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Asked: 2026-05-13T14:45:07+00:00

i have a bunch of code where i dynamically create dropdown boxes in javascript.

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i have a bunch of code where i dynamically create dropdown boxes in javascript. To prepulate the list of dropdown items, i often have code similar to below where i “inject” in the array of data items from my model so i have <%= myHTMLhelper.ShowArray(Model.List ofItems %> code inside of a javascript function.

This works perfectly except that i now have similar code that i want to reuse across files as i dont want to copy and paste code. The issue is that normally i would move my javascript code into a seperate .js file and import that into my multiple views but in this case i can’t as that <% %> code wont work inside of a .js file.

Any suggestions on how can avoid copy and paste solution here ?

$(".dependencyAddButton").click(function() {

                var tblID = $(this).prev("table").attr("id");

                var lastRow = GetLastRow(tblID);

                var existingItems = GetExistingItems('#' + tblID);

                <%= myHTMLhelper.ShowArray(Model.AllApplications, "components", "componentIds") %>
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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    What you want to do is create a jQuery plugin from your script and pass all server-side information into the plugin as a parameter. Using your example, you would have the following plugin defined in an external file:

    jQuery.fn.dropdown = function(array) {
    var tableId = $(this).prev('table').attr('id');
    var lastRow = GetLastRow(tblId);
    var existingItems = GetExistingItems('#' + tblId);
    var dropDownItems = array;
    // DO STUFF WITH THE ARRAY
};

    You would then call it from your view:

    $('.dependencyAddButton').dropdown(<%= myHTMLhelper.ShowArray(Model.AllApplications, "components", "componentIds") %>);

    This is a pretty common technique that you will find used whenever dynamic information is required. It might be a URL or some other configuration property.

    Please note that this was a jQuery plugin written off the top of my head. It doesn’t necessarily follow current best practices for writing plugins; it might not even work. It is simply an example of the technique that you can use to handle issues like you were having. Take a look at one of the following links for more information on writing jQuery plugins:

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