Conditionally load JavaScript file

I need a JS statement that determine which JavaScript file to use.

I have one file:

<script type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery_computer.js"></script>

But when the screen width is less than 500px, I want load another file instead:

<script type="text/javascript" src="js/mobile_version.js"></script>

I have tried everything and it is not working.

You'd have to create that markup yourself in JS. Something like this:

var head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
var js = document.createElement("script");

js.type = "text/javascript";

if (screen.width > 500)
{
    js.src = "js/jquery_computer.js";
}
else
{
    js.src = "js/mobile_version.js";
}

head.appendChild(js);

If you want the script loaded asynchronously, the other answers here do that.

If you want it loaded synchronously with page load, this is one of the very, very few remaining valid uses cases for document.write:

<script>
(function() { // Scoping function to avoid globals
    var src = /*you want the main version*/ ? "jquery_computer.js" : "mobile_version.js";
    document.write('<script src="js/' + src + '"><\/script>');
})();
</script>

(I've removed type because JavaScript is the default, specifying it isn't useful.)

Maybe you can use matchMedia.js and can load a script using jQuery.getScript

$(function(){
    if (matchMedia('only screen and (max-width: 500px)').matches) {
        $.getScript(...);
    }
});

Best would be to use built-in matchMedia API.

var script = document.createElement('script');
script.type='text/javascript';

if(window.matchMedia("(min-width:500px)").matches) {
  script.src = 'js/jquery.slitslider.js';      
}else{
  script.src = 'js/mobile_version.js';      
}

document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(script);

Drawback is that it is not supported in IE < 10

You don't need jQuery for this, it suffices to create the <script> tag in the DOM dynamically:

var head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
var script = document.createElement('script');

script.type = 'text/javascript';

if (<screen-width less than 500>)
    script.src = "js/mobile_version.js";
else
    script.src = "js/jquery_computer.js";

head.appendChild(script);

$(function(){
    var width = $(document).width(),
        mobile = 500;

    if (width > mobile) {
        $('head').append('<script class="desktop" type="text/javascript" src="js/jquery_computer.js"></script>');
        $('head').find('.mobile').remove();
    } 
    else
    {
        $('head').append('<script class="mobile" type="text/javascript" src="js/mobile_version.js"></script>');
        $('head').find('.desktop').remove();
    }
});

just use if else to detect condition and use class on script element may be it help

You could use the async import() if you like.

import(condition ? 'js/desktop_version.js' : 'js/mobile_version.js')

In a script tag with <script type="module"> or inside a module loaded with import() from a regular <script> you can alos use top-level await in the newest (experimental) browsers

<script type="module">
  await import(condition ? 'js/desktop_version.js' : 'js/mobile_version.js')      
</script>

But it won't work for every script.

• A common reason why is those UMD module bundler that adds a closure
  (function(global){...}(this)) since this is undefined in modules.
• Third party scripts needs to have CORS enable to load
• won't work in IE, but it's dead anyway
• see other known differences

you can use $.getScript in jQuery

see here for details