GeoJSON - Resymbolize without redownloading?

Question

GeoJSON served via GeoServer to OpenLayers.

Simple question - Is it possible to apply a new styleMap without redownloading the data from the server?

I am currently using the following, but am redownloading.

layer.styleMap = new_style
layer.refresh({force:true})

Answer 1

layer.redraw();

It really is as simple as that. layer.refresh(); sends another request for the data to the backend, while the above command simply redraws the layer. For my usage this is for a symbology change, but I'm sure others will have more interesting effects.