Wordpress Plugin with a shortcode that dynamically generates javascript. Can I use add_action without wrapping the javascript in a function?

Question

Looks like the best way is using:

add_action('wp_footer', returnJs);

But if my returnJs function is inside my shortcode function and it's used more than once on a page it will return an error trying to re-create the function.

Is there a way to use add_action and have my js code in a variable instead of wrapped in a function or maybe another way to include it.

It is dynamically generated based on a variable in the short code so the js will be unique for each shortcode.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

What you need is the function_exists method

you would use it like this when defining your returnJs function:

if( ! function_exists('returnJs') ){
    function returnJs(){
        //Code goes here
    }
}

However, better practice would be to just define the returnJs function in your plugin