how do i call a method on a plugin once it's attached?

how do i call a method on a plugin once it's attached?

I use remy sharp's maxlength plugin, but i think this question is generic to any jquery plugin.  how do i call a function on a specific control once i attach the plugin to it?

  1. <textarea name="x" id="y" maxlength="100"></textarea>
  2. Remaining: <span class='.limit'></span> (100 characters total)
  3. $('#y').maxlength({ 'feedback' : '.limit' });

the trouble is that later i set the textarea with jquery and the count doesn't update.  i would like to call the updateCount() method in the maxlength plugin directly.

  1. $('#y').html('');