Develop Reference

How to expose HtmlAgilityPack.CssSelectors into ClearScript

Context: Azure, C#, ClearScript, JavaScript, HtmlAgilityPack, HtmlAgilityPack.CssSelectors
I do this a lot: add scripting to C# apps using ClearScript. Ordinarily this just works.
...
using Microsoft.ClearScript;
using Microsoft.ClearScript.Windows;
...
class Program
{
static JScriptEngine JSengine = null;
...
JSengine = new JScriptEngine(WindowsScriptEngineFlags.EnableDebugging | WindowsScriptEngineFlags.EnableJITDebugging);
....
JSengine.AddHostType("CSHtmlDocument", typeof(HtmlAgilityPack.HtmlDocument));
...
and then later, in the JavaScript code itself, there are things like
...
var hap = new CSHtmlDocument();
hap.LoadHtml(html);
...
So this is going really well until I add HtmlAgilityPack.CssSelectors into the mix. On the C# side, this adds extra methods to the HtmlDocument object, specifically QuerySelector and QuerySelectorAll. They're visible on the C# side. However, on the JavaScript side they're not and code such as
...
var selection = hap.QuerySelector(".reduced");
...
throws an error and looking at the object from a debugging session in Visual Studio 2015 shows no QuerySelector method in the hap var.
So what's the story? Is it a ClearScript issue or a C# issue? And what do I do about it? I'm quite happy to write a wrapper class, I was just expecting everything to work as before.

These new methods are most likely extension methods defined by a particular class. To make them accessible from script code, you must expose that class to the script engine.
EDIT: I'm not familiar with them, but it looks like the methods you're talking about are provided by the HapCssExtensionMethods class (or something very similar). To expose the methods, simply expose the class:
// C#
JSengine.AddHostType(typeof(HapCssExtensionMethods));
Once you've done that, your JavaScript sample above should work as is.

Instantiating javascript objects from ASP.NET Pages

Most of the examples you find on the web, of using javascript from ASP.NET pages puts the javascript in the markup file (*.aspx). This is, of course, a really bad idea(tm), for all but the simplest uses of javascript.
What we want, of course, is to wrap the javascript up into a class, and to instantiate an instance of that class and tie it to the code-behind.
Microsoft provides a framework for doing this for user controls and server controls, in its IScriptControl interface. This allows a developer to create a javascript "component" - to define a javascript class in a *.js file, to include the *.js file on the page that contains the control, to instantiate an instance of the component, to set variables in the component from values in the code-behind, and to get a reference to the component in javascript on the client side.
The thing is - IScriptControl only works for user and server controls. It cannot be used to instantiate javascript objects at the page level.
So - how do people do this? We have some patterns we've been using, that seem to work. I was wondering what everyone thought of them, and what other people were using.
We start by defining a javascript class in a *.js file. In the code-behind, we create a loadJavascript() function, that we call from Page_Load on initial load or full postback (but not on partial postbacks).
In loadJavascript(), we include the *.js file with ScriptManager.RegisterClientScriptInclude(), and then construct a bit of javascript that instantiates an instance of the class, assigns a reference to a known name, and registers the object's initialize() and dispose() methods as handlers for window.load and window.unload.
E.g.:
string url = this.ResolveUrl("./FooBar.js");
ScriptManager.RegisterClientScriptInclude(this, this.GetType(), url, url);
string script = #"
if (typeof {0}_obj == 'undefined')
{0}_obj = {{}};
{0}_obj.fooBar = new FooBar();
Sys.UI.DomEvent.addHandler(window, 'load',
function()
{{
{0}_obj.fooBar.initialize('{1}', '{2}');
}}
);
Sys.UI.DomEvent.addHandler(window, 'unload', {0}_obj.fooBar.dispose);
";
script = String.Format(script,
new object[]
{
this.ClientID,
this.foo.ClientID,
this.bar.ClientID
});
ScriptManager.RegisterStartupScript(
this, this.GetType(), this.ClientID, script, true);
We construct an object name in the global namespace, based on the ClientID of the page, if we haven't already. We add an instance of our new class as a member of our global object. We add a window.load handler that calls our object's intialize() method, passing the clientIDs of the controls on the page that the object's methods need to access. And we add a window.unload handler that calls our object's dispose() method, that does whatever cleanup that is necessary.
This seems to be working, for us. We've used this pattern on a number of pages, some of which did significant amounts of partial-postbacks, without any problems.
I was wondering, first, what people thought of the pattern.
But more, I was wondering if we'd been reinventing the wheel, and if there were other approaches to dealing with the issues we were addressing, that we weren't aware of.
Anyone have any better ideas?

But more, I was wondering if we'd been reinventing the wheel, and if there were other approaches to dealing with the issues we were addressing, that we weren't aware of.
I think this the most good approaches, I use the same way some years now with out any problem in very complex javascript code. I do not see why you question your self :)
The idea is this you follow, now maybe there are some variations, maybe I not call the unload, nether create an object to keep the foobar and call the foobar rightway, but the idea is the same. I also check if the Javascript file have been loaded...
string script = #"
if (typeof (FooBar) != "undefined") {{
var {0}fooBar = new FooBar();
Sys.UI.DomEvent.addHandler(window, 'load',
function()
{{
{0}fooBar.initialize('{1}', '{2}');
}}
);
}}

How to use javascript namespaces correctly in a View / PartialView

i've been playing with MVC for a while now, but since the project i'm on is starting to get wind in its sails more and more people are added to it. Since i'm in charge of hacking around to find out some "best practice", i'm especially wary about the possible misuses of javascript and would like to find out what would be the best way to have our views and partial views play nicely with javascript.
For the moment, we're having code that looks like this (only simplified for example's sake)
<script type="text/javascript">
function DisableInputsForSubmit() {
if ($('#IsDisabled').is(':checked')) {
$('#Parameters :input').attr('disabled', true);
} else {
$('#Parameters :input').removeAttr('disabled');
}
}
</script>
<%=Html.SubmitButton("submit", Html.ResourceText("submit"), New With {.class = "button", .onclick = "DisableInputsForSubmit(); if ($('#EditParameters').validate().form()) {SetContentArea(GetHtmlDisplay('SaveParameters', 'Area', 'Controller'), $('#Parameters').serialize());} return false;"})%><%=Html.ResourceIcon("Save")%>
Here, we're saving a form and posting it to the server, but we disable inputs we don't want to validate if a checkbox is checked.
a bit of context
Please ignore the Html.Resource* bits, it's the resource management
helpers
The SetContentArea method wraps ajax calls, and GetHtmlDisplay
resolves url regarding an area,
controller and action
We've got combres installed that takes care of compressing, minifying
and serving third-parties libraries and what i've clearly identified as reusable javascript
My problem is that if somebody else defines a function DisableInputsForSubmit at another level (let's say the master page, or in another javascript file), problems may arise.
Lots of videos on the web (Resig on the design of jQuery, or Douglas Crockford for his talk at Google about the good parts of javascript) talk about using the namespaces in your libraries/frameworks.
So far so good, but in this case, it looks a bit overkill. What is the recommended way to go? Should i:
Create a whole framework inside a namespace, and reference it globally in the application? Looks like a lot of work for something so tiny as this method
Create a skeleton framework, and use local javascript in my views/partials, eventually promoting parts of the inline javascript to framework status, depending on the usage we have? In this case, how can i cleanly isolate the inline javascript from other views/partials?
Don't worry and rely on UI testing to catch the problem if it ever happens?
As a matter of fact, i think that even the JS code i've written that is in a separate file will benefit from your answers :)

As a matter of safety/best practice, you should always use the module pattern. If you also use event handlers rather than shoving javascript into the onclick attribute, you don't have to worry about naming conflicts and your js is easier to read:
<script type="text/javascript">
(function() {
// your button selector may be different
$("input[type='submit'].button").click(function(ev) {
DisableInputsForSubmit();
if ($('#EditParameters').validate().form()) {
SetContentArea(GetHtmlDisplay('SaveParameters', 'Area','Controller'), $('#Parameters').serialize());
}
ev.preventDefault();
});
function DisableInputsForSubmit() {
if ($('#IsDisabled').is(':checked')) {
$('#Parameters :input').attr('disabled', true);
} else {
$('#Parameters :input').removeAttr('disabled');
}
}
})();
</script>
This is trivially easy to extract into an external file if you decide to.
Edit in response to comment:
To make a function re-usable, I would just use a namespace, yes. Something like this:
(function() {
MyNS = MyNS || {};
MyNS.DisableInputsForSubmit = function() {
//yada yada
}
})();

JSObject-like stuff in ActionScript 3?

I would like to ask if there is a liveconnect equivalent for ActionScript 3. I understand that there is the ExternalInterface class inside AS3 but it only supports calling a method by name. The really cool thing about Java and LiveConnect is that you can do something like
function jsFunc(name) = {
this.name = name;
this.talk = function(){
alert('hello world my name is ' + this.name);
}
}
javaapplet.function(new jsFunc("bob"));
The above approaches pseudo code since I never tested it but I've seen it in action. In AS3, while I am able to pass in an instance of JavaScript "object" into AS, it is often converted into an ActionScript Object instance which does away with all the functions as far as I'm aware.
I saw an implementation of JSInterface but I don't think it does specifically that. Is there any way to make OO like javascript work with ActionScript 3?

Try this library on Google code:
http://code.google.com/p/jsobject/

ExternalInterface.call("f = function() { alert('Is this like live connect?'); }");

Actually the main usage scenario is to have JS "objects" interacting with the Flex SWF application. Therefore when the JS "object" wants to say wait for something happening in the SWF object, it will put in a "this" with a callback.
After researching, the way I used to accomplish this is via the Flex Ajax bridge. It may not be a direct answer to the way I phrased the question but it was sufficient for my needs.
Basically what I do is via FABridge, after initializing, I'll attach event listeners to the object.
// JS
FlexApp.addEventListeners('flexDidSomething', this.doSomething().bind(this)); //using mootools;
and in Flex, the main application itself
// AS
dispatchEvent(new CustomCreatedEvent(param1, param2));
And inside the JS function I'll access the get methods of the event object to retrieve the params.
There's tight coupling in that sense but it works at least for what I need.
Hope this is helpful!

JSInterface designed exactly for such things.

Call a JavaScript function from C++

I have a CDHTMLDialog, with which I have 2 HTML pages and a .js file with a few fairly simple functions.
I would like to be able to call one of the JS functions from my program with a simple data type passed with it. e.g. MyFunc(int). Nothing needs to be returned.
I would appreciate any guidance on how I go about this,
thanks.
Edit: Thanks to CR for his answer, and everyone else who submitted there ideas too.
Something a little like this worked in the end (stripped a little error handling from it for clarity):
void callJavaScriptFunc(int Fruit)
{
HRESULT hRes;
CString FuncStr;
CString LangStr = "javascript";
VARIANT vEmpty = {0};
CComPtr<IHTMLDocument2> HTML2Doc;
CComPtr<IHTMLWindow2> HTML2Wind;
hRes = GetDHtmlDocument(&HTML2Doc);
hRes = HTML2Doc->get_parentWindow(&HTML2Wind);
if( Fruit > 0 )
{
FuncStr = "myFunc(808)"; // Javascript parameters can be used
hRes = HTML2Wind->execScript(FuncStr.AllocSysString(), LangStr.AllocSysString(), &vEmpty);
}
}

Easiest approach would be to use the execScript() method in the IHTMLWindow2 interface.
So you could get the IHTMLDocument2 interface from your CDHTMLDialog by calling GetDHtmlDocument, then get the parentWindow from IHTMLDocument2. The parent window will have the IHTMLWindow2 interface that supports execScript().
There might be an easier way to get the IHTMLWindow2 interface from your CDHTMLDialog but I'm used to working at a lower level.

the SpiderMonkey library can "Call a JavaScript function from C++", please refer to
http://egachine.berlios.de/embedding-sm-best-practice/ar01s02.html#id2464522
but in your case, maybe this is not the answer.

To give you a hint - javascript injection in server-side-technologies is usually performed through bulk-load at startup (GWT) or injected when the HTML is generated and served each post-back (ASP.NET).
The important point of both approaches is that they inject the javascript calls somewhere in the page (or in a separated .js file linked in the HTML in case of GWT) when generating the HTML page.
Even if you're on win development (looks like it since you're on MFCs) it might be the case that you have to insert your js method call in the HTML and then load (or reload if you wish to interact with the html from your MFC app) the HTML file in your CHTMLDialog.
I don't see any other way of achieving this (maybe I am just not aware of some suitable out-of-the-box functionality) other than editing your HTML and (re)loading it - which is pretty convenient and workable if you have to call your js method once off or just inject some kind of event-handling logic.
Might be a bit of a pain if you have to interact with the page from your MFC app. In this case you have to re-generate your HTML and reload it in your CHTMLDialog.
Either way you can simply have some kind of placeholder in your HTML file, look for that and replace with your javascript code, then load the page in your CHTMLDialog:
onclick="__my_Javascript_Call_HERE__"