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Load a JavaScript file dynamically

Written byPhuoc Nguyen
Created
18 Feb, 2020
Category
Level 2 — Intermediate

Load a JavaScript file

js
// Create new script element
const script = document.createElement('script');
script.src = '/path/to/js/file.js';

// Append to the `head` element
document.head.appendChild(script);

Execute code when the JavaScript file is loaded

js
// Create new script element
...
script.addEventListener('load', function() {
// The script is loaded completely
// Do something
});

// Append to the `head` element
...

Load multiple JavaScript files in order

Assume that you want to load an array of JavaScript files, `arrayOfJs`, in order.
To do that, we have to load the first script, and load the second script when the first one is loaded completely. And continue doing so until all scripts are loaded.
js
// Load a script from given `url`
const loadScript = function (url) {
return new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
const script = document.createElement('script');
script.src = url;

script.addEventListener('load', function () {
// The script is loaded completely
resolve(true);
});

document.head.appendChild(script);
});
};

// Perform all promises in the order
const waterfall = function (promises) {
return promises.reduce(
function (p, c) {
// Waiting for `p` completed
return p.then(function () {
// and then `c`
return c().then(function (result) {
return true;
});
});
},
// The initial value passed to the reduce method
Promise.resolve([])
);
};

// Load an array of scripts in order
const loadScriptsInOrder = function (arrayOfJs) {
const promises = arrayOfJs.map(function (url) {
return loadScript(url);
});
return waterfall(promises);
};
The `loadScriptsInOrder` function returns a `Promise` indicates whether all scripts are loaded successfully:
js
loadScriptsInOrder(['/path/to/file.js', '/path/to/another-file.js', '/yet/another/file.js']).then(function () {
// All scripts are loaded completely
// Do something
});

See also

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Phước Nguyễn