DP_Cookies

The DP_Cookies script creates a global object which provides the developer with simple, abstracted client-side management of browser cookies.

• The script supports the original cookie specification which is in common use.
• The object provides methods to get, set and erase (delete) cookies by name.
• The object provides methods to erase or return (as a JavaScript object) all available cookies as a set.

The extension is self-contained and presents an extremely small footprint. Only a single global object, “DP_Cookies”, is created.

This component requires a JavaScript (ECMAScript) 1.3 (or better) environment and has been tested successfully on Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 1+ and Opera 9+.

The component is available from GitHub:

• Direct Download (Master Branch, Zip format)
• GitHub Repository Home

All downloads and code are covered by our Source Code Policy.

The script consists of a single JavaScript file with a .JS extension.

Importing the Library

The library must be imported before it is used. To import the library use the <script> tag. For example:

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

Your path may vary depending on the location of the script on your server.

Accessing the Object

Importing the script automatically creates a new, global JavaScript object called “DP_Cookies“. To use a method of the object call it directly:

var myCookies = DP_Cookies.getAll();

See the Examples section for some sample code.

The DP_Cookies object contains no properties.

DP_Cookies methods available:

• enabled()
• erase()
• eraseAll()
• get()
• getAll()
• set()

Note that in method/function signatures a pipe (“|”) indicates “OR” while arguments in square brackets are optional.

enabled()

erase()

eraseAll()

get()

getAll()

set()

As noted the script must be imported (<script type=”text/javascript” src=”DP_Cookies.js”></script>). Once the script has been imported the DP_Cookies object is ready for use.

Determining if Cookies are Enabled

Use the enabled() method to determine if cookies are currently enabled. The method returns a boolean and so can be used as an expression:

	if ( DP_Cookies.enabled() ) {
		DP_Cookies.set("MyCookie", "MyValue", 30);
	} else {
		... Code to handle case where cookies are not enabled ...
	};
	

Setting Session Cookies

Session Cookies are cookies which lack an expiration date. They will be erased automatically at the end of the current browser session (or, in other environments, when the application closes).

To create a cookie or change its value use the set() method. To set a simple cookie with no value do this:

DP_Cookies.set("MyCookie");

To include a value add it as a second argument:

DP_Cookies.set("MyCookie", "MyValue");

Setting Persistent Cookies

To create cookies which can persist past the current session include the Timespan and (optionally) the TimespanUnit arguments. TimespanUnit defaults to “days” so to set a cookie which will last 30 days simply do:

DP_Cookies.set("MyCookie", "MyValue", 30);

To set a persistent cookie with no value either make the value null or an empty string:

DP_Cookies.set("MyCookie", "", 30);

The TimespanUnit argument allows you to decide whether the timespan is represented in days (the default), hours, minutes or seconds. To set the cookie for 30 minutes do:

DP_Cookies.set("MyCookie", "MyValue", 30, "minutes");

Getting the Value of Cookies

Cookies can be retrieved using the get() method:

var MyCookieValue = DP_Cookies.get("MyCookie");

The new variable “MyCookieValue” would then contain the value of the “MyCookie” cookie. If the cookie requested doesn’t exist the value returned would be null.

In addition you may retrieve all currently available cookies using the getAll() method:

var AllCookies = DP_Cookies.getAll();

The new variable “AllCookies” would then contain an object whose properties corresponded to the available cookies and their values. You might then write the name and value of the available cookies like so:

	for ( var Cookie in AllCookies ) {
		document.writeln("name = " + Cookie + "; value = " + CookieAllCookies[Cookie]);
	};
	

It’s important to remember that the getAll() method is a “snapshot” view. The object returned is a copy of the cookies available at that moment and will not be automatically updated with subsequent changes.

Erasing Cookies

Cookies are easily erased using the erase() method. To erase the cookie we set above just specify the name like so:

DP_Cookies.erase("MyCookie");

To erase all cookies currently available use the eraseAll() method:

DP_Cookies.eraseAll();

June 8, 2013

• Initial GITHUB release.

July 01, 2006

• Initial Release