instance method String#evalScripts
String#evalScripts() → Array
Evaluates the content of any inline <script>
block present in the string.
Returns an array containing the value returned by each script.
<script>
blocks referencing external files will be treated as though
they were empty (the result for that position in the array will be undefined
);
external files are not loaded and processed by String#evalScripts
.
Examples
'lorem... <script>2 + 2</script>'.evalScripts(); // -> [4] '<script>2 + 2<script><script>alert("hello world!")</script>'.evalScripts(); // -> [4, undefined] (and displays 'hello world!' in the alert dialog)
About evalScripts
, var
s, and defining functions
String#evalScripts
evaluates script blocks, but this does not mean
they are evaluated in the global scope. They aren't, they're evaluated in
the scope of the String#evalScripts
method. This has important
ramifications for your scripts:
- Anything in your script declared with the
var
keyword will be discarded momentarily after evaluation, and will be invisible to any other scope. - If any
<script>
blocks define functions, they will need to be assigned to properties of thewindow
object.
For example, this won't work:
// This kind of script won't work if processed by evalScripts: function coolFunc() { // Amazing stuff! }
Instead, use the following syntax:
// This kind of script WILL work if processed by evalScripts: window.coolFunc = function() { // Amazing stuff! }
(You can leave off the window.
part of that, but it's bad form.)