How to test load speed of external javascript files from vendors?

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How to test load speed of external javascript files from vendors?

Periodically we know our site is slower-than-it-should-be due to vendor js

bigtoga

12:51 pm on Mar 15, 2009 (gmt 0)

So we use a variety of analytics packages, chat package, and other 3rd party companies that integrate via javascript. What we want to do is to have a page(s) that we can visit internally that shows us the current load time of a single one of these javascript pieces.

I've looked in many places but I'm just not getting what I need *for ASP.NET*. I tried this: [webmasterworld.com...] - but the problem with that example is that the vendor's code is not meant to be placed in the <head>; it is meant to be placed in the <body>. They use <script> tags but they contain functions, <img> tags, etc.

I need to test the load time of the analytics/etc and using <body onload=... just doesn't do it.

I know I can't be the only one to do this but, even after spending 30+ minutes searching in google, I'm lost. Any ideas?

Thanks!

penders

12:35 am on Mar 16, 2009 (gmt 0)

Are you wanting to check on the load time that your users are actually experiencing, or the speeds you are seeing at your end?

For the later, Safari 3 (Windows at least) offers the Network timeline, showing how long every part of the page takes to load (images, styles, javascript). There are extensions for Firefox that offer similar as well - YSlow with Firebug for instance. Is that the sort of thing you are after?

bigtoga

9:31 am on Mar 16, 2009 (gmt 0)

What I'm seeing on my end would be sufficient. I know that Firebug, et al can do those things but, ideally, what I'd want would be to have something that I could run 10/20/n times and I could programatticaly store the results in a database. Firebug does what I want but I have to manually copy/paste into an Excel spreadsheet, for example.

If there isn't an easy way then I'm fine using something like Firebug to copy/paste; I was just hoping there was/is a more elegant way. I'd like to be able to do reporting against and say, "Bounce rates were 12% higher whenever Google Analytics tracking code load time exceeded 1000ms" or whatever.

phranque

9:53 am on Mar 16, 2009 (gmt 0)

this paper might give you some good ideas.

Episodes: a Framework for Measuring Web Page Load Times:
[stevesouders.com...]

phranque

9:59 am on Mar 16, 2009 (gmt 0)

the problem with that example is that the vendor's code is not meant to be placed in the <head>; it is meant to be placed in the <body>

maybe i misunderstood you but fyi you can put script tags in the <body> - i always put the GA js code immediately before the </body> tag.

bigtoga

11:10 am on Mar 18, 2009 (gmt 0)

Thanks to all for ideas. What I eventually did was to just use HttpWebRequest and HttpWebResponse to time the calls to the scripts. It's not perfect but I can now store in a database.

penders

11:39 am on Mar 18, 2009 (gmt 0)

HttpWebRequest and HttpWebResponse

.NET ?

bigtoga

1:08 pm on Mar 18, 2009 (gmt 0)

Yes - ASP.NET