Dynamic javascript

Rails
1

I’m coming from a long period of CakePHP development. One of the more
useful features of that framework was the ability to add any inline
javascript in a view, with dynamic php codeblock-generated output
(variables, framework generated URLs, etc), to a javascript buffer,
and then have CakePHP render it inside an inline script tag just
before the , or, my preferred solution, have CakePHP
automatically condense the buffer and output it to a uniquely-
named .js file on the filesystem. This file could then obviously be
cached by the browser, and was recreated whenever the structure of the
view/javascript changed.

Is there a similar feature in Rails, or a Gem that offers this
functionality? Otherwise, what would be the best practice in Rails for
unavoidable inline javascript output?

Many thanks

2

CU wrote:

I’m coming from a long period of CakePHP development. One of the more
useful features of that framework was the ability to add any inline
javascript in a view, with dynamic php codeblock-generated output
(variables, framework generated URLs, etc), to a javascript buffer,
and then have CakePHP render it inside an inline script tag just
before the , or, my preferred solution, have CakePHP
automatically condense the buffer and output it to a uniquely-
named .js file on the filesystem. This file could then obviously be
cached by the browser, and was recreated whenever the structure of the
view/javascript changed.

Is there a similar feature in Rails, or a Gem that offers this
functionality?

Well, there’s content_for, for starters. I think Rails provides some
other methods for combining JS, but I’m not certain.

Otherwise, what would be the best practice in Rails for
unavoidable inline javascript output?

Just don’t write inline JS to start with!

Rails 3 is more helpful in this respect than Rails 2, or so I’m told.

Many thanks

Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser
http://www.marnen.org
[email protected]

3

I thought of content_for literally 15 seconds after clicking send on
this post :slight_smile:

I’m using Rails3, and you’re right, there is a heavy focus on moving
away from inline JS. Perhaps I should move away from Cake’s bad
practices, rather than try to find equivalents for them in Rails :slight_smile:

Thanks for the help!