WorkerGlobalScope: setTimeout() method

{{APIRef("HTML DOM")}} {{AvailableInWorkers("worker")}} 

The setTimeout() method of the {{domxref("WorkerGlobalScope")}}  interface sets a timer which executes a function or specified piece of code once the timer expires.

Syntax

setTimeout(code)
setTimeout(code, delay)

setTimeout(functionRef)
setTimeout(functionRef, delay)
setTimeout(functionRef, delay, param1)
setTimeout(functionRef, delay, param1, param2)
setTimeout(functionRef, delay, param1, param2, /* …, */ paramN)

Parameters

• functionRef

  • : A {{jsxref("function")}}  to be executed after the timer expires.

• code

  • : An alternative syntax that allows you to include a string instead of a function, which is compiled and executed when the timer expires. This syntax is not recommended for the same reasons that make using {{jsxref("Global_Objects/eval", "eval()")}}  a security risk.

• delay {{optional_inline}} 

  • : The time, in milliseconds that the timer should wait before the specified function or code is executed. If this parameter is omitted, a value of 0 is used, meaning execute “immediately”, or more accurately, the next event cycle.

    Note that in either case, the actual delay may be longer than intended; see Reasons for delays longer than specified.

    Also note that if the value isn’t a number, implicit {{glossary("type coercion")}}  is silently done on the value to convert it to a number — which can lead to unexpected and surprising results; see Non-number delay values are silently coerced into numbers for an example.

• param1, …, paramN {{optional_inline}} 

  • : Additional arguments which are passed through to the function specified by functionRef.

Return value

The setTimeout() method returns a positive integer (typically within the range of 1 to 2,147,483,647) that uniquely identifies the timer created by the call. This identifier, often referred to as a “timeout ID”, can be passed to {{domxref("Window.clearTimeout","clearTimeout()")}}  to cancel the timer.

Within the same global environment (e.g., a specific window or worker) the timeout ID is guaranteed not to be reused for any new timer as long as the original timer remains active. However, separate global environments maintain their own independent pools of timer IDs.

Description

See {{domxref("Window.setTimeout()")}}  for detailed descriptions.

Examples

See {{domxref("Window.setTimeout()")}}  for examples.

Specifications

{{Specifications}} 

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}} 

See also

• Polyfill of setTimeout which allows passing arguments to the callback in core-js
• {{domxref("Window.setTimeout()")}} 
• {{domxref("WorkerGlobalScope.clearTimeout()")}} 
• {{domxref("WorkerGlobalScope.setInterval()")}} 
• {{domxref("DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope.requestAnimationFrame()")}} 
• {{domxref("WorkerGlobalScope.queueMicrotask()")}}