
});
working plnkr: http://plnkr.co/edit/hNui3xgzdTnfcdzljihY?p=preview
Option#6: Through $watch
and $watchCollection
It is two way binding for items
in all above examples, if items are modified in parent scope, items in directive would also reflect the changes.
If you want to watch other attributes or objects from parent scope, you can do that using $watch
and $watchCollection
as given below
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="plunker">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
<script>
document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" />');
</script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
<script data-require="[email protected]" src="https://code.angularjs.org/1.3.9/angular.js" data-semver="1.3.9"></script>
<script src="app.js"></script>
</head>
<body ng-controller="MainCtrl">
<p>Hello {{user}}!</p>
<p>directive is watching name and current item</p>
<table>
<tr>
<td>Id:</td>
<td>
<input type="text" ng-model="id" />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Name:</td>
<td>
<input type="text" ng-model="name" />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Model:</td>
<td>
<input type="text" ng-model="model" />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<button style="margin-left:50px" type="buttun" ng-click="addItem()">Add Item</button>
<p>Directive Contents</p>
<sd-items-filter ng-model="selectedItems" current-item="currentItem" name="{{name}}" selected-items-changed="selectedItemsChanged" items="items"></sd-items-filter>
<P style="color:red">Selected Items (in parent controller) set to: {{selectedItems}}</p>
</body>
</html>
script app.js
var app = angular.module('plunker', []);
app.directive('sdItemsFilter', function() {
return {
restrict: 'E',
scope: {
name: '@',
currentItem: '=',
items: '=',
selectedItems: '=ngModel'
},
template: '<select ng-model="selectedItems" multiple="multiple" style="height: 140px; width: 250px;"' +
'ng-options="item.id as item.name group by item.model for item in items | orderBy:\'name\'">' +
'<option>--</option> </select>',
link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
scope.$watchCollection('currentItem', function() {
console.log(JSON.stringify(scope.currentItem));
});
scope.$watch('name', function() {
console.log(JSON.stringify(scope.name));
});
}
}
})
app.controller('MainCtrl', function($scope) {
$scope.user = 'World';
$scope.addItem = function() {
$scope.items.push({
id: $scope.id,
name: $scope.name,
model: $scope.model
});
$scope.currentItem = {};
$scope.currentItem.id = $scope.id;
$scope.currentItem.name = $scope.name;
$scope.currentItem.model = $scope.model;
}
$scope.selectedItems = ["allItems"];
$scope.items = [{
"id": "allItems",
"name": "All Items",
"order": 0
}, {
"id": "CaseItem",
"name": "Case Item",
"model": "PredefinedModel"
}, {
"id": "Application",
"name": "Application",
"model": "Bank"
}]
});
You can always refer AngularJs documentation for detailed explanations about directives.