[jQuery] jquery.cookie.js: units for expiry time and null value for cookie deletion

[Ralf S. Engelschall]

I'm using the jquery.cookie.js plugin from the jQuery SVN and I adjusted
it (see patch below) to allow me to...

1. easily delete a cookie with the (IMHO more intuitive)
   $.cookie("name", null) calls instead of the
   $.cookie("name", '', { expires: -1 }) calls.

2. specify the expiry time with units as in
   $.cookie("name", "value", { expires: "2m" })
   instead of having to pass a full pre-established Date() object.

I just want to share it here in case someone finds this also useful. Or
someone of the jQuery developers even wants to pick it up and it
to the jQuery SVN. Feel free to do whatever you want with it.

Yours,
                                       Ralf S. Engelschall
                                       [EMAIL PROTECTED]
                                       www.engelschall.com

Index: cookie/jquery.cookie.js
--- cookie/jquery.cookie.js     (revision 1611)
+++ cookie/jquery.cookie.js     (working copy)
@@ -17,13 +17,17 @@
  * @desc Create a cookie with all available options.
  * @example $.cookie('the_cookie', 'the_value');
  * @desc Create a session cookie.
+ * @example $.cookie('the_cookie', null);
+ * @desc Delete a cookie by passing a null value.
  * @example $.cookie('the_cookie', '', {expires: -1});
  * @desc Delete a cookie by setting a date in the past.
  *
  * @param String name The name of the cookie.
  * @param String value The value of the cookie.
  * @param Object options An object literal containing key/value pairs to 
provide optional cookie attributes.
- * @option Number|Date expires Either an integer specifying the expiration 
date from now on in days or a Date object.
+ * @option Time|Number|Date expires Either a time specified as an integer 
followed by a unit abbreviation character
+ *                             (y: years, w: weeks , d: days, h: hours, m: 
minutes, s: seconds)
+ *                             or an integer specifying the expiration date 
from now on in days or a Date object.
  *                             If a negative value is specified (e.g. a date 
in the past), the cookie will be deleted.
  *                             If set to null or omitted, the cookie will be a 
session cookie and will not be retained
  *                             when the the browser exits.
@@ -55,15 +59,34 @@
 jQuery.cookie = function(name, value, options) {
     if (typeof value != 'undefined') { // name and value given, set cookie
         options = options || {};
+        if (value === null) {
+            value = "";
+            options.expires = -1;
+        }
         var expires = '';
-        if (options.expires && (typeof options.expires == 'number' || 
options.expires.toGMTString)) {
+        if (options.expires) {
             var date;
-            if (typeof options.expires == 'number') {
+            if (typeof options.expires == 'string' && 
options.expires.match(/^[+-]?[0-9]+[ywdhms]$/) !== null) {
+                var match = options.expires.match(/^([+-]?[0-9]+)([ywdhms])$/);
+                options.expires = parseInt(match[0], 10) * (({
+                    "y": (60 * 60 * 24 * 365),
+                    "w": (60 * 60 * 24 * 7),
+                    "d": (60 * 60 * 24),
+                    "h": (60 * 60),
+                    "m": (60),
+                    "s": (1)
+                }[match[1]]) || 0);
                 date = new Date();
-                date.setTime(date.getTime() + (options.expires * 24 * 60 * 60 
* 1000));
-            } else {
+                date.setTime(date.getTime() + options.expires * 1000);
+            }
+            else if (typeof options.expires == 'number') {
+                date = new Date();
+                date.setTime(date.getTime() + options.expires * 24 * 60 * 60 * 
1000);
+            }
+            else if (typeof options.expires.toGMTString != 'undefined')
                 date = options.expires;
-            }
+            else
+                throw "invalid \"expires\" option";
             expires = '; expires=' + date.toGMTString(); // use expires 
attribute, max-age is not supported by IE
         }
         var path = options.path ? '; path=' + options.path : '';