Jsvars

h1. Jsvars

This rails plugin will hide the messiness of passing variables from rails into javascript. It will automatically add the js needed to create a variable you define in rails, or add variables to objects.

h2. Install

Requires Json (require 'json')

<pre><code>./script/plugin install git://github.com/ejschmitt/jsvars.git</code></pre>

h2. Examples

in your controller:

<pre><code>jsvars[:loginPath] = login_path</code></pre>

• Will create a global variable in the JS window object named 'loginPath' with the value you assigned.

<pre><code>jsvars[:myObject] = {:title => "My Page", :email => "me@example.com"}</code></pre>

• Adds the object variables that can be used as myObject.title & myObject.email in the view javascipt.
• This will add the object "myObject" if it does not exist, if it already does, only the variables will be added to the already existing object.

<pre><code>jsvars['myObj.myMeth.myValue'] = "myVar"</code></pre>

• Adds the objects myObj, myMeth, myValue if they do not exist and defines the value of myObj.myMeth.myValue to myVar.
• Only undefined objects will be added, so if myObj exists but myMeth and myVal do not, they will be added to the myObj object.

Example of extending an object: In controller: <pre><code>jsvars[:login] = {:path => '/login'}</code></pre> in view:

<pre><code><script> var login = { loginFuntion: function () { // .... }, specialVar: "My special Var" }; </script></code></pre>

in JS: <pre><code>login.loginFunction = function() login.specialVar = 'My special Var' login.path = '/login'</code></pre>

Getting the rails environment in javascript for all pages In ApplicationController: <pre><code>before_filter :set_js_env

def set_js_env
    jsvars[:railsEnv] = RAILS_ENV
end</code></pre>

In JS <pre><code>railsEnv = "development"</code></pre>

h2. What this solves

This solves the mess of stuff like this:

<pre><code><script> var loginPath = '<%= login_path %>'; </script></code></pre>

(requiring the js to be left in an .html.erb file, or a .js.erb file)

to simple adding: <pre><code>jsvars[:loginPath] = login_path</code></pre> to the controller and allowing all js to be kept in .js files out of the html. This can get especially messy with objects with a few rails defines attributes.

h2. License

Copyright © 2010 Erick Schmitt, released under the MIT license.