jQuery check if Cookie exists, if not create it

Question

I cannot get this code to work I must be missing something pretty simple. I am trying to check to see if a Cookie exists, if it does {do nothing} if it doesn't {create it}. I am testing the cookie by including an alert on a page. Basically I do not want the cookie to keep re-creating with a referral url, I am trying to grab only the FIRST referred URL.

$(document).ready(function(){   
  if ($.cookie('bas_referral') == null ){
   var ref = document.referrer.toLowerCase();  
   // set cookie  
   var cookURL =  $.cookie('bas_referral', ref, { expires: 1 }); 
  } 
 });

Displaying the current cookie contents:

    // get cookie  
    alert($.cookie('bas_referral'));  

    // delete cookie  
     $.cookie('bas_referral', null);

Appears to be working just fine: jsfiddle.net/niklasvh/wxFvG. Have you included the $.cookie plugin source code in your page? — Niklas
– Niklas, Commented Jun 15, 2011 at 18:48
Are you opening the page by HTTP? (and thus not from local disk file system) What cookie plugin are you using? What time unit is the expires value? Seconds? So, it expires in 1 second? — BalusC
– BalusC, Commented Jun 15, 2011 at 18:48
I am using the jquery.cookie.js plugin and my alert displays the previous URL I was on, so I believe the cookie is being created. HOWEVER, if I were to go to different pages throughout the site, the alert displaying the cookie URL will change, it shouldn't being I set an IF-Statement. — ToddN
– ToddN, Commented Jun 15, 2011 at 18:54

Snowball · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-17 07:37:34Z

88

I think the bulletproof way is:

if (typeof $.cookie('token') === 'undefined'){
 //no cookie
} else {
 //have cookie
}

Checking the type of a null, empty or undefined var always returns 'undefined'

Edit: You can get there even easier:

if (!!$.cookie('token')) {
 // have cookie
} else {
 // no cookie
}

!! will turn the falsy values to false. Bear in mind that this will turn 0 to false!

edited Feb 17, 2017 at 7:37

Snowball

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answered Apr 28, 2014 at 15:11

Laszlo

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9 Comments

Jan Żankowski Over a year ago

WARNING: typeof null === 'object' as Dan comments below.

yesfabime Over a year ago

this is the correct answer for the given question, @foo! While I tested the code, the true false context was vice versa: if (!!$.cookie('token')) { // have cookie } else { // no cookie }

Lyka Over a year ago

woah! it checks null, empty and undefined! Didn't know there's a shorter way to check those three before. Nice

Atav32 Over a year ago

what if the value of the cookie was false? probably better to check null and undefined

Paul Fitzgerald Over a year ago

@foo the shorter answer isnt working for me. it is showing the opposite as to what the answer says - for me at least!

|

inertialmedia · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-16 16:44:04Z

26

 $(document).ready(function() {

     var CookieSet = $.cookie('cookietitle', 'yourvalue');

     if (CookieSet == null) {
          // Do Nothing
     }
     if (jQuery.cookie('cookietitle')) {
          // Reactions
     }
 });

edited Dec 16, 2011 at 16:44

answered Dec 16, 2011 at 16:24

inertialmedia

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3 Comments

luke_mclachlan Over a year ago

i don't know why but this is setting a cookie, not checking if one exists, very strange!

Bengi Besceli Over a year ago

var CookieSet = $.cookie('cookietitle', 'yourvalue'); not works on my pc, what can be the reason? I'm using although jquery 1.9.1 library.

Bengi Besceli Over a year ago

Hmm I found the reason; I didn't have been installed the plugin from GitHub, I realised this was a native function. People who read this should download the plugin from (thank you @Kazar) : github.com/carhartl/jquery-cookie

Infinite Recursion · Accepted Answer · 2015-03-27 12:14:54Z

10

I was having alot of trouble with this because I was using:

if($.cookie('token') === null || $.cookie('token') === "")
{
      //no cookie
}
else
{
     //have cookie
}

The above was ALWAYS returning false, no matter what I did in terms of setting the cookie or not. From my tests it seems that the object is therefore undefined before it's set so adding the following to my code fixed it.

if($.cookie('token') === null || $.cookie('token') === "" 
    || $.(cookie('token') === "null" || $.cookie('token') === undefined)
{
      //no cookie
}
else
{
     //have cookie
}

edited Mar 27, 2015 at 12:14

Infinite Recursion

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answered Dec 10, 2013 at 22:13

acrawly

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Comments

Amaan Iqbal · Accepted Answer · 2017-07-10 10:02:57Z

2

You can set the cookie after having checked if it exists with a value.

 $(document).ready(function(){            
      if ($.cookie('cookie')) { //if cookie isset
         //do stuff here like hide a popup when cookie isset
         //document.getElementById("hideElement").style.display = "none";
      }else{
         var CookieSet = $.cookie('cookie', 'value'); //set cookie
      }       
 });

edited Jul 10, 2017 at 10:02

Amaan Iqbal

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answered Jun 9, 2016 at 14:36

Tom Fink

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Comments

Aldrin Masamoc Mojica · Accepted Answer · 2018-04-27 04:14:16Z

1

Try this very simple:

            var cookieExist = $.cookie("status");
            if(cookieExist == "null" ){
                alert("Cookie Is Null");

            }

answered Apr 27, 2018 at 4:14

Aldrin Masamoc Mojica

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