What is the most efficient way to dynamically load and unload Javascript plugins?

Question

I would like to know the efficient way to dynamically load and unload Javascript plugins depending on options toggled on and off by the user.

Also, I was wondering if all the resources will really be freed if I simply remove the <script id="pluginId"> tag from the DOM ?

Thank you!

When you include a Javascript file, the state of the page is potentially changed. I doubt there is a way to "unload" a Javascript plugin/file. — Chad Johnson
– Chad Johnson, Commented Feb 24, 2011 at 17:20
Though if everything is attached to a namespace, you could potentially null everything out. Watch out for the memory leaks though. — Matthew Smith
– Matthew Smith, Commented Feb 24, 2011 at 17:23
When deleting a <script> tag, I can still access the functions which are inside that .js file. — pimvdb
– pimvdb, Commented Feb 24, 2011 at 17:28

Brandon Frohbieter · Accepted Answer · 2011-02-24 17:22:09Z

-1

You can create a script tag and insert it into the DOM in the header:

 var head= document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
 var script= document.createElement('script');
 script.type= 'text/javascript';
 script.src= 'helper.js';
 head.appendChild(script);

Snippet from http://unixpapa.com/js/dyna.html

answered Feb 24, 2011 at 17:22

Brandon Frohbieter

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