node.js/express: Sending static files if they exist

Question

I want to serve html files from a folder if they exist, otherwise fallback to the dynamic app.

currently I use something like:

Answer 1

You are using a lot of boilerplate. It is easier using routes. Here is an example:

var routes = require('./routes');

app.configure(function () {
    ...
    app.use(express['static'](path.join(__dirname, '/../WebContent')));
    app.use(app.router);
});

// Routes
app.get('/', routes.index);

routes/index.js:

exports.index = function (req, res) {
   res.render('index');
};

Rendering your webapp root outside your project root is very strange. Feels like bad practice. Is this necessary?