Hi, @foreachlt - let me tell you how I got that code for #1391...

When using jQuery, then instead of our workarounds, using detach just works: http://api.jquery.com/detach/ - in other words, what we need is detach, not remove...

But Angular's jqLite does not have detach!

I searched for jQuery's detach source code, and for my surprise here is what I've found:

        detach: function( selector ) {
                return this.remove( selector, true );
        },

source: https://github.com/jquery/jquery/blob/master/src/manipulation.js#L464

You see? There is an undocumented second parameter for remove. So, when using jQuery, both detach() or adding a true boolean as second parameter for remove( null, true ) work!

But, again, we are at AngularJS and should rely on jqLite... so, I went further on and checked out the remove code for both jQuery and jqLite.

Below we have jQuery's remove - look how the second parameter (which triggers "detach" behaviour) is used:

        remove: function( selector, keepData /* Internal Use Only */ ) {
                var elem,
                        elems = selector ? jQuery.filter( selector, this ) : this,
                        i = 0;

                for ( ; (elem = elems[i]) != null; i++ ) {
                        if ( !keepData && elem.nodeType === 1 ) {
                                jQuery.cleanData( getAll( elem ) );
                        }

                        if ( elem.parentNode ) {
                                if ( keepData && jQuery.contains( elem.ownerDocument, elem ) ) {
                                        setGlobalEval( getAll( elem, "script" ) );
                                }
                                elem.parentNode.removeChild( elem );
                        }
                }

                return this;
        },

source: https://github.com/jquery/jquery/blob/master/src/manipulation.js#L359

And below we have jqLite's remove:

  remove: function(element) {
    jqLiteDealoc(element);
    var parent = element.parentNode;
    if (parent) parent.removeChild(element);
  },

source: https://github.com/angular/angular.js/blob/master/src/jqLite.js#L799

Further investigation will reveal that jqLiteDealoc is performing similar functionality as of jQuery.cleanData, and what really does the "dettachment" is simply the if ( elem.parentNode ) { elem.parentNode.removeChild( elem ); } in both jQuery and jqLite.

That's why I think jqLite should add a detach method (just like jQuery already has). This way, we could keep the tooltip code cleaner, by simply calling detach instead of this "dirtier" removeChild code...

I wanted to create a PR for a jqLite's detach, and now your interaction gave me the motivation. I think I'll do it. After all, it is quite simple.

@jbruni thanks for the explanation, it makes sense 👍 I hope your PR gets merged in Angular core.

This should be fixed soon via #1455 .

The Angular PR (angular/angular.js#5461) implementing the jqLite detach method has just landed (angular/angular.js@1a05daf).