Javascript: Building an array with a variable

If your using a string, you can use eval() - but it's a bit naughty, as it introduces security & flow problems.

var meval = "[{value: '1', name: 'name1'},{value: '2', name: 'name2'}]";

var data = eval(meval);

Eric is right, you're generally better off using JSON than arbitrary JavaScript literals. Currently your literal isn't valid JSON because it's not using double-quoted property names and string values. Use json_encode to get a JSON-compatible literal syntax.

You can fall back to eval() as in other answers when JSON.parse isn't available, but you will need to use extra brackets to ensure that eval knows that the leading { means an object literal and not a statement.

<?php
    function js($s) { // shortcut to save some typing
        echo json_encode($s, JSON_HEX_TAG|JSON_HEX_AMP|JSON_HEX_QUOT|JSON_HEX_APOS);
    }

    $data= array(name=>$row['name'], value=>$row['value']);
?>
<input type="hidden" id="data" value="<?php js($data); ?>"/>

<script type="text/javascript">
    var json= document.getElementById('data').value;
    var data= 'JSON' in window? JSON.parse(json) : eval('('+json+')');
</script>

Actually the JSON_HEX options in the js function allow literals to be output in a way that is equally valid in an HTML attribute or a <script> block, so you can indeed omit the hidden input and just say:

<script type="text/javascript">
    var data= <?php js($data); ?>;
</script>

You need to eval that variable to turn it's content into the data structure:

var data = {items: [eval(meval)]};

Put the items into a hidden input in this format:

"name1"."|"."name2"."|"."name3"... and so on

Then in JS:

var list = document.getElementById("yourelement").value;
var arrayOfStuff = list.split("|");

Now your JS array looks like this:

array() {
    [0] => "Name1"
    [1] => "Name2"
    [2] => "Name3"
    ... and so on
}