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I am using a javascript lib and it seems to be failing because of my other libs on this big site. Is there a way I can sandbox it somehow? perhaps putting it in an iframe then assigning a var in my javascript class as 

var myvar = iframe.theJSlib;

I'm just writing an idea. I don't know how to sandbox nor if it could be done. How do I sandbox a javascript lib and access it in my main page?

BruteCode
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4 Answers4

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This is why we practice keeping vars out of the global scope. Try to either enclose everything in the lib in its own function, like so: 

(function(){
  // the library code
}());

Keep in mind this will only fix explicitly declared variables like var foo = 'bar'; but will NOT fix implicitly declared variables like foo = 'bar', which will still be assigned to the global object, most likely window.

You can also try to change all your code to use a single namespace like so: 

var myApp = {};

myApp.foo = { /* maybe my validator code */ };
myApp.bar = { /* maybe my utilities code */ };
AlienWebguy
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  • To avoid implicit globals, you can use the `"use strict";` directive. It won't prevent overwriting existing globals though. – Felix Kling Jan 24 '13 at 17:02
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Putting it in an Iframe would certainly stop it from working properly. All you can do is wrap the offending code in a function so everything runs within the scope of that function.

See: Javascript Namespacing

And: JavaScript Namespace

Community
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Diodeus - James MacFarlane
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  • This won't necessarily work because it will still affect the window object unless you run them in compatibility mode – PitaJ Jan 24 '13 at 16:50
  • Yes, a lot of this depends on the behaviour of the script as well. Scripts deliberately polluting the global space are also likely to break things. – Diodeus - James MacFarlane Jan 24 '13 at 16:55
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You can't just sandbox one lib at a time. You have to sandbox them all by running them in compatibility mode in their own namespaces:

(function(myLib){
    // do stuff with this lib here
})(theLongLibname)
PitaJ
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  • This somehow didnt fix it. I don't exactly know whats going on. I suspect it may be using global names and not caring – BruteCode Jan 24 '13 at 19:32
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put it in an anonymous function:

(function(){
    // >Your code goes here<
})();
Erick Ribeiro
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