Use $rootScope to returns json in AngularJS ?

Question

I have this function which returns json with $scope.product_owners = data

$http({
    url: "php/functions.php",
    method: "GET",
    params: { 
        action: "get_product_owners"
    }
}).success(function(data) {
    $scope.product_owners = data;
});  

Currently, I'm calling this function in all my controllers because it is used in them, but I'm wondering if it was possible to call once. For example, with the $rootScope or something like that.

Answer 1

The "Angular way" for sharing data across controllers is to use a service:

app.factory('ProductOwners', function ($http) {
    var service = {
        data: []
    };

    $http({
        url: "php/functions.php",
        method: "GET",
        params: { 
            action: "get_product_owners"
        }
    }).success(function(data) {
        service.data = data;
    });

    return service;
});

Then inject the service in every controller:

app.controller('someCtrl', function (ProductOwners) {
    $scope.product_owners = ProductOwners.data;
});

---

A different implementation with "lazy" evaluation (i.e. it only makes the call if it is needed and then serves the same data):

app.factory('ProductOwners', function ($http, $q) {
    var data;

    function getDataIfNeeded() {
        if (data !== undefined) {
            return $q.when(data);
        }

        return $http({
            url: "php/functions.php",
            method: "GET",
            params: { 
                action: "get_product_owners"
            }
        }).then(function(response) {
            data = response.data;
            return data;
        });
    }

    return {
        getData: getDataIfNeeded
    };
});

app.controller('someCtrl', function (ProductOwners) {
    ProductOwners.getData().then(function (data) {
        $scope.product_owners = data;
    });
});

---

UPDATE

Yet another different implementation with "lazy" evaluation and supporting an argument passed to getData():

app.factory('GenericService', function ($http, $q) {
    var data = {};

    function getDataIfNeeded(action) {
        action = action || 'default';

        if (data[action] !== undefined) {
            return $q.when(data[action]);
        }

        return $http({
            url: "php/functions.php",
            method: "GET",
            params: { 
                action: action
            }
        }).then(function(response) {
            data[action] = response.data;
            return data[action];
        });
    }

    return {
        getData: getDataIfNeeded
    };
});

app.controller('someCtrl', function (GenericService) {
    GenericService.getData("get_product_owners").then(function (data) {
        $scope.product_owners = data;
    });
});