How to Combine Javascripts

Javascript is a programming language used to run mini-programs in a Web browser. Most websites that allow the user to interact with the page's content include javascripts to deal with these interactions. Typically, javascripts are written as individual files, with one script per file. With a highly interactive website, this can mean dozens of files. Combining the separate files into a single file can make the page load faster and the scripts run smother. This requires server access and a text editor.

Things You'll Need

• Text editor
• Multiple javascript files
• Web browser with access to a website's server

Instructions

1. Open a blank window in the text editor. This is going to be the new javascript file, so save it with an appropriate name and the ".js" extension.

2. Open each javascript file in a separate window using the text editor.

3. Copy the contents of the individual files to the new composite file. Leave a blank line or two between each function.

4. Save the new javascript file, then use your Web browser to upload it to the server. You will probably need to edit the HTML of the Web pages so that the new file is loaded with the page.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are combining scripts that haven't run on the same page before, you need to make sure each function and global variable has an unique name.

References

• Javascript Kit: Multiple scripts on a single page