Learn Cloudinary, Cypress and Nx

cloudinary

We'll learn how to integrate Cloudinary into our Strapi application so that we can upload image assets in our Strapi dashboard and the resulting image will be stored in Cloudinary and ready for use in our application.

We'll create a `config/plugins.js` file and paste in some config code that sets Cloudinary as the provider with `cloud_name`, `api_key`, and `api_secret`.

Then we'll install the Cloudinary provider plugin with `npm install @strapi/provider-upload-cloudinary`, add the middleware security that lets us use Cloudinary, and finally add Cloudinary credentials to our `.env` file.

Install and Add the Cloudinary Provider to a Strapi Application

Vue (pronounced /vjuː/, like view) is a progressive framework for building user interfaces. Unlike other monolithic frameworks, Vue is designed from the ground up to be incrementally adoptable. The core library is focused on the view layer only, and is very easy to pick up and integrate with other libraries or existing projects. On the other hand, Vue is also perfectly capable of powering sophisticated Single-Page Applications when used in combination with modern tooling and supporting libraries.

Some components render differently based on the route they are rendered on. To use router within component tests, it is best to define its default values in `cy.mount()` function. Since we can customize this in any way we’d like, we can create a custom `path` attribute where we can pass our own routes and test our component behavior against them.

Test a Component Rendering Within Different Router Locations in Cypress Component Test

Every component test that uses Pinia needs to have Pinia imported and initialized. Instead of doing this separately for each test you can customize your `cy.mount()` command to automatically use a default store. You can further then customize it to use your own store in case you want to change its state.

Rewrite Cypress mount() Command to Provide a Default Store to all Components

Instead of calling an action function to change the state, we can choose to change it directly by importing the attributes from our store. In order to not loose reactivity while destructuring properties we can use `storeToRefs()` function.

Mutate Application State Properties Directly with Pinia’s storeToRefs()

Fast, easy and reliable testing for anything that runs in a browser.

cypress

When component uses a state management tool like Pinia, it needs to be defined within the test. To use Pinia inside the Cypress component test, we need to create a Pinia instance and pass it into our store. For changing the state we can call our actions directly from within our test and assert different attributes of the component with Cypress commands

Call Pinia Store Actions From Within a Cypress Component Test

`emit()` function enables components to communicate with one another. While this communication is a good candidate for end to end test, we can also test this in isolation within component. To do this, we’ll use `cy.spy()` function that will watch for the defined function call. Using this, we can confirm that our emitted event was actually invoked.

Use Cypress cy.spy() Function to Test a Vue 3 Component’s Emitted Events

By passing a `slots` option to our `cy.mount()` function, we can define content to be rendered inside our current component. We can use default or named components and eve use Vue’s `h()` function to create element and pass components with desired properties.

Render a Vue 3 Component with <slot /> and Test its Content Properties

Some components can have properties passed into them, For these, we can use an options parameter in our `cy.mount()` function and pass `props` attribute which will define the properties we want to pass into our component. This way we can test whether different properties correctly render out in our component.

Pass Properties Into a Vue 3 Component Within a Cypress Test

Importing styles is going to be essential for all of our components to render properly. We will do this similarly as we do in our application - at top level. `component.ts` file is the proper file for this, as this is the one that gets loaded before running our specs. Importing our `index.css` file here will make all of our components render with the correct styles.

Setup Global CSS Properties for Cypress Component Tests

To create our first test, you’ll create a spec file that pairs with the component. Usual naming convention is using `filename.cy.ts` (or .js), but this can be easily set up in `cypres.config.ts` file. After you create the spec file, you can mount the component by importing it and using cy.mount() command inside an `it()` block. This will render the component inside Cypress app, but will not load all the dependencies that the component needs, like css styles. These need to be imported into the spec file manually. Since we are running our component in a browser and inside a Cypress app, we can interact with it using common Cypress commands.

Mount and Test a Vue 3 Component in Cypress

To start with component testing in Cypress you need to open Cypress and go through setup wizard that will help you out with your first steps. It will take you through a couple of steps, where you’ll install dependencies and create important configuration. Most of this is done for you, but you can customize anything. In our application, we will be working with Vue 3 framework with Vite bundler.

Setup Vue 3 Component Testing in Cypress

Nx helps architect, test, and build at any scale:
integrations with modern frameworks, distributed task execution, computation caching, smart rebuilds of affected projects, powerful code generators, editor support, GitHub apps, and more.

In this course we'll be focusing on a package-based monorepo setup. 

Basically, we have a collection of packages, each with their own `package.json`. We'll then use pnpm workspaces to set up a monorepo that allows us to share these packages between each other locally. 

As our app grows we'll bring in Nx to get more advanced features such as build pipelines and caching.

So let's dive right in! If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave a comment. 

Introduction to Build High-Speed Monorepos with Nx and pnpm Workspaces

By default Nx stores the cache locally. We can gain additional benefits if we distribute our cache so a CI or our coworkers may benefit from it. 

The easiest way to set it up is to just run this command `pnpx nx connect-to-nx-cloud`

Distribute Your Cache with Nx Cloud

As your workspace grows you may need to start using more advanced optimizations. 

A great option that Nx provides are "affected commands". These use git to determine the changes between your current branch and the base branch, and **run a command on all projects that were affected by the changes**

Further Optimize Your Nx Workspace with Affected Commands

Not only do you get excellent speed and caching features, you also get a really cool graph from Nx that lets you see a visual representation of your workspace.

Use the Nx Graph to Visualize Your Workspace

Since dependencies on other local packages in the workspace are really just symlinks to those projects, we'll run into issues if we haven't ran their build script. 

We can make sure that this happens automatically by using Nx's task pipeline features. In our `nx.json` we can add a `dependsOn` field and set the commands that need to be ran within a project's dependencies. 

Use the Nx Task Pipeline to Run Commands Within Local Dependencies

Sometimes you might want to use a pattern you defined for a certain input in a different one somewhere else in your nx.json confg. 

You can do that by defining a `namedInputs` object field and setting your named input's name as the key, and the glob pattern as the value. 

Use Nx Named Inputs to Reuse Glob Patterns Across Inputs

By default, Nx considers all the files in the project as inputs to the cache, so any changes will invalidate it. But, that might not be the behavior we want. Especially if we are just doing something like updating a README.

To selectively ignore certain files, we can specify an inputs field where we are configuring the custom output. There, we can use a glob pattern to define the files you'd like to ignore. 

Configure Nx Cache to Ignore Changes to Specified Files

Nx has some default settings when restoring the cache. When you create a custom build output in your `tsconfig` for example, Nx won't automatically know about it. 

But, Nx gives you some really easy to use options for configuring these settings. On the project level you can tell Nx about your custom output target in the `package.json` 

You can also set a default for all the projects in the workspace in your `nx.json` config!

Configure the Nx Cache Output Location

It's a waste of computation resources to run your build scripts if there haven't been any changes. 

Nx's caching features save you time and resources. Get started by just running the `nx init` command and then setting the scripts you want to cache in the generated `nx.json`  

Configure Nx Caching

You can run multiple projects using the `run-many` command from Nx and setting a `--target` flag with the command you want to run.

For example `npx nx run-many --target=build`

Use Nx run-many to Run Commands in Multiple Projects

Creating powerful and context-aware tools for Cursor IDE becomes straightforward when leveraging information directly from your current project. In this lesson, you'll learn how to build a custom MCP (model context protocol) tool that intelligently requests essential details—such as the current project path and conversation summaries—from your Cursor project.

Workflow demonstrated in this lesson:

- Define MCP tool parameters to request specific project details.
- Pass project path and conversation summaries into your MCP tool.
- Automatically write or update files within your current project using these parameters.

Key benefits:

- Automate tasks with precision based on your active project's context.
- Simplify interactions by creating AI-driven CLI commands tailored to your needs.
- Open endless possibilities for integrating external APIs and advanced automation.

Through this practical demonstration, you'll gain a versatile technique for enhancing your development workflow in Cursor IDE.

[https://github.com/johnlindquist/mcp-cursor-tool-starter](https://github.com/johnlindquist/mcp-cursor-tool-starter)

John Lindquist

Build MCP Tools Using Project Context for Custom Cursor IDE Automation

Setting up custom MCP (Machine Command Protocol) servers in Cursor can involve tedious steps, such as configuring node paths or referencing additional commands. This lesson shows how to streamline this process by bundling your MCP server directly into a standalone executable.

Workflow demonstrated in this lesson:

- Use a simple MCP server project starter.
- Run a single bundling command to create an executable.
- Right-click the generated executable, copy its full path, and add that directly to your Cursor settings.

Key benefits:

- Eliminates the need for complex node path configurations.
- Simplifies the setup and integration of custom MCP servers into Cursor.
- Makes the server executable instantly accessible within your Cursor environment.

By following this streamlined approach, you can quickly and easily integrate custom MCP servers into Cursor, making your development workflow cleaner and more efficient.

[https://github.com/johnlindquist/mcp-cursor-tool-starter]()

Easy MCP Server Setup in Cursor IDE with Bundled Executables

TanStack Router is the foundation for TanStack Start, which is gaining significant attention due to its innovative approach to application development.

This course focuses on getting effective TanStack Router, a modern and scalable routing solution for React applications. You will learn how to:
- set up and scaffold new applications,
- use file-based routing
- create nested routes
- manage dynamic route parameters and more.

The course covers advanced features like route loaders, caching strategies, and lifecycle hooks, which are crucial for enhancing application performance and user experience.

By understanding TanStack Router, you can build more efficient, type-safe, and maintainable applications, leveraging its integration with data fetching libraries like TanStack Query.

This knowledge is essential for developers looking to improve their routing skills and stay ahead in the field.

Tomasz Ducin

Up and Running with Tanstack Router and React

Learn TanStack Router for React: set up apps, use file-based routing, manage routes, and boost app performance.


In this lesson, we explore how TanStack Router integrates with the [native browser history API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/History) to manage navigation.

As we navigate through different routes, the URL changes are stored in the browser's history, allowing users to use the forward and backward buttons to traverse their navigation history.

This functionality also **enables permalinks**, meaning users can copy and paste URLs to access specific routes directly.

Additionally, we learn how to programmatically interact with the history object to move forward or backward through the navigation stack, enhancing the user experience by providing full control over navigation actions.

This compatibility with the native history API ensures that TanStack Router applications behave similarly to traditional websites, offering a seamless and intuitive user experience.

Browse History in Tanstack Router

Browse history in TanStack React Router using the native history API for seamless navigation

In this lesson, we explore how to hook into TanStack Router's lifecycle hooks to execute custom logic during route changes.

The hooks we'll look into are: `onEnter`, `onStay`, and `onLeave`, which are triggered when entering, staying within, or leaving a route, respectively.

All hooks receive a detailed match parameter, providing information about the route's path, ID, and tons of other details.

This allows for the implementation of features like animations or logging when navigating between routes.

We also learn how to use these hooks to track and manage state changes as users interact with the application, making it easier to implement complex behaviors based on route transitions.

Hook into Route Lifecycle Hooks in Tanstack Router

Hook into TanStack React Router's lifecycle hooks for custom route logic and animations.

In this lesson, we learn how to handle not found errors in TanStack Router by using the `notFoundComponent` at both nested and global levels.

To trigger the display of a `notFoundComponent`, we must throw a specific error using the `notFound` function within a loader or other lifecycle method of a route. This approach allows us to provide custom error messages for specific routes or globally across the application.

We explore how to define a notFoundComponent within a specific route's configuration and how to set a `defaultNotFoundComponent` at the router global level, which applies to all routes unless overridden locally. This flexibility ensures that users receive meaningful feedback when encountering non-existent routes.

Provide NotFoundComponent at Nested Route or Global Level in Tanstack Router

Handle notFound errors in TanStack Router with notFoundComponent at nested or global levels.



In this lesson, we learn how to access dynamic route parameters using the `useParams` hook in TanStack Router.

When used with a specific `Route` object, `useParams` provides type-safe access to route parameters, ensuring that TypeScript knows the exact types of these parameters.

This approach eliminates the possibility of undefined/optional values, making it safer for accessing parameters like `employeeId`.

However, when using `useParams` globally without specifying a route, it requires an options object with `{ strict: false }`, which reduces type safety.

In this case, the hook can access parameters from any route in the application, but it does not guarantee their existence or type. This flexibility allows components to be reused across different routes, but it requires careful handling of potential errors.



Access Dynamic Route Parameters with useParams in Tanstack Router

Access dynamic route parameters with useParams in TanStack React Router for type-safe routing.

In this lesson, we learn how to reorganize file-based routes in TanStack Router to accommodate nested routing structures.

We explore how to create additional nested routes by converting files into directories, allowing for further nesting.

For example, to create a nested route like `/employees/$employeeId/edit`, we can create a **directory** (!) named `$employeeId` and place an `index.tsx` file inside it to define the route component for this nested route.

This approach provides flexibility in organizing files while maintaining the convention that file names and locations align with route paths. We also see how to adapt existing components and loaders to work with these reorganized routes, enabling features like edit forms or delete actions (or whatever) within nested routes.


Reorganize File-Based Routes in Tanstack Router

Reorganize file-based routes in TanStack Router for flexible nested routing.



In this lesson, we learn how to parametrize the loader for a nested route in TanStack Router.

We focus on a nested route like `/employees/$employeeId`, where the `$employeeId` is a **dynamic parameter**.

To fetch data for this route, we use a `loader` function that accesses the `$employeeId` parameter. This is achieved by using the params object available in the `loader` function, which contains the dynamic segments of the URL. We then use this parameter to call a function like `getEmployeeById`, which fetches specific employee details from an API.

We highlights that TanStack Router **automatically infers types** for these parameters, ensuring type safety for nested routes.

Parametrize Route Loader for Nested Route in Tanstack Router

Parametrize nested route loaders in TanStack Router using path parameters

In this lesson, we learn how to create nested routes and outlets in TanStack Router using file-based routing.

We start by creating a new `employees` directory and files to represent nested routes, such as `/employees/$employeeId`. The `$` symbol is used to denote dynamic parameters.

We then use the `<Link>` component from TanStack Router to create links to these nested routes, passing necessary parameters.

To render the nested content, we use the `<Outlet>` component (nested), which automatically renders child routes. This approach allows us to dynamically display stuff under a nested route.

All the time, the TanStack Router generator automatically updates the route tree based on file changes - our routing configuration remains consistent 🔥



Create Nested Route and Nested Outlets in Tanstack Router

Create nested routes and outlets in TanStack Router using file-based routing

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