title: What is the best way to pass server side variables to JavaScript on the client side?
body: <p>Our application uses a lot of configuration options. Those options need to be reflected on the client side in the form of User preferences, site wide preferences, etc.</p>
  
  <p>Currently, we pass server side settings down to the client side in the form of JSON that is stored in custom attributes in the markup for a specific element (and no, our application currently doesn't worry about W3C validation). We then retrieve the data from the custom attribute, and parse it into a JSON object for use in script using jQuery.</p>
  
  <p>One drawback to this is referencing attributes on elements from within event handlers. I know this is frowned upon, as it can create circular references, and subsequently memory leaks. I would much prefer to use jQuery's data function, but you can't invoke this from the server side at page render time.</p>
  
  <p>What does everyone else do in this type of scenario?</p>