how to wait in javascript

How to Wait in Javascript - Explained with Code Examples

Introduction

Waiting is an essential part of any programming language, and Javascript is no exception. Waiting allows us to pause the execution of our code until a specific condition is met or a certain amount of time has passed.

In this article, we'll explore different ways to wait in Javascript using code examples. We'll cover the use of setTimeout(), setInterval(), and async/await.

Using setTimeout()

setTimeout() is a function that allows us to delay the execution of a function by a specified amount of time. It takes two arguments: the function we want to execute and the time we want to wait before executing it.

Here's an example:

function sayHello() {
  console.log("Hello");
}

setTimeout(sayHello, 1000); // wait 1 second before executing sayHello()

This code will print "Hello" to the console after waiting for 1 second.

Using setInterval()

setInterval() is a function that allows us to execute a function repeatedly after a specified amount of time has passed. It takes two arguments: the function we want to execute and the time interval between each execution.

Here's an example:

function sayHello() {
  console.log("Hello");
}

setInterval(sayHello, 1000); // execute sayHello() every 1 second

This code will print "Hello" to the console every 1 second until we manually stop it.

Using async/await

async/await is a newer feature in Javascript that allows us to write asynchronous code in a synchronous style. It uses the async keyword to define a function as asynchronous and the await keyword to wait for a promise to resolve before continuing execution.

Here's an example:

function wait(ms) {
  return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
}

async function sayHello() {
  await wait(1000);
  console.log("Hello");
}

sayHello();

This code will print "Hello" to the console after waiting for 1 second. The wait() function returns a promise that resolves after a specified amount of time, and sayHello() waits for that promise to resolve before printing "Hello".

Conclusion

Waiting is an essential part of any programming language, and Javascript provides multiple ways to wait for a specific condition or a certain amount of time. We explored three different ways to wait in Javascript using code examples: setTimeout(), setInterval(), and async/await.

Choose the method that best fits your use case and start waiting in your Javascript code today!

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