If(x)with(x) What is this?!

[travisowens]

.

...........RESOLVED (see next post)

.

I'm looking into somebody's Javascript code and I came across this syntax, I have no idea what the if/with line means and Google isn't helping. BTW, this is part of a web control that puts a HELP link on the top right of pages.

 

<div id="HelpTopRight" class="HelpTopRight" style="white-space:nowrap;">
<xsp:HelpLink ID="lnk" runat="server" />
</div>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
var x=document.getElementById('HelpTopRight')
[b]if(x)with(x)[/b]
{
	style.setExpression('left',document.body.clientWidth-60)
}
</script>

Edited January 30, 2007 by travisowens

[travisowens]

I wouldn't have questioned this at all if I had seen a more formal syntax, such as

if(x)
{
with(x)
{
	style.setExpression('left',document.body.clientWidth-60)
}
}

 

I'm outright shocked that with() works outside the brackets.

Edited January 30, 2007 by travisowens

[MrPaul]

Brackets

 

Rather than it being a case of with() being outside the brackets, it is a case of the brackets belonging to the with block rather than the if block. Any control structure can be used without brackets - operating on a single statement. For example:

 

if (x)
   doThis();

 

However, that single statement can be another control structure with its own block of code (as in this case).

 

:)