I am trying to setup a program on my website where I can include the file into any document. In this file I have a bunch of variables which I need to have accessible to both the file I am including and the file that is *holding* the include.

For example:

index.html

<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="fileincluded.js"></script>

int_variable = 'This is a test';

fileincluded.js:

var int_variable = '';

function print_text() {
    alert(int_variable);
}

If print_text() was to be executed, it should alert 'This is a test';.

My thought process is... The file is included which makes all the functions in side fileincluded.js accessible to index.html

Then, the variable is set to 'This is a test'... Because this happens after the file is included that should be the current value of the variable.

---

My problem is, I tried this process and it didn't work. What is going wrong?

Functions can't use outside varibles unless you pass it directly in it by declaring the var to be global inside the function, or just pass it as a function var which would make more since in your example.

<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="fileincluded.js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">

int_variable = 'This is a test';  // Define var
 
print_text(int_variable);  // Call function while passing var 
 
// Define function
function print_text(text) {
    alert(text);
}
 
</script>

Okay, I knew that was alway an option but I was just seeing if there was a way to set it up like a class in php where all the variables are accessible like $clsname->variable.

Guess not.

Thanks.

Variables defined in the global scope are global and can be used anywhere. If you leave off the 'var' keyword when initializing a variable within a different scope (a function), then it will be considered global.

As for your test, it should work just fine. I just tried it myself becuase I thought it odd, but sure enough it worked as expected

As for OOP, anything can be an object. If you wanted to oop'ize this example, it be be:

var example = {
    int_variable: '',
    
    print_text: function()
    {
        alert(example.int_variable);
    }
}

.....


example.int_variable = 'Tihs is a test';
example.print_text()

This is a single instance of the object. The instance is still a variable, so scope rules still apply of course. You can make multiple instancable objects:

function example()
{
    // Init
    this.int_variable = '';
    
    this.print_text = function()
    {
        alert(this.int_variable);
    }
}

....

ex = new example();
ex.int_variable = 'This is a test';
ex.print_text();

Everything is an object, so you can extend it all as you wish You can methods to single instances of an object, or add methods to all objects (called a prototype). Depends what you need to do

I was wondering how globals worked in JS

Thanks Chroder,

I'm actually surprised that worked without a problem... I just did it from scratch while I was typing the message. My situation is much bigger so I thought I would simplify it to make it easier.

Thanks though, for showing my how to convert to OOP.