Assuring a callback for an async script

Question

I have to load a third party script that is not critical for displaying the body (say for simplicity that it adds a red background on ".red" divs).

<script src="redify.js" async defer></script>

I need to execute function myRedify(){ $(".red").redify(); } after the script is loaded.

The script is huge and takes long time (say 3 seconds) to load, but once finished I need to see my .red divs became red.

<script src="redify.js" async defer onload="myRedify()"></script>

Is that the recommended way to do it?

Remarks

redify.js is a third party script that I can't modify
I don't mind if the divs became red not immediately, but after a delay(when the script is loading, 3 seconds - ok)

After the script is loaded it is _immediately_ executed, so you can place `myPostFunction()` at the end of the script. — Halcyon, Nov 19 '15 at 14:59
to be fair, he asked if this is the recommended way and not if this is possible with the code above :) — ins0, Nov 19 '15 at 14:59
@ins0 this is the only possible way unless you create the script programattically in javascript and do `script.onload = function(){...`, or as @Halcyon said just call your function at the bottom of the script. — r3wt, Nov 19 '15 at 15:00
i wasn't asking, but thanks anyway ^^. why not post it as an answer? — ins0, Nov 19 '15 at 15:01
Is this script dynamically inserted? If not and its just in the HTML why make it async? — AtheistP3ace, Nov 19 '15 at 15:01
another possible way would be with a jsonP callback. in the querystring. — r3wt, Nov 19 '15 at 15:02
If you have a script B that relies on script A, don't make script A async. That will be inviting trouble. Always load them in a synchronous fashion. — Bwaxxlo, Nov 19 '15 at 15:02
This kind a question is already answered in this [link](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14644558/call-javascript-function-after-script-is-loaded) — mmcorrelo, Nov 19 '15 at 15:03
Why do you have `async` and `defer`? It is ok for the page to initially load un-redified? — Halcyon, Nov 19 '15 at 15:17
@Halcyon please see the remarks. Initially the div has no color, then after the script loading becames red — serge, Nov 19 '15 at 15:17

Halcyon · Answer 1 · 2015-11-20T00:12:25.110

Your approach works, and by that it has merrit. Is it recommended? Maybe. Your approach has some advantages and some disadvantages:

performance: loading of the redify script starts immediately
readability: just looking at the HTML it's pretty obvious what's going on
the disadvantage is that, if you were to add another library (for example: blueify.js) you have to duplicate the mechanism.

Right now your code is tightly coupled through the myRedify function. You can decouple it by building a simple require strategy:

var libraries = {
    redify: "redify.js",
    blueify: "blueify.js"
};
var lib_bookkeep = {};

function require(library_name, callback) {
    if (lib_bookkeep[library_name]) {
         if (lib_bookkeep[library_name].status === "loaded") {
             callback();
         } else {
             lib_bookkeep[library_name].elem.addEventListener("load", callback);
         }
    } else {
        var script = document.createElement("script");
        script.src = libraries[library_name];
        script.addEventListener("load", function () {
            lib_bookkeep[library_name].status = "loaded";
        });
        script.addEventListener("load", callback);
        document.head.appendChild(script);
        lib_bookkeep[library_name] = {
            elem: script
            status: "loading"
        }
    }
}

require("redify", function () {
    $(".red").redify();
});

require("redify", function () {
    $(".also-red").redify();
});

require("blueify", function () {
    $(".blue").redify();
});
require("blueify", function () {
    require("redify", function () {
        $(".purple").redify().blueify();
    });
});

This allows you to expand on the libraries that you have, and it allows you to use them arbitrarily. This would by the approach that I recommend. If however you just have this once instance, it's probably find to do it like you have, with asynch/defer and onload.

what exactly do you mean by "add a script include and call any callbacks once it's loaded" is it an ajax call? — serge, Nov 19 '15 at 17:42
@Serge I added a sample implementation. I haven't tested it but it should work in theory. — Halcyon, Nov 20 '15 at 00:12

Assuring a callback for an async script

1 Answers1