JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition

Name

Window.setTimeout( ): defer execution of code — JavaScript 1.0:

Synopsis

window.setTimeout(code, delay)

Arguments

code

A function to be invoked, or a string of JavaScript code to be evaluated after the delay has elapsed. If this argument is a string, multiple statements must be separated from each other with semicolons. In IE 4, this argument must be a string; the function form of the method is not supported in that browser.

delay

The amount of time, in milliseconds, before the code should be executed.

Returns

An opaque value (“timeout id”) that can be passed to the clearTimeout( ) method to cancel the execution of code.

Description

The setTimeout( ) method defers the invocation of a JavaScript function or the evaluation of a string of JavaScript code for delay milliseconds. Note that setTimeout( ) executes code only once. If you want multiple invocations, use setInterval( ) or have the code itself call setTimeout( ) again.

When code is executed, it is executed in the context of the Window object. If code is a function, the Window object is the value of the this keyword. If code is a string, it is evaluated in the global scope with the Window object as the only object on the scope chain. This is true even if the call to setTimeout( ) occurred within a function with a longer scope chain.

See Also

Window.clearTimeout( ), Window.setInterval( )