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In Java, I consider it a best practice to replace string literals with a constant variable any time they are used in more than one place and expected to match. For example, if you're going to set a cookie and then later read it back, the name of the cookie should be in a constant so the compiler can help you catch spelling errors, not to mention allowing you to have a readable variable name versus the actual value of the String.
I'm reviewing some code like this in JavaScript and I'm inclined to recommend that the literals be replaced with a constant. However, I'm not sure the same reasons apply since there isn't a compiler and the cookie name is just as descriptive as a variable name would be.
Edit: Related to comments and responses received so far, I am definitely more concerned with the usage of constants versus how they are actually implemented. I see their value in Java and other compiled languages as a way to prevent errors, but I'm not sure I see the same value in Javascript.
As a documentation mechanism, say for magic numbers, I think having a named variable (even if it's not enforced as a constant) is still a good way to improve readability. But for string literals, I'm not sure this:
var trackingCookieName = "trackingCookie";
is any better than just using "trackingCookie" since you could typo either the literal or the variable name and either way, it would only be caught at runtime.
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Literals are often used more than once in your code. Having them defined as a constant reduces typos in your code and improves the maintainability.
String constants, also known as string literals, are a special type of constants which store fixed sequences of characters. A string literal is a sequence of any number of characters surrounded by double quotes: "This is a string."
A literal is a value that is expressed as itself. For example, the number 25 or the string "Hello World" are both literals. A constant is a data type that substitutes a literal. Constants are used when a specific, unchanging value is used various times during the program.
The characters of a literal string are stored in order at contiguous memory locations. An escape sequence (such as \\ or \") within a string literal counts as a single character. A null character (represented by the \0 escape sequence) is automatically appended to, and marks the end of, each string literal.
Extracting string literals to constants means
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