How to unset a JavaScript variable?

Question

I have a global variable in JavaScript (actually a window property, but I don\'t think it matters) which was already populated by a previous script but I don\'t

Answer 1

@scunlife's answer will work, but technically it ought to be

delete window.some_var; 

delete is supposed to be a no-op when the target isn't an object property. e.g.,

(function() {
   var foo = 123;
   delete foo; // wont do anything, foo is still 123
   var bar = { foo: 123 };
   delete bar.foo; // foo is gone
}());

But since global variables are actually members of the window object, it works.

When prototype chains are involved, using delete gets more complex because it only removes the property from the target object, and not the prototype. e.g.,

function Foo() {}
Foo.prototype = { bar: 123 };
var foo = new Foo();
// foo.bar is 123
foo.bar = 456;
// foo.bar is now 456
delete foo.bar;
// foo.bar is 123 again.

So be careful.

EDIT: My answer is somewhat inaccurate (see "Misconceptions" at the end). The link explains all the gory details, but the summary is that there can be big differences between browsers and depending on the object you are deleting from. delete object.someProp should generally be safe as long as object !== window. I still wouldn't use it to delete variables declared with var although you can under the right circumstances.