How to use Meteor methods inside of a template helper

Question

How can I define a Meteor method which is also callable in a template helper?

I have these two files:

file: lib/test.js

Meteor.methods({
             


        

Answer 1

Sashko added a neat little package called meteor-reactive-method to solve this problem.

$ meteor add simple:reactive-method

Template.helloWorld.helpers({
  txt: function() {
    return ReactiveMethod.call('viewTest', 'Hello World.');
  }
});

As I point out in common mistakes, helpers should be side-effect free, so I'd use this technique with caution. However, it's a really handy shortcut for cases where:

• The helper should fire only once (it doesn't depend on reactive state).
• The invoked method doesn't mutate the database.