From: FAQ server on
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FAQ Topic - How do I make a 10 second delay?
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There is no built-in way to pause execution in javascript such
as a sleep function, but hosts usually provide a method of some
form. Web browsers are designed for event driven programming and
only provide the ` setTimeout ` and ` setInterval ` functions
to facilitate timed delays. The delay before calling Snork may
exceed the second parameter to ` setTimeout ` and ` setInterval `
due to implementation differences among browsers.

To call the function ` Snork() `, approx 10 seconds
after the function ` Moomin() `, you would do this:

Moomin()
setTimeout('Snork()',10000)

Script execution is not stopped, and adding ` Snufkin() ` after the
setTimeout line would immediately execute the function ` Snufkin() `
before ` Snork() `

Achieving delays through running a loop of some sort for a
pre-defined period is a bad strategy, as that will tend to
put CPU use up to 100% and inhibit whatever was supposed to
be happening during the delay.

Other (less event driven) hosts have different wait functions,
such as ` WScript.Sleep() ` in the Windows Script Host.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536753.aspx

http://docs.sun.com/source/816-6408-10/window.htm#1203758

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event-driven_programming


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