Instructions for Adding Duplicate Routes (Multiple Paths to Same Handler)

This guide covers how to properly create multiple URL paths that serve the same functionality while maintaining clean architecture.

When you need both /views/feature/:id and /feature/:id to work identically, serving the same handler with the same authentication and behavior.

Create val
// DON'T DO THIS - violates architectural separation
import { featureHandler } from "./backend/controllers/feature.controller.ts";
app.get("/feature/:id", featureHandler);

Create val
// DON'T DO THIS - creates /feature/feature/:id instead of /feature/:id
app.route("/feature", viewRoutes); // where viewRoutes has app.get("/feature/:id", ...)

Create val
// DON'T DO THIS - inconsistent auth between routes
app.use("/views/*", authCheck);
// Missing: app.use("/feature/*", authCheck);
app.route("/feature", featureRoutes);

First, understand the current route setup:

# Check existing routes file
cat /backend/routes/views/_views.routes.ts

# Check main router setup
cat /main.tsx

Look for:

• How the route is currently defined (e.g., app.get("/feature/:id", handler))
• What authentication middleware is applied
• How routes are mounted in main.tsx

Create a new route module that mirrors the existing functionality:

Create val
// Create /backend/routes/feature/_feature.routes.ts
import { Hono } from "npm:hono@3.12.12";
import { featureHandler } from "../../controllers/feature.controller.ts";

const app = new Hono();

// Use /:id (not /feature/:id) since it will be mounted at /feature
app.get("/:id", featureHandler);

export default app;

Key Points:

• Route path is /:id not /feature/:id (mounting handles the prefix)
• Import the same controller used by the original route
• Follow the same naming convention (_feature.routes.ts)

Create val
// Create /backend/routes/feature/README.md
# Feature Routes

This directory contains routes for the feature functionality.

## Routes

### GET /:id

- **Purpose**: [Copy purpose from original route docs]
- **Authentication**: Required (Google OAuth)
- **Parameters**: `id` - [Parameter description]
- **Response**: [Response description]

This is the same functionality as `/views/feature/:id` but mounted at `/feature/:id` for convenience.

Add the new route module to main.tsx:

Create val
// Add import
import featureRoutes from "./backend/routes/feature/_feature.routes.ts";

// Add authentication middleware (same as original)
app.use("/feature/*", authCheck);

// Mount routes
app.route("/feature", featureRoutes);

Critical Order:

1. Import route modules (not controllers)
2. Apply authentication middleware
3. Mount routes after middleware

Ensure you understand the path composition:

Main router mount: app.route("/feature", featureRoutes)
Route definition: app.get("/:id", handler)
Final URL: /feature/:id ✅

NOT:
Route definition: app.get("/feature/:id", handler)
Final URL: /feature/feature/:id ❌

Test that both routes work identically:

# Test original route
curl /views/feature/test-id

# Test new route
curl /feature/test-id

# Both should return identical responses (login page if not authenticated)

backend/routes/
├── views/_views.routes.ts          # Original route
├── feature/
│   ├── _feature.routes.ts          # New duplicate route
│   └── README.md                   # Documentation

Create val
import { Hono } from "npm:hono@3.12.12";
import { lastlogin } from "https://esm.town/v/stevekrouse/lastlogin_safe";

// Import route modules (NOT controllers)
import viewRoutes from "./backend/routes/views/_views.routes.ts";
import featureRoutes from "./backend/routes/feature/_feature.routes.ts";
import authCheck from "./backend/routes/authCheck.ts";

const app = new Hono();

// Apply authentication to both routes
app.use("/views/*", authCheck);
app.use("/feature/*", authCheck);

// Mount routes
app.route("/views", viewRoutes);
app.route("/feature", featureRoutes);

export default lastlogin(app.fetch);

Create val
import { Hono } from "npm:hono@3.12.12";
import { featureHandler } from "../../controllers/feature.controller.ts";

const app = new Hono();

app.get("/:id", featureHandler);

export default app;

• Main router → Route modules → Controllers → Services
• Never import controllers directly in main router
• Each route module handles one logical grouping

• Apply same middleware to both route paths
• Ensure identical security behavior
• Document authentication requirements

• Reuse existing controllers and services
• Don't duplicate business logic
• Share the same handler implementation

• Both routes return identical responses
• Authentication works the same on both routes
• No 404 errors on either route
• Route parameters are correctly extracted
• Error handling is consistent
• Documentation is updated

• Check route mounting path vs route definition path
• Verify authentication middleware is applied before route mounting
• Ensure route module exports default app

• Verify both routes use the same controller
• Check that authentication middleware is applied to both
• Confirm route parameters are extracted identically

• Never import controllers in main router
• Always go through route modules
• Maintain consistent file naming conventions

This approach ensures clean, maintainable code while providing the flexibility of multiple URL paths for the same functionality.

Townie, stop here! Before proceeding to additional steps, confirm that this step is working correctly.

If everything is working as intended: conclude this step with these messages:

1. Briefly summarize the work that was just completed and why it's important
2. Provide the URL to the endpoint you just created so the user can see that it is live. Tell the user that they can copy and paste that URL into a new tab to see it live.

Tell the user that the next step is to build sample URLs with real ids from the Glimpse Demos database in Notion.

Lastly, tell the user to copy this line and paste it into Townie:

Provide working sample URLs for glimpse routes using actual page IDs from the GLANCE_DEMOS_DB_ID database by following the instructions in /_townie/06-link.md