Going from web2py -> JavaScript is easy: {{=var}}
However, going from JavaScript -> web2py requires an AJAX call. Since JavaScript is run on the user's machine and not the web server, the two machines have to communicate somehow, which is where AJAX comes in. You should also know that things inside {{ }} will NOT run on the user's machine. So if you are expecting something in these blocks to happen after the page loads, it won't work and you have to use AJAX.