Can JQuery read/write cookies to a browser?

Question

Simple example: I want to have some items on a page (like divs or table rows) and I want to let the user click on them to select them. That seems easy enough in jquery. To save which items a user clicks on with no server-side post backs, I was thinking a cookie would be a simple way to get this done.

1. Is this assumption that a cookie is ok in this case, correct?
2. If it is correct, does the jquery api have some way to read/write cookie info that is nicer than the default JS apis?

Answer 1

See here: http://plugins.jquery.com/project/cookie

Answer 2

Take a look at the Cookie Plugin for JQuery

Answer 3

To answer your question, yes. The other have answered that part, but it also seems like you're asking if that's the best way to do it.

It would probably depend on what you are doing. Typically you would have a user click what items they want to buy (ordering for example). Then they would hit a buy or checkout button. Then the form would send off to a page and process the result. You could do all of that with a cookie but I would find it to be more difficult.

You may want to consider posting your second question in another topic.

Answer 4

You'll need the cookie plugin, which provides several additional signatures to the cookie function.

$.cookie('cookie_name', 'cookie_value') stores a transient cookie (only exists within this session's scope, while $.cookie('cookie_name', 'cookie_value', 'cookie_expiration") creates a cookie that will last across sessions - see http://www.stilbuero.de/2006/09/17/cookie-plugin-for-jquery/ for more information on the JQuery cookie plugin.

If you want to set cookies that are used for the entire site, you'll need to use JavaScript like this:

document.cookie = "name=value; expires=date; domain=domain; path=path; secure"

Answer 5

A new jQuery plugin for cookie retrieval and manipulation with binding for forms, etc: http://plugins.jquery.com/project/cookies

Answer 6

The default JS "API" for setting a cookie is as easy as:

document.cookie = 'mycookie=valueOfCookie;expires=DateHere;path=/'

So, I don't know how much that helps answer your question, but I do know that I would never load a library to help me with that. There are instances where an abstraction layer is not necessary. In this case, the abstraction becomes more hazardous/bloated then the benefits warrant. IMO, of course.

Answer 7

Just replied to Zachary Burt's commented. It seems jQuery cookie plugin is not available for download

However, you can download the same jQuery Cookie plugin with some improvements described here.