I expect the following code to unload a javascipt jqgrid, then load another grid with different options, including different columns //onload (function($) $.fn.myGridFn = function(options){ $(this).jqGrid('GridUnload'); $(this).jqGrid(options.gridoptions); //.... $('#select').change(function(){ switch($(this).val()) { case 'grid1': $('#grid').myGridFn({gridoptions:{/*grid1 options*/}}); break; case 'grid2': $('#grid').myGridFn({gridoptions:{/*grid2 options*/}}); break; } }); })(jQuery); //... <table id="grid"></table> What I get is the grid unloading, then I have to change the selection in the select element and back again to load the new grid. Updated: If I replace the $(this) in the plugin with the actual element selector $('#grid') - it works just fine, I cant do this in my real app because the plugin is used by several other table elements and grids