Introducing a delay in a JavaScript Function

Question

<script>
function sleep(milliseconds) {
  var start = new Date().getTime();
  for (var i = 0; i < 1e7; i++) {
    if ((new Date().getTime() - start) > milliseconds){
      break;
    }
  }
}

function customFunc(argument)
{
        sleep(1000);
    console.log("Inside third party custom function for event = " + argument.event);
}

var aO = {
       tt:{ 
    cf : customFunc
}};
</script>

I have written a custom sleep function in Javascript which would sleep for the milliseconds it takes as an argumentin sleep function and I have called it in customFunc in which I want to create a delay.Is this the right way or is there any other way I can do it better.

I would recommend not doing this at all, and instead using setTimeout. Busy waiting isn't a good idea. — Chad
– Chad, Commented Nov 5, 2013 at 17:00
@Chad so something like function customFunc(argument) { sleep(1000); console.log("Inside third party custom function for event = " + argument.event); } setTimeout(customFunc,1000); — Swaraj Chhatre
– Swaraj Chhatre, Commented Nov 5, 2013 at 17:01
i would use a self-closing showModalDialog() to pause without hammering the CPU. — dandavis
– dandavis, Commented Nov 5, 2013 at 17:05
you make an html file with a script that goes setTimeout("self.close()", 3000), and three seconds after your showModalDialog("myfile.html") call, the line under it will fire. — dandavis
– dandavis, Commented Nov 5, 2013 at 17:08

Joe DeRose · Accepted Answer · 2013-11-05 17:28:31Z

2

Very clever -- but I think in most situations you'll be served better by JavaScript's built-in functions:

setTimeout(): http://www.w3schools.com/jsref/met_win_settimeout.asp or https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window.setTimeout
setInterval(): http://www.w3schools.com/jsref/met_win_setinterval.asp or https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window.setInterval

edited Nov 5, 2013 at 17:28

answered Nov 5, 2013 at 17:06

Joe DeRose

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1 Comment

Joe DeRose Over a year ago

@macke: Interesting resource, with some good points about W3Schools. I've added MDN links above (but left the originals in place in case the original poster has already referred to them).

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