I am trying to call a setTimeout from within a setInterval callback:
function callback()
{
//assign myVar
var myVar = document.getElementById("givenID");
//...
//now wait 2 secs then call some code that uses myVAr
setTimeout("myVar.innerHTML = 'TEST'", 2000);
}
setInterval("callback();", 10000);
setInterval works as expected but setTimeout call is failing. I guess the problem is related to the fact that I am referencing a variable (myVar) that's not in scope.
What's the best way to solve this?
This is a perfect candidate for closures:
setInterval(
function ()
{
var myVar = document.getElementById("givenID");
setTimeout(
function()
{
// myVar is available because the inner closure
// gets the outer closures scope
myVar.innerHTML = "Junk";
},2000);
}, 10000);
Your problem is scope related, and this would work around that.
I had a similar problem. The issue was that I was trying to call a method from within itself through a setTimeout(). Something like this, WHICH DIDN'T WORK FOR ME:
function myObject() {
this.egoist = function() {
setTimeout( 'this.egoist()', 200 );
}
}
myObject001 = new myObject();
myObject001.egoist();
The following ALSO DIDN'T WORK:
... setTimeout( egoist, 200 );
... setTimeout( egoist(), 200 );
... setTimeout( this.egoist, 200 );
... setTimeout( this.egoist(), 200 );
... setTimeout( function() { this.egoist() }, 200 );
The solution was to use with() statement like so:
function myObject() {
this.egoist = function() {
with (this) { setTimeout( function() { egoist() }, 200 );}
}
}
myObject001 = new myObject();
myObject001.egoist();
Of course, this is an endless cycle, but the point I'm making here is different.
Hope this helps :)
As a matter of best-practice, try not to use strings as parameters to setTimeout
and setInterval
because that will invoke eval
... Using the following form might also make this problem easier to understand/debug:
setInterval(function () {
// do stuff
// ...
// now wait 2 secs then call someFunction
setTimeout(someFunction, 2000);
}, 10000);
Run it in Firefox and check Tools | Error Console. if setTimeout fails it may tell you why there.
Also, try replacing "someFunction();"
with "alert('hi')"
(no semicolon) and see if that works. If so, the problem is narrowed down significantly.