Common JS functions across multiple Human Service scripts

Question

Hi,

Often, I have a function that I want to be able to use in multiple Client-side scripts, in multiple Human Services.

Examples include generic validation functions, date or JSON manipulation...etc

In Coach views, it's easy to have a common JS file with all the functions, and include it in the "included scripts" of the coach view. But how do I accomplish the same in Client-Side Human Services?

Answer 1

Put the shared functions in a managed web asset (a .js file in the toolkit) and include it in one small coach view that every human service drops on its coach - the functions become globals of the coach page, the client-side scripts of the CSHS can call them.

1. Toolkit > Web files > upload common.js:

// common.js (managed web asset) - one namespace, no globals leaking
window.myco = window.myco || {};
myco.isEmail = function (s) { return /^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$/.test(s || ""); };
myco.addDays  = function (d, n) { var r = new Date(d); r.setDate(r.getDate() + n); return r; };
myco.deepGet  = function (o, path) { return path.split(".").reduce(function (x, k) { return x == null ? x : x[k]; }, o); };

2. Coach view Common Library (no binding, no HTML): Behavior > Included Scripts: add common.js. Put this view once on every coach (or into a header coach view you already use).
3. Any client-side script or control event of the CSHS can now use myco.isEmail(${Email}.getData()). Coach views load their included scripts once per page, so the functions are available from the coach's load event onwards.

Server-side scripts (service flows) cannot include a JS file; there the pattern is a toolkit service per function, or - the pragmatic one - a script that defines the functions stored in an environment variable / EPV and evaluated with eval(tw.env.commonJs) (works, keep it small), or a Java integration with the logic in Java.

Keep the library in a toolkit so that every process app gets the same version, and version the file name (common-1.2.js) when you change signatures.

References

• BAW documentation - managed assets (web files) and included scripts of coach views