Easily Combine JavaScript Files With JMerge
Posted by Karthik Viswanathan on Sun 27 December, 2009 at 05:00:22 · Tags: javascript, php
Looking back at the 2009 year, it is evident that JavaScript has played a big role in web design. Using libraries such as jQuery and MooTools, one can easily apply advanced effects with ease. Indeed, JavaScript is now present on almost every website.
With the rise of this new beast comes a few issues. The biggest libraries out there aren’t too small in terms of code size. Each one can add significantly to load time even when minified. Another problem resides with extra HTTP requests; each new file is accompanied by an extra request. Ultimately, this once again leads directly to a larger wait for users.
Although the first problem can’t be solved simply, reducing HTTP requests is a trivial task; just combine all of your JavaScript into one file. Unfortunately, sometimes it might be difficult or just annoying to do so. That’s why we created JMerge.
JMerge is a simple web application that combines JavaScript files for you. Using it is very simple. When you first enter the page, you’ll see a URL form field:
Type in the URL of your website and hit continue. After a second or two of loading, you’ll see an unordered list of JavaScript files that are used in the specified URL:
Click on any of the files you don’t want to merge. This will make them disappear from the list:
Now just click “combine them” and copy/paste the new code into one, merged file! That’s all it takes to combine JavaScript files with JMerge.
What do you think about JMerge? Was it useful for your site? Did you have any issues using it? Tell us in a comment below.
Ahmed Sami on Mon 28 December, 2009 says:
Nice…