Stop adding a final slash to apiBase URL

[Chosko]

Hi, I use constants to build my URLs.

   export const baseUrl = 'http://example.com';
   export const usersUrl = '/v1/users';

because for me it's easier to make calls such as this.http.get(baseUrl + usersUrl), obtaining GET http://example.com/v1/users

However, although I configured angular2-token with apiUrl: baseUrl (which doesn't have a trailing slash), for some reason this._tokenService.get(usersUrl) adds another slash to the URL, which then becomes GET http://example.com//v1/users.

I know that to make it work I could define my constants as

   export const baseUrl = 'http://example.com';
   export const usersUrl = 'v1/users';

but the drawback is that, where I use Angular's Http, I would need to change the whole application to manually add the missing slash: this.http.get(baseUrl + '/' + usersUrl) which is not super clean, and I don't like it too much as it breaks the DRY principle.

IMO the library would be clearer without deciding to make changes to your provided URLs...

[neroniaky]

@Chosko thanks for your detailed explanation. I know that the route building is kinda messy, especially the naming. Do you know if there's some kind of standard for this?

[raysuelzer]

Could the library safely replace double slashes after the protocol? // => /? Not sure of a use case when you would have double slashes in a URL or if this is defined in a standard someplace as legal.

[joshuapinter]

Great question. What is the standard practice for URLs or paths that are constants? Do they include trailing slashes or not?

Which one is the "standard practice":

1. With Trailing Slash:

   export const baseUrl  = 'http://example.com';
   export const usersUrl = '/v1/users';
   

2. Without Trailing Slash:

   export const baseUrl  = 'http://example.com/';
   export const usersUrl = 'v1/users';
   

The following StackOverflow entry seems to address it but is certainly not definitive:

https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/344930/should-i-configure-my-urls-with-a-leading-and-or-trailing-slash