Best practices for dynamically generating JavaScript

Question

What is the best way to add dynamic content to JavaScript, especially configuration settings?

A couple possibilities are:

Place the content in a dynamically generated file (e.g., JSP, PHP, etc.) rather than a JavaScript file, perhaps using an object literal.
Request the content from the server via ajax as JSON.

It depends. I prefer static libraries and then fetch dynamic data using AJAX when necessary. Why exactly would you need dynamic JavaScript files? — pimvdb
– pimvdb, Commented May 17, 2011 at 16:02
I have several reasons to use dynamically generated JavaScript. One is to set the options for a jQuery plug-in (jqGrid specifically), which usually change each time a page is viewed. Another reason is to accommodate internationalization messages. — Donald T
– Donald T, Commented May 17, 2011 at 19:34
@Jack: Okay, so that's a dynamically-generated thing then, exactly like option #1. You can see how one would be confused. — T.J. Crowder
– T.J. Crowder, Commented May 17, 2011 at 20:48

Aaron Digulla · Accepted Answer · 2011-05-17 16:01:24Z

12

I suggest to put as much JavaScript as possible in a static resource (so the browser can cache that) and just generate the smallest possible dynamic part. Often that's just a few variable assignments.

This approach saves network bandwidth, it makes the code generation more robust, and you can test the static JavaScript as usual.

answered May 17, 2011 at 16:01

Aaron Digulla

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Raynos · Accepted Answer · 2011-05-17 16:02:46Z

2

We do not generate dynamic JavaScript.

We do generate dynamic HTML

Then use progressive enhancement to enhance the HTML with JavaScript. If you want to store data, store it in HTML5 data- attributes on relevant HTML elements.

Alternatively you write a Web Service and query it with AJAX to get dynamic data.

answered May 17, 2011 at 16:02

Raynos

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