The early stages for a framework to render a site using JS-defined fragments

render_fragments.js

//Example fragments, extra magic withheld 
window.fragments = {
  name: {
    url: context.project_property_url.to_project_url().to_property_url('name'),
    location: '.project_title'
  },

  background: {
    _interval: 60000,

    intervals: {
      url: context.interval_url.to_project_url(),
      location: 'div#intervals'
    },

    totals: {
      url: context.project_property_url.to_project_url().to_property_url('duration_string'),
      location: '.duration_string'
    }
  }
};

//From: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18912/how-to-find-keys-of-a-hash
Object.prototype.keys = function ()
{
  var keys = [];
  for(i in this) if (this.hasOwnProperty(i))
  {
    keys.push(i);
  }
  return keys;
}


//Helpers
function get_url_into_css(url, selector, error) {
  if(error == undefined) { error = "Error loading data."; }
  $.ajax({
           url: url,
           type: 'GET',
           data: {},

           success: function(data, textStatus) {
             debug.log("Loaded", data.length, "bytes of data");
             var r = $(selector).html(data);
             debug.log("Replaced:", r);
           },

           error: function(xhr, textStatus, errorThrown) {
             debug.log("Error [", textStatus, "].");
             alert(error);
           }
  });
}
//Rendering engine
render = {
  _is_leaf: function(data, parent) {
    var allStrings = true;
    $.each(data.keys(), function() {
      if(!(typeof(data[this]) == "string")) allStrings = false;
    });
    return allStrings;
  },

  _has_meta: function(object, parent) {
    return $.grep(object.keys(), function(e) { return e[0] == '_'; }).length > 0;
  },

  _get_meta_options: function(object) {
    var options = {};
    $.each($.map(object.keys(),
                 function(e) {
                   if(e[0] == '_') return e.substring(1);
                   else return null;
                 }),
           function() {
             options[this] = object["_" + this];
           });
    return options;
  },

  _loop_interval: function(render, func, interval) {
    setTimeout(function() { render._loop_interval(render, func, interval); }, interval);
    func.apply(render, []);
  },

  act_on_meta: function(object, parent) {
    debug.log("Acting on meta options for:", object);
    var options = this._get_meta_options(object);
    var render = this;
    if(options.interval != undefined) {
      debug.log("Setting timer for", object, "rendering at", options.interval);
      setTimeout(function() { render._loop_interval(render,
                                                    function() { this.all(object, parent); },
                                                    options.interval); },
                 options.interval);
    }
    debug.log("Node options:", options);
  },

  render_data: function(data, parent) {
    debug.log("Rendering:", data, "as leaf data.");
    get_url_into_css(data['url'], data['location']);
  },

  render_object: function(object, parent) {
    debug.log("Rendering:", object, "as object.");
    this.all(object, parent);
  },

  render_dispatch: function(object, parent) {
    if(typeof(object) == "function") object.apply(parent, []); //Trust in the function
    else if(this._is_leaf(object, parent)) this.render_data(object, parent);
    else this.render_object(object, parent);
  },

  all: function(fragments, parent) {
    for(frag in fragments) {
      if(frag[0] != '_') this.render_dispatch(fragments[frag], fragments);
    }
  },

  act: function(fragments, parent) {
    debug.log("Acting on", fragments);
    for(frag in fragments) {
      if(this._has_meta(fragments[frag])) this.act_on_meta(fragments[frag], parent);
      else if(typeof(fragments[frag]) == 'object') this.act(fragments[frag], fragments);
    }
  },

  update: function(path) {
    var object = this.fragments;
    $.each(path.split('.'),
           function() { object = object[this]; });
    debug.log("Will update:", object);
    this.all(object);
  },

  main: function(fragments) {
    debug.log("Rendering engine loading..");
    this.fragments = fragments;
    this.all(fragments);
    this.act(fragments);
    debug.log("Rendering engine loaded...");
  }
};

//Rendering engine start
$(document).ready(function() {
  render.main.apply(render, []);
});