FAQ Topic - How do I make a 10 second delay? (2009-12-28)

[FAQ server]

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FAQ Topic - How do I make a 10 second delay?
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There is no built-in way to pause execution in javascript such
as a sleep function, but hosts usually provide a method of some
form. Web browsers are designed for event driven programming and
only provide the ` setTimeout ` and ` setInterval ` functions
to facilitate timed delays. The delay before calling ` getSnork ` may
exceed the second parameter to ` setTimeout ` and ` setInterval `
due to implementation differences among browsers.

To call the function ` getSnork `, approximately 10 seconds
after the function ` getMoomin() ` completes, you would do this:

getMoomin();
setTimeout(getSnork, 10000);

Script execution is not stopped, and adding ` getSnufkin() ` after the
` setTimeout ` line would immediately execute the function ` getSnufkin `
before ` getSnork `.

Achieving delays through running a loop of some sort for a pre-defined
period is a bad strategy, as that will inhibit whatever was supposed to
be happening during the delay, including blocking user interation.

Other (less event driven) hosts have different wait functions,
such as ` WScript.Sleep() ` in the Windows Script Host.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536753%28VS.85%29.aspx

http://docs.sun.com/source/816-6408-10/window.htm#1203758

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event-driven_programming

http://jibbering.com/faq/faq_notes/misc.html#mtSetTI

The complete comp.lang.javascript FAQ is at
http://jibbering.com/faq/

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