How can the literal contents of a PlaceHolder be read?

Question

I have some code on a User Control that looks like this:

<asp:PlaceHolder id="ph1" runat="server">
    <script type="text/javascript">
        jQuery(function() {
            doSomethingAwesome();
        });
    </script>
</asp:PlaceHolder>

I want to get the contents of the PlaceHolder control. I'm trying to get it in the OnPreRender of the page this control is on. I would have expected that the contents of the PlaceHolder would be be a single Literal control, but the Controls collection is empty.

How can I get the contents of the PlaceHolder control on the server side?

Answer 1

Literal content doesn't exist on the server because it's not in a server control.

If you need to make the script visible on the server, you'll need to explicitly put it inside a server control with the "runat=server" property set.

Answer 2

To get contents on client side you can do

$('#ph1').html()

If using naming containers which is likely because of user controls

$('#<%=ph1.ClientID%>').html()