# Accessing variables in a connector
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [February 16, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747 "2020-02-16T16:40:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/1 "2020-02-16T16:40:05Z")
I’m great at system administration. I’m not bad at doing stuff in rails. With javascript, ember, and CSS,I am just a caveman.
In a plugin that changes who can send PMs, I am trying to add a button to the profile page when the user does not have permission to send a PM. I can add text right where I want it by putting stuff in `assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/connectors/user-summary-stat/my-clever-name.hbs`. (There was much rejoicing!).
I see that [https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/user/messages.hbs#L3](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/user/messages.hbs#L3) uses
```plaintext
{{#if showNewPM}}
```
I’d like to use that in `my-clever-name.hbs`, but that variable isn’t defined.
I think that maybe I need to create a `my-clever-name.js.es6` in the same directory as my `hbs` file and include . . . something, and/or add some code that defines that variable so that I can access it, but I’ve re-read the developer’s guide a few times as well as tried to mimic code in some plugins that seem like they’re doing the same, but don’t see just how to do that.
---
### Author:  [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/2 "2020-02-16T18:08:25Z")
Hi Jay,
I’ve heard people state EmberJS is “a language in itself”!
What you need is a Computed Property:
> **[Dynamic updating - Computed Properties - The Object Model - Ember Guides](https://guides.emberjs.com/v3.12.0/object-model/computed-properties/#toc_dynamic-updating)**
>
> In a nutshell, computed properties let you declare functions as properties. You create one by defining a computed property as a function, which Ember will automatically call when you ask for the property. You can then use it the same way you would...
Though the Discourse source syntax is a bit different as well as the imports, it’s best to look for an example. Here’s a bit of my code:
[https://github.com/paviliondev/discourse-zspace/blob/cc8893c14a9b1c5d4f6552f8f6b12ea9ac7ac643/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/activity-file-edit.js.es6#L10](https://github.com/paviliondev/discourse-zspace/blob/cc8893c14a9b1c5d4f6552f8f6b12ea9ac7ac643/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/activity-file-edit.js.es6#L10)
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/3 "2020-02-16T19:20:47Z")
So that `@discourseComputied("uploading")` makes it so that `uploading` can be used in an `hbs` template? Sort of like
```plaintext
fullName: computed('firstName', 'lastName', function() {
return `${this.firstName} ${this.lastName}`;
})
```
would in Ember?
So I’ll create `assets/javascripts/discourse/components/my-plugin.js.es6` and extend . . . something . . .? It would seem like there’d be a way that I could just “turn on” those same variables that the other template I’m extending has access to. OH! Maybe extending `that thing` would in my component make those variables available to me?
Should I punt and back up and spend a week on the Ember tutorial?
---
### Author:  [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/4 "2020-02-16T19:51:15Z")
> [@pfaffman](#):
>
> fullName: computed(‘firstName’, ‘lastName’, function() { return `${this.firstName} ${this.lastName}`; })
So this is setting up a computed property called ‘fullName’ which is updated whenever ‘firstName’ or ‘lastName’ change. It becomes the value of the return.
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/5 "2020-02-16T21:02:29Z")
> [@merefield](#):
>
> So this is setting up a computed property called ‘fullName’ which is updated whenever ‘firstName’ or ‘lastName’ change. It becomes the value of the return.
Thanks for your patience!
I think I get that, what I don’t understand is how I can make values that I can access in my template.
`assets/javascript/discourse/components/user-private-messages.js.es6`:
```javascript
import discourseComputed from "discourse-common/utils/decorators";
import User from "discourse/controllers/user";
export default Ember.Component.extend(User, {
classNames: ["restrict-pms"],
myFunThing: "this is text in my fun thing",
@discourseComputed("myvalue")
someThing(myvalue) {
return true;
}
});
Template.registerHelper("log", function(something){
console.log(something);
});
```
I think what I’m asking, which might not make sense, is what can I put in `assets/javascripts/discoures/templates/connectors/user-profile-controls/add-link-to-subscription.hbs` to be able to access `myFunThing` or `myvalue`?
---
### Author:  [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/6 "2020-02-17T11:43:01Z")
The template which corresponds to your component js can refer to your computed property simply by including it within double curlies:
`{{fullName}}`
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/7 "2020-02-17T20:00:03Z")
The above code is in `assets/javascript/discourse/components/user-private-messages.js.es6`.
And I want to be able to use `{{myFunThing}}` and/or `{{myvalue}}` in `assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/connectors/user-profile-controls/add-link-to-subscription.hbs` but it’s undefined.
I believe that either one of those files is in the wrong place (I see that other text in the above `hbs` file is rendered on `/u/username/summary`, just without `myFunThing`), or that I’m importing the wrong class and/or I’m extending the wrong component.
---
### Author:  [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2020, 10:41am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/8 "2020-02-18T10:41:17Z")
Sorry jay a bit tied up but what you can do is simply connect to your component in the hbs file within the connector hbs eg:
`{{my-component}}`
(add arguments as required)
It will then go looking for `my-component.hbs` in `templates/components` and `/components`
Alternately you should be able to set the property in the js file within the connector directory, but for my style I prefer the former approach.
---
### Author:  [@frank.manuel](https://meta.discourse.org/u/frank.manuel)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2021, 8:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/9 "2021-02-11T20:59:56Z")
I know this is from a year ago, but did you ever get to resolve this, @pfaffman ?
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/accessing-variables-in-a-connector/141747/10 "2021-02-11T22:04:13Z")
I hope that this wasn’t for the same (unfinished) project, but here’s:
[https://github.com/pfaffman/discourse-pfaffmanager/blob/master/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/pfaffmanager-servers-show.hbs](https://github.com/pfaffman/discourse-pfaffmanager/blob/master/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/pfaffmanager-servers-show.hbs)
That calls:
[https://github.com/pfaffman/discourse-pfaffmanager/blob/master/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/components/server-item.hbs](https://github.com/pfaffman/discourse-pfaffmanager/blob/master/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/components/server-item.hbs)
And, I think:
[https://github.com/pfaffman/discourse-pfaffmanager/blob/master/assets/javascripts/discourse/controllers/pfaffmanager-servers-show-item.js.es6](https://github.com/pfaffman/discourse-pfaffmanager/blob/master/assets/javascripts/discourse/controllers/pfaffmanager-servers-show-item.js.es6)