Rails spinoffs - Dec 2005 - can I load javascript inside a ''try'' block?

Ok,
	I have a need to load the scriptaculous files inside a
''try...catch'' block in order to degrade gracefully on older
browsers (IE
5.0 is one I have to support, unfortunately).  I tried this:

try {
	document.write(''<script type="text/javascript"
src="/javascript/prototype.js"></script>'');
	document.write(''<script type="text/javascript"
src="/javascript/scriptaculous.js"></script>'');
} catch (e) {};

Unfortunately that makes Mozilla display this in the document:
'') } catch (e) {}; 

Anyone got any other ideas I could try?  I wouldn''t care, except that
IE
5.0 throws like 5 javascript errors for just including prototype.js and
scriptaculous.js.  My boss isn''t gonna let that fly.

I could do manual browser detection, but I''d rather have a more generic
mechanism.

Greg

On 27/12/05, Gregory Hill <Gregory_Hill-l9nu40+TWxQ@public.gmane.org>
wrote:
>         document.write(''<script
type="text/javascript"
> src="/javascript/prototype.js"></script>'');
> Unfortunately that makes Mozilla display this in the document:
> '') } catch (e) {};
You may not include a ETAGO (end tag) in the script.

document.write(''<script type="text/javascript"
src="/javascript/prototype.js"><\/script>'');

If it is about IE only, I would do this with conditional comments.

<![if gt IE 5]>
  <script type="text/javascript">
src="/javascript/prototype.js"></script>
<![endif]>

will include the script in IE > 5 and any other browser.


Martin

> You may not include a ETAGO (end tag) in the script.
> 
> document.write(''<script type="text/javascript"
> src="/javascript/prototype.js"><\/script>'');
Ah, duh!!  Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn''t considered that.
Unfortunately, putting that in an try...catch block still throws
javascript errors in IE 5.0.  I guess it does the try on writing the
script tag, but then parses the contents of the file outside the realm
of the try block.

Oh well.
> 
> If it is about IE only, I would do this with conditional comments.
> 
> <![if gt IE 5]>
>   <script type="text/javascript">
src="/javascript/prototype.js"></script>
> <![endif]>
> 
> will include the script in IE > 5 and any other browser.
That''s cool; I had never heard of that.  I''m guessing
it''s an IE only
thing, right?  Any other browser will just blindly load the file, right?

Greg