Timing in JavaScript

In this lesson we discuss

• Date.now()
• setTimeout and setInterval
• callbacks

What time is it?

Ironically, the normal way to tell the time in JavaScript is to use an object called Date.

Calling Date.now() returns a very big number... try it now.

That number represents the number of milliseconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970.

This value is also known as unix time or epoch time, and is a standard way of marking time in software... although as usual, JavaScript is not quite following the standards, since usually it's expressed in seconds, not milliseconds.

Lab: Unix Months

As a really quick exercise, calculate the number of months since 1970.

Hint: remember the Playing With Numbers lab?

Timers and Callbacks

The concept of callbacks is very common in JavaScript. In fact, you've probably used them already!

In this lesson we will focus on callbacks in the context of another very useful and common function, setTimeout.

What is a callback?

A callback is just a function.

What makes it special is that you pass in as a parameter to a different function.

Later on, the callback function gets called back -- but not by your own code.

Rather, the function that you passed it in to in the first place either calls it immediately, or stores it away somewhere, so that it can be called when something else happens later on...

...possibly seconds or minutes or hours later!

setTimeout

The built-in function setTimeout sets up a callback.

You call it with two parameters:

1. a callback function (let's call it F)
2. a number of milliseconds (let's call it N)

setTimeout returns immediately, but also sets up a hidden timer

after approximately N milliseconds, F gets called back

Try this now:

function later() {
  console.log("See you later...");
  setTimeout( alligator, 1000 );
}
function alligator() {
  console.log("Alligator!")
}
later();

MDN: setTimeout documentation

setTimeout with inline callback

This "later alligator" program could be rewritten to use an anonymous inline function instead of a named top-level function.

function later() {
  setTimeout( function() {
    console.log("Alligator!")
  }, 1000 );
  console.log("See you later...");
}
later();

Using inline callbacks is a very common idiom in JavaScript, especially with setTimeout.

The syntax can be confusing because of all the parentheses and curly braces, but it's essentially the same pattern as above:

• call setTimeout with two parameters
• the first parameter is a function that prints "Alligator!"
• the second parameter is a number of milliseconds
• setTimeout will return immediately, then wait 1000 msec, then call the function

Note that even though "See you later" appears lower in the code than "Alligator", it happens first because setTimeout returns immediately.

Inline Function Parameter

Let's zoom in on the call to setTimeout.

  setTimeout( function() {
    console.log("Alligator!")
  }, 1000 );

• This code looks weird! It will probably take you a while before inline function arguments look and feel natural to you.
• The key to understanding this code is to remember that this is a normal function call with two parameters, just like add(2, 2).
• The weirdness comes from the fact that the first argument is not a function call. It's an entire function defined inline:

function() { console.log("Alligator!") }

The comma separating the parameters comes immediately after the inline function's closing brace:

"Alligator!") } , 1000
--------------/ | \---/
        |       |   |
  first arg     |  second arg
              comma   

Fat arrows can make inline function code more concise, and (to some) clearer. YMMV!

setTimeout( () => console.log("Alligator!") , 1000 );

Lab: measuring setTimeout's accuracy

In this lab, we will demonstrate that setTimeout is not perfect.

(But hey, who is?)

Write a function named waitASecond that...

1. Gets the current time in milliseconds
2. Saves it in a variable
3. Uses setTimeout to set up a one second timer
4. When the callback executes, get the current time again
5. Subtract the start time from the new current time and print that value

Now run the function several times in a row. What do you notice?

function waitASecond() {
  let start = Date.now();
  setTimeout(
    function() {
      let end = Date.now();
      console.log(end - start);
    },
  1000)
}

setInterval

setTimeout has a sibling named setInterval

It works a lot like setTimeout but is a little more complicated.

After calling setInterval, JavaScript will call your callback again and again forever until you clear the timer.

For example:

function countDownFrom(num) {
    let intervalId = setInterval(tick, 1000);

    function tick() {
        console.log(num);
        num = num - 1;
        if (num <= 0) {
            console.log('Blastoff!');
            clearInterval(intervalId);
        }
    }
}
countDownFrom(10);

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WindowOrWorkerGlobalScope/setInterval

setInterval or setTimeout?

When you want something to happen again and again on a fixed delay, you need to choose between setInterval and setTimeout.

setInterval is a bit more powerful but also a bit more complicated.

Note that anything you do with setInterval could instead be implemented using setTimeout, as long as your callback calls setTimeout again recursively, like this:

function countDownFrom(num) {
    setTimeout(tick, 1000);

    function tick() {
        console.log(num);
        num = num - 1;
        if (num <= 0) {
          console.log('Blastoff!');
        } else {
          setTimeout(tick, 1000);
        }
    }
}
countDownFrom(10);

This design decision comes down to personal style and preference; the two solutions have about the same complexity and number of lines of code.

Testing Asynchronous Code

• Use a "Mock Clock"

  • the mock clock temporarily replaces setTimeout with a different function during tests
  • this function keeps track of what would be called when
  • then "ticks" forward when asked
  • so your tests can simulate speeding up and slowing down time

• In Jasmine:

beforeEach(function() {
  jasmine.Clock.useMock();
});
//... call the code that calls setTimeout
jasmine.Clock.tick(500); // advance 500 msec

• see thread How to test timers?