Alternative to using eval

[Bam_Bam]

Hi There,

I am fairly new to JavaScript and I am trying to use a floating menu that i got from simplythebest.net on a page layout for an ebay store. The problem is ebay does not allow the eval function to be used for security reasons. I have done many googles and racked my brain and cannot work out how i can remove this eval and replace it with somthing else. Any help would be muchly appreciated.

Thanks alot.

		// global reference to this object
		this.gRef = "ypSlideOutMenu_"+id
		eval(this.gRef+"=this")
 
		// add this menu object to an internal list of all menus
		ypSlideOutMenu.Registry[id] = this

[mrhoo]

window["ypSlideOutMenu_"+id] will reference the global variable with that identifier.

[Bam_Bam]

Thank you so much for your quick responce Mrhoo, unfortunatly i still cant get it to work. when i open it in internet explorer the javascript error states.

Error: 'ypSlideOutMenu_menu1' is undefined.

I will paste the complete code here:

ypSlideOutMenu.Registry = []
ypSlideOutMenu.aniLen = 250
ypSlideOutMenu.hideDelay = 1000
ypSlideOutMenu.minCPUResolution = 10
 
// constructor
function ypSlideOutMenu(id, dir, left, top, width, height)
{
	this.ie  = document.all ? 1 : 0
	this.ns4 = document.layers ? 1 : 0
	this.dom = document.getElementById ? 1 : 0
 
	if (this.ie || this.ns4 || this.dom) {
		this.id			 = id
		this.dir		 = dir
		this.orientation = dir == "left" || dir == "right" ? "h" : "v"
		this.dirType	 = dir == "right" || dir == "down" ? "-" : "+"
		this.dim		 = this.orientation == "h" ? width : height
		this.hideTimer	 = false
		this.aniTimer	 = false
		this.open		 = false
		this.over		 = false
		this.startTime	 = 0
 
		// global reference to this object
		this.gRef = "ypSlideOutMenu_"+id
//		window["ypSlideOutMenu_"+id]
		eval(this.gRef+"=this")
		this.gRef = this
 
		// add this menu object to an internal list of all menus
		ypSlideOutMenu.Registry[id] = this.gRef
 
		var d = document
		d.write('<style type="text/css">')
		d.write('#' + this.id + 'Container { visibility:hidden; ')
		d.write('left:' + left + 'px; ')
		d.write('top:' + top + 'px; ')
		d.write('overflow:hidden; }')
		d.write('#' + this.id + 'Container, #' + this.id + 'Content { position:absolute; ')
		d.write('width:' + width + 'px; ')
		d.write('height:' + height + 'px; ')
		d.write('clip:rect(0 ' + width + ' ' + height + ' 0); ')
		d.write('}')
		d.write('</style>')
 
		this.load()
	}
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.load = function() {
	var d = document
	var lyrId1 = this.id + "Container"
	var lyrId2 = this.id + "Content"
	var obj1 = this.dom ? d.getElementById(lyrId1) : this.ie ? d.all[lyrId1] : d.layers[lyrId1]
	if (obj1) var obj2 = this.ns4 ? obj1.layers[lyrId2] : this.ie ? d.all[lyrId2] : d.getElementById(lyrId2)
	var temp
 
	if (!obj1 || !obj2) window.setTimeout(this.gRef + ".load()", 100)
	else {
		this.container	= obj1
		this.menu		= obj2
		this.style		= this.ns4 ? this.menu : this.menu.style
		this.homePos	= eval("0" + this.dirType + this.dim)
		this.outPos		= 0
		this.accelConst	= (this.outPos - this.homePos) / ypSlideOutMenu.aniLen / ypSlideOutMenu.aniLen 
 
		// set event handlers.
		if (this.ns4) this.menu.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEOVER | Event.MOUSEOUT);
		this.menu.onmouseover = new Function("ypSlideOutMenu.showMenu('" + this.id + "')")
		this.menu.onmouseout = new Function("ypSlideOutMenu.hideMenu('" + this.id + "')")
 
		//set initial state
		this.endSlide()
	}
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.showMenu = function(id)
{
	window.status = id
	var reg = ypSlideOutMenu.Registry
	var obj = ypSlideOutMenu.Registry[id]
 
	if (obj.container) {
		obj.over = true
 
		// close other menus.
		for (menu in reg) if (id != menu) ypSlideOutMenu.hide(menu)
 
		// if this menu is scheduled to close, cancel it.
		if (obj.hideTimer) { reg[id].hideTimer = window.clearTimeout(reg[id].hideTimer) }
 
		// if this menu is closed, open it.
		if (!obj.open && !obj.aniTimer) reg[id].startSlide(true)
	}
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.hideMenu = function(id)
{
	// schedules the menu to close after <hideDelay> ms, which
	// gives the user time to cancel the action if they accidentally moused out
	var obj = ypSlideOutMenu.Registry[id]
	if (obj.container) {
		if (obj.hideTimer) window.clearTimeout(obj.hideTimer)
		obj.hideTimer = window.setTimeout("ypSlideOutMenu.hide('" + id + "')", ypSlideOutMenu.hideDelay);
	}
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.hide = function(id)
{
	var obj = ypSlideOutMenu.Registry[id]
	obj.over = false
 
	if (obj.hideTimer) window.clearTimeout(obj.hideTimer)
 
	// flag that this scheduled event has occured.
	obj.hideTimer = 0
 
	// if this menu is open, close it.
	if (obj.open && !obj.aniTimer) obj.startSlide(false)
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.startSlide = function(open) {
	this.open = open
	if (open) this.setVisibility(true)
	this.startTime = (new Date()).getTime()	
	this.aniTimer = window.setInterval(this.gRef + ".slide()", ypSlideOutMenu.minCPUResolution)
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.slide = function() {
	var elapsed = (new Date()).getTime() - this.startTime
	if (elapsed > ypSlideOutMenu.aniLen) this.endSlide()
	else {
		var d = Math.round(Math.pow(ypSlideOutMenu.aniLen-elapsed, 2) * this.accelConst)
		if (this.open && this.dirType == "-")		d = -d
		else if (this.open && this.dirType == "+")	d = -d
		else if (!this.open && this.dirType == "-")	d = -this.dim + d
		else										d = this.dim + d
 
		this.moveTo(d)
	}
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.endSlide = function() {
	this.aniTimer = window.clearTimeout(this.aniTimer)
	this.moveTo(this.open ? this.outPos : this.homePos)
	if (!this.open) this.setVisibility(false)
	if ((this.open && !this.over) || (!this.open && this.over)) {
		this.startSlide(this.over)
	}
}
 
ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.setVisibility = function(bShow) { 
	var s = this.ns4 ? this.container : this.container.style
	s.visibility = bShow ? "visible" : "hidden"
}
ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.moveTo = function(p) { 
	this.style[this.orientation == "h" ? "left" : "top"] = p
}
ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.getPos = function(c) {
	return parseInt(this.style[c])
}

[felgall]

Perhaps:

this[gref]=this;

[Bam_Bam]

Thank for you reply felgell,

but alas this does not work either. Internet explorer reports:

Error: 'container' is null or not and object.

Thanks heaps for posting though.

[Bam_Bam]

Ok so I have now got this to work. Being the Javascript novice that I am I did not know how to properly use Mrhoo's advice. This is what is now working.

		// global reference to this object
		this.gRef = "ypSlideOutMenu_"+id
		window["ypSlideOutMenu_"+id] = this

Unfortunatly there is another eval in the code that i cannot seem to get rid of. Wish i knew more about javascript. I will post the code here and hopfully some nice person like Mrhoo will give me some advice. Please dont think that i havent done searches and pulled my hair out already. I am posting as a last resort. Thanks alot.

ypSlideOutMenu.prototype.load = function() {
	var d = document
	var lyrId1 = this.id + "Container"
	var lyrId2 = this.id + "Content"
	var obj1 = this.dom ? d.getElementById(lyrId1) : this.ie ? d.all[lyrId1] : d.layers[lyrId1]
	if (obj1) var obj2 = this.ns4 ? obj1.layers[lyrId2] : this.ie ? d.all[lyrId2] : d.getElementById(lyrId2)
	var temp
 
	if (!obj1 || !obj2) window.setTimeout(this.gRef + ".load()", 100)
	else {
		this.container	= obj1
		this.menu		= obj2
		this.style		= this.ns4 ? this.menu : this.menu.style
		// this is the code i am having problems removing.
		this.homePos	= eval("0" + this.dirType + this.dim)
		// end problem code
		this.outPos		= 0
		this.accelConst	= (this.outPos - this.homePos) / ypSlideOutMenu.aniLen / ypSlideOutMenu.aniLen 
 
		// set event handlers.
		if (this.ns4) this.menu.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEOVER | Event.MOUSEOUT);
		this.menu.onmouseover = new Function("ypSlideOutMenu.showMenu('" + this.id + "')")
		this.menu.onmouseout = new Function("ypSlideOutMenu.hideMenu('" + this.id + "')")
 
		//set initial state
		this.endSlide()
	}
}

[NakedIntruder]

I can't see from your code what this.dirType and this.dim should be, but my guess would be you should replace;

this.homePos = eval("0" + this.dirType + this.dim)
with
this.homePos = window["0" + this.dirType + this.dim]