Dynamically load JS inside JS [duplicate]

Answer 1

You can use jQuery's $.getScript() method to do it but if you want a more full feature one, yepnope.js is your choice. It supports conditional loading of scripts and stylesheets and it's easy to use.

Answer 2

To author my plugin I needed to load external scripts and styles inside a JS file, all of which were predefined. To achieve this, I did the following:

    this.loadRequiredFiles = function (callback) {
        var scripts = ['xx.js', 'yy.js'];
        var styles = ['zz.css'];
        var filesloaded = 0;
        var filestoload = scripts.length + styles.length;
        for (var i = 0; i < scripts.length; i++) {
            log('Loading script ' + scripts[i]);
            var script = document.createElement('script');
            script.type = 'text/javascript';
            script.src = scripts[i];
            script.onload = function () {
                log('Loaded script');
                log(this);
                filesloaded++;  // (This means increment, i.e. add one)
                finishLoad();
            };
            document.head.appendChild(script);
        }
        for (var i = 0; i < styles.length; i++) {
            log('Loading style ' + styles[i]);
            var style = document.createElement('link');
            style.rel = 'stylesheet';
            style.href = styles[i];
            style.type = 'text/css';
            style.onload = function () {
                log('Loaded style');
                log(this);
                filesloaded++;
                finishLoad();
            };
            document.head.appendChild(style);
        }
        function finishLoad() {
            if (filesloaded === filestoload) {
                callback();
            }
        }
    };

More of the script in context:

function myPlugin() {

    var opts = {
        verbose: false
    };                          ///< The options required to run this function
    var self = this;            ///< An alias to 'this' in case we're in jQuery                         ///< Constants required for this function to work

    this.getOptions = function() {
        return opts;
    };

    this.setOptions = function(options) {
        for (var x in options) {
            opts[x] = options[x];
        }
    };

    /**
     * @brief Load the required files for this plugin
     * @param {Function} callback A callback function to run when all files have been loaded
     */
    this.loadRequiredFiles = function (callback) {
        var scripts = ['xx.js', 'yy.js'];
        var styles = ['zz.css'];
        var filesloaded = 0;
        var filestoload = scripts.length + styles.length;
        for (var i = 0; i < scripts.length; i++) {
            log('Loading script ' + scripts[i]);
            var script = document.createElement('script');
            script.type = 'text/javascript';
            script.src = scripts[i];
            script.onload = function () {
                log('Loaded script');
                log(this);
                filesloaded++;
                finishLoad();
            };
            document.head.appendChild(script);
        }
        for (var i = 0; i < styles.length; i++) {
            log('Loading style ' + styles[i]);
            var style = document.createElement('link');
            style.rel = 'stylesheet';
            style.href = styles[i];
            style.type = 'text/css';
            style.onload = function () {
                log('Loaded style');
                log(this);
                filesloaded++;
                finishLoad();
            };
            document.head.appendChild(style);
        }
        function finishLoad() {
            if (filesloaded === filestoload) {
                callback();
            }
        }
    };

    /**
     * @brief Enable user-controlled logging within this function
     * @param {String} msg The message to log
     * @param {Boolean} force True to log message even if user has set logging to false
     */
    function log(msg, force) {
        if (opts.verbose || force) {
            console.log(msg);
        }
    }

    /**
     * @brief Initialise this function
     */
    this.init = function() {
        self.loadRequiredFiles(self.afterLoadRequiredFiles);
    };

    this.afterLoadRequiredFiles = function () {
        // Do stuff
    };

}

Answer 3

Necromaning.

I use this to load dependant scripts;
it works with IE8+ without adding any dependency on another library like jQuery !

var cScriptLoader = (function ()
{
    function cScriptLoader(files)
    {
        var _this = this;
        this.log = function (t)
        {
            console.log("ScriptLoader: " + t);
        };
        this.withNoCache = function (filename)
        {
            if (filename.indexOf("?") === -1)
                filename += "?no_cache=" + new Date().getTime();
            else
                filename += "&no_cache=" + new Date().getTime();
            return filename;
        };
        this.loadStyle = function (filename)
        {
            // HTMLLinkElement
            var link = document.createElement("link");
            link.rel = "stylesheet";
            link.type = "text/css";
            link.href = _this.withNoCache(filename);
            _this.log('Loading style ' + filename);
            link.onload = function ()
            {
                _this.log('Loaded style "' + filename + '".');
            };
            link.onerror = function ()
            {
                _this.log('Error loading style "' + filename + '".');
            };
            _this.m_head.appendChild(link);
        };
        this.loadScript = function (i)
        {
            var script = document.createElement('script');
            script.type = 'text/javascript';
            script.src = _this.withNoCache(_this.m_js_files[i]);
            var loadNextScript = function ()
            {
                if (i + 1 < _this.m_js_files.length)
                {
                    _this.loadScript(i + 1);
                }
            };
            script.onload = function ()
            {
                _this.log('Loaded script "' + _this.m_js_files[i] + '".');
                loadNextScript();
            };
            script.onerror = function ()
            {
                _this.log('Error loading script "' + _this.m_js_files[i] + '".');
                loadNextScript();
            };
            _this.log('Loading script "' + _this.m_js_files[i] + '".');
            _this.m_head.appendChild(script);
        };
        this.loadFiles = function ()
        {
            // this.log(this.m_css_files);
            // this.log(this.m_js_files);
            for (var i = 0; i < _this.m_css_files.length; ++i)
                _this.loadStyle(_this.m_css_files[i]);
            _this.loadScript(0);
        };
        this.m_js_files = [];
        this.m_css_files = [];
        this.m_head = document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0];
        // this.m_head = document.head; // IE9+ only
        function endsWith(str, suffix)
        {
            if (str === null || suffix === null)
                return false;
            return str.indexOf(suffix, str.length - suffix.length) !== -1;
        }
        for (var i = 0; i < files.length; ++i)
        {
            if (endsWith(files[i], ".css"))
            {
                this.m_css_files.push(files[i]);
            }
            else if (endsWith(files[i], ".js"))
            {
                this.m_js_files.push(files[i]);
            }
            else
                this.log('Error unknown filetype "' + files[i] + '".');
        }
    }
    return cScriptLoader;
})();
var ScriptLoader = new cScriptLoader(["foo.css", "Scripts/Script4.js", "foobar.css", "Scripts/Script1.js", "Scripts/Script2.js", "Scripts/Script3.js"]);
ScriptLoader.loadFiles();

If you are interested in the typescript-version used to create this:

class cScriptLoader {
    private m_js_files: string[];
    private m_css_files: string[];
    private m_head:HTMLHeadElement;

    private log = (t:any) =>
    {
        console.log("ScriptLoader: " + t);
    }


    constructor(files: string[]) {
        this.m_js_files = [];
        this.m_css_files = [];
        this.m_head = document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0];
        // this.m_head = document.head; // IE9+ only


        function endsWith(str:string, suffix:string):boolean 
        {
            if(str === null || suffix === null)
                return false;

            return str.indexOf(suffix, str.length - suffix.length) !== -1;
        }


        for(let i:number = 0; i < files.length; ++i) 
        {
            if(endsWith(files[i], ".css"))
            {
                this.m_css_files.push(files[i]);
            }
            else if(endsWith(files[i], ".js"))
            {
                this.m_js_files.push(files[i]);
            }
            else
                this.log('Error unknown filetype "' + files[i] +'".');
        }

    }


    public withNoCache = (filename:string):string =>
    {
        if(filename.indexOf("?") === -1)
            filename += "?no_cache=" + new Date().getTime();
        else
            filename += "&no_cache=" + new Date().getTime();

        return filename;    
    }


    public loadStyle = (filename:string) =>
    {
        // HTMLLinkElement
        let link = document.createElement("link");
        link.rel = "stylesheet";
        link.type = "text/css";
        link.href = this.withNoCache(filename);

        this.log('Loading style ' + filename);
        link.onload = () =>
        {
            this.log('Loaded style "' + filename + '".');

        };

        link.onerror = () =>
        {
            this.log('Error loading style "' + filename + '".');
        };

        this.m_head.appendChild(link);
    }


    public loadScript = (i:number) => 
    {
        let script = document.createElement('script');
        script.type = 'text/javascript';
        script.src = this.withNoCache(this.m_js_files[i]);

        var loadNextScript = () => 
        {
            if (i + 1 < this.m_js_files.length)
            {
                this.loadScript(i + 1);
            }
        }

        script.onload = () =>
        {
            this.log('Loaded script "' + this.m_js_files[i] + '".');
            loadNextScript();
        };


        script.onerror = () =>
        {
            this.log('Error loading script "' + this.m_js_files[i] + '".');
            loadNextScript();
        };


        this.log('Loading script "' + this.m_js_files[i] + '".');
        this.m_head.appendChild(script);
    }

    public loadFiles = () => 
    {
        // this.log(this.m_css_files);
        // this.log(this.m_js_files);

        for(let i:number = 0; i < this.m_css_files.length; ++i)
            this.loadStyle(this.m_css_files[i])

        this.loadScript(0);
    }

}


var ScriptLoader = new cScriptLoader(["foo.css", "Scripts/Script4.js", "foobar.css", "Scripts/Script1.js", "Scripts/Script2.js", "Scripts/Script3.js"]);
ScriptLoader.loadFiles();

If it's to load a dynamic list of scripts, write the scripts into an attribute, such as data-main, e.g. <script src="scriptloader.js" data-main="file1.js,file2.js,file3.js,etc." ></script>
and do a element.getAttribute("data-main").split(',')

such as

var target = document.currentScript || (function() {
  var scripts = document.getElementsByTagName('script');
  // Note: this is for IE as IE doesn't support currentScript
  // this does not work if you have deferred loading with async
  // e.g. <script src="..." async="async" ></script>
  // https://web.archive.org/web/20180618155601/https://www.w3schools.com/TAgs/att_script_async.asp
  return scripts[scripts.length - 1];
})();

target.getAttribute("data-main").split(',')

to obtain the list.

Answer 4

You can do it using JQuery:

$.getScript("ajax/test.js", function(data, textStatus, jqxhr) {
  console.log(data); //data returned
  console.log(textStatus); //success
  console.log(jqxhr.status); //200
  console.log('Load was performed.');
});

this link should help: http://api.jquery.com/jQuery.getScript/

Answer 5

Here is a little lib to load javascript and CSS files dynamically:

https://github.com/todotresde/javascript-loader

I guess is usefull to load css and js files in order and dynamically.

Support to extend to load any lib you want, and not just the main file, you can use it to load custom files.

I.E.:

<html>
<head>
    <script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.min.js"></script>
    <script src="scripts/javascript-loader.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" ></script>    
    <script type="text/javascript">
        $(function() {

            registerLib("threejs", test);

            function test(){
                console.log(THREE);
            }

            registerLib("tinymce", draw);

            function draw(){
                tinymce.init({selector:'textarea'});
            }

        }); 
    </script>
</head>
<body>
    <textarea>Your content here.</textarea>
</body>

Answer 6

jQuery's $.getScript() is buggy sometimes, so I use my own implementation of it like:

jQuery.loadScript = function (url, callback) {
    jQuery.ajax({
        url: url,
        dataType: 'script',
        success: callback,
        async: true
    });
}

and use it like:

if (typeof someObject == 'undefined') $.loadScript('url_to_someScript.js', function(){
    //Stuff to do after someScript has loaded
});