setTimeout and setInterval - timed events

Need to animate something? This are the two calls in your browser you really need to know about.

How do they work?

One passes a Javascript function as the first argument and the time in milliseconds before the that function will be called. For example:

setTimeout(function(){
   console.log("Breakdance now!");
}, 3000);

This will call the function defined 3 seconds after the code is run.

What is the difference between setInterval and setTimeout?

setInterval will repeat indefinitely until you cancel it.

How can I cancel a timer?

This will work:

var TIMid = setTimeout(function() { console.log("Hello");}, 3000);
clearTimeout(TIMid);

Notice you have to keep track of the ID in a Javascript variable and then use it again?

The same method can be used with setInterval.

Concepts