Should I store data in a Javascript object, or just use the table on the screen?
<p>I have a pretty big chat app I'm working on, and had a question about best practices for JS data storage... </p>

<p>I have a table populated with AJAXed data from the server, and the Javascript gets some info from that, and also from an internal object, also populated with AJAXed data. I was starting to store information about each chat in an object, like user status, name, etc., and realized... I have this table right here that I can use as data storage. It's persistent, it stays there at least as long as they're in the chat, so why not just add some hidden TDs or spans to it to hold this data, rather than dealing with a Javascript object? I don't know if there'd be a noticeable change in speed (dealing with an object vs having to parse ID tags and strings), but I was just wondering if there was any fundamental reason why using the table for data storage was A Bad Thing.</p>

<p>And, on the flip side, should I cease looking up data using the table altogether, and instead store all the data in an object (along with displaying it in the table)? Or is my current hybrid system (looking up in table for things that are in the table; using an object for things that aren't, rather than using hidden spans/tds) pretty good?</p>
