JavaScript: JSON flavoured cookies

cookiemonster.js

/*
 This is a cookiemonster... it is a cookie control that uses JSON to store
 information and make it easy to use.
*/

var cookiemonster = {};

/**
 * This function creates the cookie.
 * 
 * @param flavour string The name of the cookie
 * @param ingredients json The data to be stored in the cookie.
 * @param bestBefore int The number of hours to keep the cookie
 * @param jar string The path for the cookie, default is '/'
 */
cookiemonster.bake = function(flavour, ingredients, bestBefore, jar)
{
	//set the bestBefore to correct format
	if(bestBefore)
	{
		var date = new Date();
		date.setTime(date.getTime() + (bestBefore * 60 * 60 * 1000));
		bestBefore = '; expires=' + date.toUTCString();
	}
	else
	{
		bestBefore = '';
	}
	
	//stringify the ingredients and then encode them.
	ingredients = (typeof ingredients == '')? encodeURIComponent('{}')
		: encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify(ingredients));
	
	//check that a cookiejar exists and make one before baking the cookie
	jar = (typeof jar == 'undefined')? '; path=/' : '; path=' + jar;
	
	//bake the cookie
	document.cookie = flavour + '=' + ingredients + bestBefore + jar;
	
	//check oven
	return !!(typeof cookiemonster.taste(flavour) === 'object');
}

/**
 * This function reads the cookie and returns its contents
 *
 * @param flavour string The name of the cookie to read
 * @returns object The json object that the cookie contains if it is found, false if it is not
 */
cookiemonster.taste = function(flavour)
{
	/*
	 set the return value to false so that if we don't find the cookie we want
	 it is easy to tell when the function is used
	*/
	var ingredients = false;
	
	//we want to search for the name of the cookie followed by an '='
	flavour += '=';
	
	//these are all the cookies we need to search to find ours
	var cookies = document.cookie.split(';');
	
	//loop through cookies till we find our cookie
	for(var i = 0; i < cookies.length; i++)
	{
		//this is the cookie currently being checked
		var cookie = cookies[i];
		//trim all whitespace from the the ends of the cookie
		cookie = cookie.trim();
		//check the name of the cookie agains what we are looking for
		if(cookie.indexOf(flavour) == 0)
		{
			//decode the cookie and parse the json
			ingredients = JSON.parse(decodeURIComponent(cookie.substring(flavour.length, cookie.length)));
		}
	}
	
	//return the results
	return ingredients;
}

/**
 * This function deletes a cookie.
 *
 * @param flavour string The name of the cookie to delete
 * @returns true if the cookie is deleted, false if it is not
 */
cookiemonster.omnomnom = function(flavour)
{
	//delete the cookie
	cookiemonster.bake(flavour, '', -1);
	
	//check that it is gone and report back
	return (cookiemonster.taste(flavour) == false)? true : false;
}