How to pause the execution of Javascript without making a browser lag out?

Question

I have a script that changes some values and clicks some buttons in a browser. I'm looking for a way to pause the execution of the code for x seconds without making the browser lag out. I'm using Firefox and I paste this script into its console. I'm aware of the setTimeout() function. However, this function doesn't stop executing the code, but rather waits x seconds till executing it. I'm looking for a complete solution that's similar to Python's time.sleep() function and pauses the execution of the code completely.

var init = 0.01
var start = init
var $odds = $("#oddsOverUnder")
var $button = $("#roll")
var $bet = $("#bet")

function roll(){
    $bet.val(start)
    $button.click()
    //i want to pause the execution of the code here//
    $button.click()
    //and here//
    refreshIntervalId=setInterval(roll2, 2000)}

function roll2(){
    var tr = document.querySelector("#myBetsTable tr:nth-child(2)")
    var cls = tr.getAttribute('class')
    if (cls === 'success'){
        start = init
        $bet.val(start)}
    else{
        start = start * 2
        $bet.val(start)
        $odds.click()}

clearInterval(refreshIntervalId)
roll()}

roll()

"The setInterval() method calls a function or evaluates an expression at specified intervals (in milliseconds)." which doesn't really help me solve my problem. — Recuvan, Apr 08 '16 at 20:22
well, you could keep track of how many intervals have passed and then clear the interval... — omarjmh, Apr 08 '16 at 20:23

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:59

1

How about setting timeouts inside a timeout?

function roll() {
    $bet.val(start)
    $button.click()
    setTimeout(function() {
            $button.click();
            setTimeout(
                function() {
                    $button.click();
                    refreshIntervalId = setInterval(roll2, 2000)
                },
                5000
            );
        },
        5000
    );
}

also, please see: https://stackoverflow.com/a/951057/2119863

edited May 23 '17 at 11:59

Community

1
1

answered Apr 08 '16 at 20:22

Unamata Sanatarai

6,475
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51

Great answer! Thanks for that and for the link provided above, it's worth reading – Recuvan Apr 08 '16 at 20:31

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 08 '16 at 20:30

There's no equivalent to Python's time.sleep() in JavaScript, which generally executes asynchronously by design. If you'd like to delay execution of code, you can use setTimeout, as you mentioned.

Without understanding exactly what your code is supposed to do, I can't suggest the ideal architecture for this problem. There's definitely a better way to do it than what I'm about to suggest. Still, to answer your question, you can simulate what you're asking this way:

function roll() {

    $bet.val(start);
    $button.click();

    setTimeout(function () {
        $button.click();
        setTimeout(function () {
           refreshIntervalId = setInterval(roll2, 2000);
        }, 1000);
    }, 1000);

}

I've chosen this answer because it's explained better than others, thanks for that, it works! — Recuvan, Apr 08 '16 at 20:34

How to pause the execution of Javascript without making a browser lag out?

2 Answers2