setTimeOut() is not working with AJAX

Question

In my application i want to send something to the server after some time. I have implemented it using AJAX. But it works for the first time but not doing it recursively. I have used setTimeOut() for doing that.

    var xmlHttp;
    var requestURL = 'http://localhost:1092/ClassicAJAXDemo/UpdateHeartbeat.aspx?name=';

    function show_data(strName)
    {
        if (strName.length > 0)
        {
            var url = requestURL + strName;
            xmlHttp = GetXmlHttpObject(stateChangeHandler);
            xmlHttp_Get(xmlHttp, url);
        }
    }
    function stateChangeHandler()
    {
        if (xmlHttp.readyState == 4)
        {
            var str = xmlHttp.responseText;
            setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000); // It is not waiting for 10 seconds.
        }
    }

    function xmlHttp_Get(xmlhttp, url)
    {
        xmlhttp.open('GET', url, true);
        xmlhttp.send(null);
    }

    function GetXmlHttpObject(handler)
    {
        return new XMLHttpRequest();
    }
    window.onload = show_data('Dev');

Please show what code you have. – strager Sep 19 '09 at 05:53 — strager, Sep 19 '09 at 05:53
Use setInterval instead of setTimeout. Edited my code – rahul Sep 19 '09 at 06:28 — rahul, Sep 19 '09 at 06:28
Remove the clearInterval method and observe the result. – rahul Sep 19 '09 at 06:45 — rahul, Sep 19 '09 at 06:45
Can you inspect using firebug to check for errors? – rahul Sep 19 '09 at 06:57 — rahul, Sep 19 '09 at 06:57

gnarf · Answer 1 · 2009-09-19T07:20:39.833

You have a couple of issues in this code segment that are creating your bugs:

`window.onload = show_data('Dev');`

A bit of explanation about why window.onload = show_data('Dev'); doesn't work is probably in order: window.onload needs to be a function. As your code executes, it is evaluating show_data('Dev') (which doen't return a value, but does start an XMLHTTPRequest, so it appears to work) and executing window.onload = undefined;.

window.onload=show_data; would work - but then you don't get your parameter passed.

Luckily JavaScript allows you to create anonymous functions - leading to:

window.onload = function() { show_data('Dev'); };

`setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000);`

First of all, JavaScript is a case sensitive language. setTimeOut !== setTimeout. Also the first parameter to setTimeout/setInterval is expected to be a function, which suffers from the same problem here as your window.onload did, it calls setTimeout(undefined, 10000);, but executes the request immediately. I also think you mean to call it with the same strName as it was called with.

Your timeout set should say:

setTimeout(function() {show_data(strName);}, 10000);

A side note - setInterval() and setTimeout() both allow passing strings that get eval()ed at runtime, but I would suggest against using that method which looks like this:

// please dont use me
setTimeout("show_data(strname)", 10000);

At this point your code should work when edited with those two lines. The rest of this stuff is just other optimizations

`setTimeout()` vs. `setInterval()`

This seems like it is going to keep checking every 10000ms, unless the ajax request fails, then it will stop. I imagine you just wanted to poll forever. setInterval() allows you to setup a "repeating" timer.

Remove your setTimeout line and replace window.onload with:

var updateInterval;
window.onload = function(){ 
  updateInterval = setInterval(function(){ show_data('Dev'); }, 10000);
};

// an example - lets stop polling 35 seconds from now
setTimeout(function() {
 clearInterval(updateInterval);
}, 35000);

score 2 · Answer 2 · edited Jan 22 '13 at 08:55

2

Replace

window.onload = show_data('Dev');

with

window.onload = function() {
   var intervalID = setInterval( function(){ show_data('Dev')}, 10000);
}

and remove

setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000);

from stateChangeHandler function.

and don't forget to clear the interval

using

clearInterval(intervalID);

The difference between setInterval and setTimeout is that, setTimeout() triggers expression only once, whereas setInterval() keeps triggering expression again and again (unless you tell it to stop).

edited Jan 22 '13 at 08:55

Ivan Ferić

4,725
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answered Sep 19 '09 at 06:05

rahul

184,426
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But it is running for 1 time but i want to run it repeatedly. – Sep 19 '09 at 06:21
Remove the clearInterval method and observe the result. – rahul Sep 19 '09 at 06:45
Ya i have removed that and it is running for once. – Sep 19 '09 at 06:49
Can you inspect using firebug is there is any error? – rahul Sep 19 '09 at 06:50
I got the bug, the bug is setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000); [RIGHT] setInterval(show_data('Dev'), 10000); [WRONG] setInterval("show_data('Dev')", 10000); [RIGHT (Use double quotes)] And Thanks very much Phoenix for the help :) – Sep 19 '09 at 07:06
Edited the code. Please take a look at that. – rahul Sep 19 '09 at 07:23
Assign a function inside the setinterval. – rahul Sep 19 '09 at 07:25

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 19 '09 at 07:08

1

instead of:

setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000);

could/have you tried:

setTimeOut(function() { show_data('Dev') }, 10000);

?

answered Sep 19 '09 at 07:08

Wayne Austin

2,979
3
25
30

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 13 '11 at 20:06

Your window.onload method is definitely wrong. replace that with this:

window.onload = function(){var intervalID = setInterval(function(){show_data('Dev')}, 10000);}

Other answers here seem to cover the other problems so I won't touch that. cheers

setTimeOut() is not working with AJAX

4 Answers4

`window.onload = show_data('Dev');`

`setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000);`

`setTimeout()` vs. `setInterval()`

Linked

setTimeOut() is not working with AJAX

4 Answers4

window.onload = show_data('Dev');

setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000);

setTimeout() vs. setInterval()

Linked

`window.onload = show_data('Dev');`

`setTimeOut(show_data('Dev'), 10000);`

`setTimeout()` vs. `setInterval()`