do spiders execute scripts?

[zienkik]

My index file is just a couple of empty divs that get filled through javascript which parses an xml file for content. If I submit such a site to a search engine, will the spiders allow the script to execute and fill the site with content? My initial guess would be no but I wanted to ask someone with more experience.

 

[akropoliss77]

What exactly do you want to know?

 

[zienkik]

Sorry if I wasn't specific enough. I would like to know whether Google, for example, would index the empty file or if its spider would let the javascript execute and modify the DOM before indexing.

 

[niloyd]

I dont think so

 

[Roger]

Disadvantages of client-side scripts

Usually the functionality of a navigation form will call on client-side scripts. There are two disadvantages to this.
A visitor whose browser does not support client-side scripts will be confronted with a form that does not work.
The links in the menu will not be accessible for these visitors if using the form is the only way of following these links.
Search spiders will ignore the navigation form.
Not only do search spiders not support client-side scripts, they will not follow forms at all. The links in the menu will not be not accessible for search spiders if the form is the only way of following these links.

 

[HopkinsMeve]

My index file is just a couple of empty divs that get filled through javascript which parses an xml file for content. If I submit such a site to a search engine, will the spiders allow the script to execute and fill the site with content? My initial guess would be no but I wanted to ask someone with more experience.

No spiders haven't got the tendency to execute scripts.

 

[aly0408]

spiders cant read javascript. if thats all you have on your site they view it as being empty and will not index it.