using JSON in Rails, Backbone and Mustache - formats seem to differ -

i trying put rails app, backbone.js , mustache templating. finding json required backbone isn't compatible json required mustache. (i started out following tutorial cloudedit -a backbone.js tutorial example, want use mustache using jst.

for backbone must set activerecord::base.include_root_in_json = false. model (person firstname , surname) data sent rails /people looks this:

[{"firstname":"jane","surname":"jones"},{"firstname":"janet","surname":"jensen"}] 

my mustache template looks this:

<h3><a href='#new'>create new</a></h3> <h4>people</h4> <ul> {{#people}} <li>{{firstname}} {{surname}}</li> {{/people}} </ul> 

and mustache docs expect wants see is

{"people":[{"firstname":"jane","surname":"jones"},{"firstname":"janet","surname":"jensen"}]} 

edited out me transforming js collection json , sending mustache. don't need that. mustache.js expects see js objects, not strings of json.

by time mustache.to_html have backbone collection of models. models have attributes firstname , surname. looks in firebug:

collection   +_bycid   +_byid    length 2   - models  [object { attributes=(...), more...}, object {attributes=(...), more...}]     - 0 object { attributes=(...), more...}       ....... more properties of object         + attributes object {firstname="janet", surname="jensen"} 

there seem couple of problems here. 1. there no mention of name of collection (people). can around in various ways guess, @ least using {{#models}}..{{/models}} in template.

1. the attributes buried deeper mustache.js looks. when gets down trying find 'firstname' tag in object, looks object['firstname'] , doesn't find it, object.attributes['firstname'] has correct value.

it seems i'm mixed here....so doing wrong? , how can fix it?

i have solution of sort (thanks this question).

jsonfortemplate = json.parse(json.stringify(this.people)); //this works single item context['people']=jsonfortemplate;    //need add collection out = mustache.to_html(tpl,context); 

but feels though sort of jumping-through-hoops shouldn't necessary. check see if handlebars offers better.