Develop Reference

setTimeout inside for loop with random values

Problem is that setTimeout function within for loop is not getting the correct values despite the fact they were passed correctly. Second problem is that the sleep variable is not working, it simply ignores it. Other variables like i are acting strange, they are not going though the loop, they are going in a random order.
Inside function set_delay
console.log(i);
// 3,5,0,2,4,1 should be 0,1,2,3,4,5
console.log(sleep);
// 6000,6000,7000,9000,9000,10000, those ones are displayied in ASC order but shuold be randomly
console.log(share_screen_rate[i]);
//4,1,6,10,6,2,8 - this is not ok it's random
console.log(top);
// 749.5,2998,299.8,499.667,149,374.75 => this should be in order from smallest (149) to biggest (2998)
setTimeout(function() {
}, sleep);
if I change sleep to a numeric value like 2000 it is respected only for first iteration after nothing, it just goes at 0ms.
FULL CODE
https://jsfiddle.net/ojpv2nxu/
EXPECTED OUTPUT
This should be a simple script to scroll down the page and make pause based on the sleep variable and also read the page chunk by chunk based on the share_screen_rate variable

I think it is a logic issue.... You are expecting the setTimeout to happen x seconds after the last one. But they are firing x seconds after you set it. So it is working as expected.
If you want them to fire x seconds after the last, than you need to change the logic to keep track of the seconds and adjust the timers.
so top of the file add
var timeTrack = 0
and than you need to add to that value
timeTrack += sleep
setTimeout(function() {
}, timeTrack);

For Loop Iteration Happening all at Once Rather than By Delay

For one of my elements on my page, I want the text to change every ten seconds, and for the class to be changed. Text changing is easy, as is class changing, but I'm having trouble with my for loop, and I feel like I'm missing something.
I want to have the for loop choose a random faction in an array, and then apply that to the element. For my testing, I've been using console.log rather than DOM manipulation.
First, I set up my array:
var factions = ["Enforcers", "Reapers", "Ular Boys", "Roaches"];
Then, I want a variable that is a number chosen at random in reference to this array:
var x = factions[Math.floor(Math.random()*factions.length)];
From that, I want the ability to run the Math.floor and Math.random functions elsewhere.
function reDefine() {
x = factions[Math.floor(Math.random()*factions.length)];
console.log(x);
}
Finally, I want the for loop to run 200 times (I've chosen 200 times because it's far and beyond the time the user will be staying on the site), so I told it to count to 200 (i = 0; i < 200). After that, I wanted each time it iterated, to wait 10s, so I have a Timeout function with a delay of 10000 (milliseconds). Then, the code to reDefine and then, in the case of testing, console.log the new definition of the x variable.
function reChange() {
for (var i = 0; i < 200; i++) {
setTimeout(function() {
reDefine();
console.log("Chosen faction is now: " + x);
}, 10000);
}
}
Instead of counting to 1 (the first iteration), waiting 10000, and then redefining x, it redefines x two hundred times, then logs them all.
Is there something I'm specifically doing wrong here, perhaps with the Timeout function?

Is there something I'm specifically doing wrong here, perhaps with the Timeout function?
Yes! You're scheduling a bunch of deferred callbacks, but not actually waiting until one has finished to schedule the next.
You can fix that with something as simple as:
function reChange(currentIndex) {
setTimeout(function() {
reDefine();
console.log("Chosen faction is now: " + factions[currentIndex]);
// If we haven't gotten to the end of the list, queue up another one
var nextIndex = ++currentIndex;
if (nextIndex < factions.length) {
// Enqueue the next faction
reChange(nextIndex);
}
}, 10000);
}
Make sure to note that the function without the timeout has closure over the value of currentIndex for each call of reChange. That is, the next invocation does not replace currentIndex in any previous timeout, since primitives (including numbers) are passed by value. Closure in JS can be a tricky thing.
The core problem is that your execution right now looks like:
for each item
wait
log
rather than:
for the current item
wait
log
repeat
Because JS is single-threaded (for most intents and purposes), setTimeout adds a callback to be executed later. It doesn't block until the timeout has expired, like a traditional sleep would do.

do while loop with setTimeout causing infinite loop

I'm working on a simon game(the one you follow the color pattern). It makes it through the computers 1st turn and my 1st turn but trying to do a setTimeout between each computer choice is causing an infinite loop with the do while statement or playing both choices at the same time if I use for loop. The highlightDiv function just does a toggleClass on the div, then a setTimeout to toggle the class back off. And the audioStart function uses a switch statement to determine which sound to play and then a setTimeout of half a second to play that sound. I thought this setTimeout on the increment would allow enough time for those two things to happen before it incremented and then did the next index in the computerChoice array. This is the codepen if that is easier: http://codepen.io/RawleJuglal/pen/pgRVKd
var computerChoice = ["red", "yellow"],index=0;
function computerPattern(cPattern, index){
console.log("Entered computer pattern function");
console.log("This is cPattern");
console.log(cPattern);
console.log("This is index: "+ index);
if(index !== cPattern.length)
{
highlightDiv(cPattern[index]);
audioStart(cPattern[index]);
index++;
computerPattern(cPattern, index);
}
else
{
index=0;
}
console.log("Leaving computerPattern function");
}
computerPattern(computerChoice, index);

Javascript is single threaded, and the concept of timeouts means that you place a function on a special queue, which is to execute your callbacks when their time is due. now, since in your code, the i variable is being updated only in the timeout function, which is only after 3 seconds, it means that the body of the loop will run again and again until 3 seconds are met.
in 3 seconds, javascript can run thousands of iterations, and each iteration registers another timeout, which means that your event queue is blasted and your single thread will have hard time completing all those tasks until i is finally reaching cPattern.length, if ever.
your solution might be using some sort of setInterval which has a callback that does what you want, and stops on some iteration variable that increments every time, let's say like this:
var interval = setInterval(function(){
console.log(cPattern[i]);
highlightDiv(cPattern[i]);
audioStart(cPattern[i]);
i++;
if(i >= cPattern.length){
clearInterval(interval);
}
},
2000);

Your timeout function is never called because you don't give it a chance. As long as your code is running (your loop), the browser can't run the scheduled scripts, which use the same thread. You will have to rethink the code.

You're incrementing a variable called i within the anonymous function delegate that you're passing to setTimeout. The locally-scoped variable i on which the do-while loop depends is never updated.
Depending on the functionality you're looking for, you can increment the variable i while it's still in scope, then use a closure to pass a snapshot of its value to the setTimeout function delegate.
function run(){
var i = 0
do{
(function(i){
setTimeout(function(){
alert(i);
},1000);
})(i++)
}
while(i < 2);
}
run();

Making a total number count appear to increase

Basically I have a class counting system that displays the number of classes and displays them in a span element. Below is the code:
$.get('other.html', function(data) {
$('#total').html($('.doc', data).length);
});
This works perfectly, however I'd like a way to have the numbers increasing one by one since the span element contains 0 when the page loads. Here's an example (the numbers increasing on here).
For this I have tried setTimeout and despite this not working anyway, I released it would simply delay the function and then display the end number. I have heard of periodical or something similar being used but could not find this in the example source code.
I am really sorry for more poor phrasing. If you have no idea what I mean then just ask and I'll try rephrase or find a better example.

The key is the function which increases the number should set a setTimeout to call itself, before termination. This way it will always be called again. If you want the option to stop the incrementing, you can add a global variable, and the function will only set a new timeout when that variable is true.
Example:
var doIncrement = true;
var numberToIncrement = 0;
function increment {
numberToIncrement++;
$('#mySpan').text(numberToIncrement);
if (doIncrement) {
setTimeout(increment, 1000);
}
}

You could use the setInterval function that allows you to run code at some time intervals. clearInterval allows to stop the task.
http://jsfiddle.net/d52Pw/
var $totalEl = $('#total');
$.get('other.html', function(data) {
var len = $('.doc', data).length,
count = 0,
int = setInterval(function () {
if (++count === len) {
//when we reach len, we stop the task
clearInterval(int);
}
$totalEl.html(count);
}, 500); //run every 1/2 sec
});

setInterval with an Array

I'd like to use the setInterval function in jQuery in order to create an alert with the content of one array every 4 seconds. However my alerts show all the values of my array within a short amount of time and it stops for 4 seconds after having displayed all the values.
$.each(['html5', 'EDM', 'Coca Cola', 'creativity'], function(id,value) {
setInterval(function(){
alert(value);
}, 4000);
});
In this case, I'd like to display something like : Alert('html5') - 4 seconds - Alert('EDM') - 4 seconds - Alert('Coca Cola') - 4 seconds - Alert('creativity') - 4 seconds - Alert('html5') - 4 seconds - Alert('EDM') - 4 seconds - ...

Move the setInterval from the loop.
var arr = ['html5', 'EDM', 'Coca Cola', 'creativity'];
var index = 0;
setInterval(function() {
console.log(arr[index++ % arr.length]);
}, 4000);​
Live DEMO
No jQuery needed.

Use a recursive setTimeout
var arr = ['html5', 'EDM', 'Coca Cola', 'creativity'];
var alertLoop = function(i) {
if (arr[i]) {
alert(arr[i]);
setTimeout(function(){alertLoop(i+1);}, 4000);
}
}
alertLoop(0);
Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/B5tJw/

Use of setInterval is discouraged. For an explanation, read here: http://bonsaiden.github.com/JavaScript-Garden/#other.timeouts
To summarise the problem:
setInterval fires the event at a regular interval, regardless of what else is happening on the page.
However, Javascript is not multi-threaded: it can only run one code sequence at a time. If setInterval is triggered while another code sequence is being run, the new code sequence will be blocked until the previous one is finished, and will wait for it.
If this happens repeatedly, you can end up with a large number of events waiting to be run.
You're using alert() to display your messages. alert() causes the code execution sequence to pause until the user responds to the message, but keeps it locked, so that other events cannot run their code. This is a particular problem for setInterval, because it fires new events at the specified time, regardless of whether something else is blocking the script.
The solution is to use setTimeout instead of setInterval.
setTimeout is only triggered once, but it is easy to tell it to trigger itself again inside its own function, so you can get the same effect as setInterval, but with much more control. Your code can wait until after the alert() has been accepted by the user before triggering the next event, which means that you won't get the problem of cascading events that can happen with setInterval.
Hope that helps explain things. The link I mentioned at the beginning is also very helpful.