JavaScript / Node.js event loop tick ids - javascript

I am wondering if there is some neat way of knowing if a function is called in the current tick (the tick in which the function was declared), or the next tick (or some future tick) of the Node.js event loop
for example:
function foo(cb){
// we can fire callback synchronously
cb();
// or we can fire callback asynchronously
process.nextTick(cb);
}
say will call foo like so:
function outer(){
const currentTickId = process.currentTickId;
function bar(){ //bar gets created everytime outer is called..
if(process.currentTickId === currentTickId){
//do something
}
else{
// do something else
}
}
// foo is always called in the same tick that bar was
// declared, but bar might not be called until the next tick
foo(bar);
}
most applications won't need something like this, but I am writing a library and it would be useful to have this functionality, if it's possible! note that process.currentTickId is made up by me for this example

It looks like you've already discovered process.nextTick.
You could use this to rig up a system to achieve "process.currentTickId" as the code in your question indicates you need:
process.currentTickId = 0;
const onTick = () => {
process.currentTickId++;
process.nextTick(onTick);
};
process.nextTick(onTick);

NPM lib:
https://www.npmjs.com/package/event-loop-ticks
Improved answer basing on #Emmett post:
let _tick = 0;
const onTick = () => {
_tick++;
setImmediate(() => process.nextTick(onTick)).unref();
};
process.nextTick(onTick);

Related

wrapping a function in a pollSever function

I am using an already defined function and now want to add a pollServer function to it so that this functions runs over and over. I keep getting errors when I try to wrap the existing function in another. Is there a better way to do this?
function callD(id) {
jQuery('document').ready(function pollServer(){
window.setTimeout(function () {
var ab = document.getElementById('a')
console.log(ab);
var bod = document.getElementById(+id)
if (ab == null) {
bod.style.background='green'
} else {
bod.style.background='blue'
}
}, 1200);
})
}
callD();
pollServer();
pollServer isn't defined where you're calling it. Also id isn't being passed to callD, and you also have a +id which doesn't make sense in a document.getElementByid, since if there's any non-number in the ID, that would be NaN. You're also not polling a server, you're setting a timeout once and doing some work that doesn't involve a server. You would want setInterval for regular polling, or to call the function again on some condition like a failure.
$(document).ready(function () {
var intervalId;
function callD(id) {
function pollServer() {
intervalId = window.setInterval(function () {
var ab = document.getElementById('a')
console.log(ab);
var bod = document.getElementById(id)
if (ab == null) {
bod.style.background='green'
} else {
bod.style.background='blue'
}
}, 1200);
}
pollServer();
}
callD('some-id');
// on some condtion eventually:
clearInterval(intervalId);
})
Yeah, jQuery can make things pretty gnarly with all the nested callbacks. To make the code cleaner and easier to understand, I like to split my functions up and define them all at the top-most level of the script, then compose them together like so:
/**
* this function will check for the existing elements
* and update styles
*/
function setBodyStyle(id) {
var ab = document.getElementById('a');
console.log(ab);
var bod = document.getElementById(+id);
if (ab == null) {
bod.style.background='green';
} else {
bod.style.background='blue';
}
}
/**
* this function will create a timeout or interval
* which will in turn run setBodyStyle()
*/
function pollServer() {
// I think you want setInterval here if you're polling?
// setInterval will run _every_ 1200ms,
// setTimeout only runs once after 1200ms
window.setInterval(function() {
// not sure where you're getting id from,
// but you'll want to pass it here
setBodyStyle();
}, 1200);
}
// when the document is ready, run pollServer()
jQuery(document).ready(pollServer);
Having small functions that do one thing is just best-practice for the reasons I mentioned above. This will help your script be more understandable, which will help you find bugs.
For example, two things I don't understand about your code above:
where does the id variable come from? I don't see you passing it to your function from anywhere
how does your script poll the server? I don't see the code for that anywhere either.
Seemed you mean run the function pollServer every 1.2 sec. If so, you'd need to do two things
Use setInterval rather than setTimeout
Delete the last line for the pollServer function, because it is not accessible from outside the ready function block.

How setDefinitionFunctionWrapper() works in Cucumber JS?

I couldn't be able to find any good explanation of how the method works exactly and how it could be useable. In the documentation I found the description:
setDefinitionFunctionWrapper(fn, options)
Set a function used to wrap step / hook definitions. When used, the
result is wrapped again to ensure it has the same length of the
original step / hook definition. options is the step specific
wrapperOptions and may be undefined.
I'm not experienced programmer and I do not understand what "wrapping" means in this context. I'd be glad if someone will explain the subject more effectively
I tried using the snippet Jorge Chip posted and It does not work.
You should use this instead:
const {setDefinitionFunctionWrapper} = require('cucumber');
setDefinitionFunctionWrapper(function(fn){
if(condition){//you want to do before and after step stuff
return async function(){
//do before step stuff
await fn.apply(this, arguments)
//do after step stuff
}
}
else{//just want to run the step
return fn
}
}
in the snippet he posted he used args which will not work he also used await inside of a non async function which will also not work
A wrapper function is a subroutine in a software library or a computer program whose main purpose is to call a second subroutine or a system call with little or no additional computation.
Usually programmers wrap functions with another function to do extra small actions before or after the wrapped function.
myWrappedFunction () { doSomething }
myWrapper () { doSmallBits; myWrappedFunction(); doSmallBits; }
(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrapper_function
Digging into CucumberJS, setDefinitionFunctionWrapper is a function that will be called on every step definition and should return the function you want to execute when that step is called.
An example of a dummy setDefinitionFunctionWrapper would be something like:
setDefinitionFunctionWrapper(function (fn, opts) {
return await fn.apply(this, args);
}
As of cucumber 2.3.1. https://github.com/cucumber/cucumber-js/blob/2.x/src/support_code_library/builder.js
After you install the cucumber library, see the source code in /node_modules/cucumber/lib/support_code_library/builder.js
At the line 95:
if (definitionFunctionWrapper) {
definitions.forEach(function (definition) {
var codeLength = definition.code.length;
var wrappedFn = definitionFunctionWrapper(definition.code, definition.options.wrapperOptions);
if (wrappedFn !== definition.code) {
definition.code = (0, _utilArity2.default)(codeLength, wrappedFn);
}
});
} else {
...
definitionFunctionWrapper bascially takes code(fn) and opts and return the new code(fn).
Understanding this piece of code we can make this function in our step file:
var { setDefinitionFunctionWrapper } = require('cucumber');
// Wrap around each step
setDefinitionFunctionWrapper(function (fn, opts) {
return function() {
console.log('print me in each step');
return fn.apply(this, arguments);
};
});

Adding the same code to multiple functions

I am facing a situation where I need to add the same blocks of code to the start and the end of multiple functions in JavaScript. e.g.
function funcA () {
// code block 1
...
// code unique to funcA
...
// code block 2
...
}
function funcB () {
// code block 1
...
// code unique to funcB
...
// code block 2
...
}
function funcC () {
// code block 1
...
// code unique to funcC
...
// code block 2
...
}
I wonder what is the right pattern to use here to minimize the duplications.
Its called the extract method refactoring.
function block1()
{
// code block 1
}
function block2()
{
// code block 2
}
function funcA () {
block1();
// code unique to funcA
....
block2();
}
function funcB () {
block1();
// code unique to funcB
....
block2();
}
function funcC () {
block1();
// code unique to funcC
....
block2();
}
You could use another function to build your functions for you:
function makeFunc( specialProcessing ) {
return function() {
// block 1
specialProcessing( x, y, z );
// block 2
};
}
var func1 = makeFunc( function( x, y, z ) {
// stuff for func1
});
var func2 = makeFunc( function( x, y, z ) {
// stuff for func2
});
If you have sizable chunks of code in these blocks that can be applied to each function universally, by simply changing the variables in use, then you should extract those blocks of codes to separate methods. This has the advantage of promoting code reuse, improving readability of your code, and making it much, much easier to test and debug, particularly if you're following test-driven development ideals or even just running your own functional testing. It is always a goal of good software engineering and design to create small methods that are useful in many places to reduce the work you have to do and decrease the number of bugs in your code.
Blocks can be extracted to functions and called using the apply method. This will keep context and forward any arguments passed to original function.
function funcA() {
block1.apply(this, arguments);
// specific code to funcA
block2.apply(this, arguments);
}
arguments will contain any arguments passed to parent function
If you know it'll always be set up like that and you don't want to have the actual function calls inside of it, or maybe some will be in different orders I always like to set up a function to interwine the function calls for me.
jsFiddle DEMO
// Set up dynamically to handle calling any number of functions
// in whatever order they are specified in the parameters
// ie: setupFunctionOrder(func1, func2, func3, func4);
function setupFunctionOrder () {
for (i = 0; i < arguments.length; i++) {
arguments[i]();
}
}
function block1 () { log('\nblock1 - running'); }
function block2 () { log('block2 - running'); }
function funcA () { log('funcA - running'); }
// ** Useage:
// now we make the actual call to set up the ORDER of calling -funcA-
setupFunctionOrder(block1, funcA, block2);
Just pass in the function you want to be unique. Like this:
function reusableFunc(fn) {
//reused code block here
fn();
//reused code block here
}
var myResuableFunc1 = function (args) {
reusableFunc(function () {
//do your business here.
});
};
var myResuableFunc2 = function (args) {
reusableFunc(function () {
//do your business here.
});
};
//Or another way
function myResuableFunc3(args) {
reusableFunc(function () {
//do your business here
});
}
Then, you can create as many functions using the shared code as you want and, through the power of closures, pass these newly created functions around any way that you like.

How to execute a Javascript function only after multiple other functions have completed?

My specific problem is that I need to execute a (potentially) large number of Javascript functions to prepare something like a batch file (each function call adds some information to the same batch file) and then, after all those calls are completed, execute a final function to send the batch file (say, send it as an HTML response). I'm looking for a general Javascript programming pattern for this.
Generalize problem:
Given the Javascript functions funcA(), funcB(), and funcC(), I would to figure out the best way to order execution so that funcC is only executed after after funcA and funcB have executed. I know that I could use nested callback functions like this:
funcA = function() {
//Does funcA stuff
funcB();
}
funcB = function() {
//Does funcB stuff
funcC();
}
funcA();
I could even make this pattern a little more general by passing in callback parameters, however, this solution becomes quite verbose.
I am also familiar with Javascript function chaining where a solution might look like:
myObj = {}
myObj.answer = ""
myObj.funcA = function() {
//Do some work on this.answer
return this;
}
myObj.funcB = function() {
//Do some more work on this.answer
return this;
}
myObj.funcC = function() {
//Use the value of this.answer now that funcA and funcB have made their modifications
return this;
}
myObj.funcA().funcB().funcC();
While this solution seems a little cleaner to me, as you add more steps to the computation, the chain of function executions grows longer and longer.
For my specific problem, the order in which funcA, funcB, etc. are executed DOES NOT matter. So in my solutions above, I am technically doing more work than is required because I am placing all the functions in a serial ordering. All that matters to me is that funcC (some function for sending the result or firing off a request) is only called after funcA and funcB have ALL completed execution. Ideally, funcC could somehow listen for all the intermediate function calls to complete and THEN would execute? I hoping to learn a general Javascript pattern to solve such a problem.
Thanks for your help.
Another Idea:
Maybe pass a shared object to funcA and funcB and when they complete execution mark the shared object like sharedThing.funcA = "complete" or sharedThing.funcB = "complete" and then somehow? have funcC execute when the shared object reaches a state where all fields are marked complete. I'm not sure how exactly you could make funcC wait for this.
Edit:
I should note that I'm using server-side Javascript (Node.js) and I would like to learn a pattern to solve it just using plain old Javascript (without the use of jQuery or other libraries). Surely this problem is general enough that there is a clean pure-Javascript solution?
If you want to keep it simple, you can use a counter-based callbacks system. Here's a draft of a system that allows when(A, B).then(C) syntax. (when/then is actually just sugar, but then again the whole system arguably is.)
var when = function() {
var args = arguments; // the functions to execute first
return {
then: function(done) {
var counter = 0;
for(var i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
// call each function with a function to call on done
args[i](function() {
counter++;
if(counter === args.length) { // all functions have notified they're done
done();
}
});
}
}
};
};
Usage:
when(
function(done) {
// do things
done();
},
function(done) {
// do things
setTimeout(done, 1000);
},
...
).then(function() {
// all are done
});
If you don't use any asynchronous functions and your script doesn't break the order of execution, then the most simple solution is, as stated by Pointy and others:
funcA();
funcB();
funcC();
However, since you're using node.js, I believe you're going to use asynchronous functions and want to execute funcC after a async IO request has finished, so you have to use some kind of counting mechanisms, for example:
var call_after_completion = function(callback){
this._callback = callback;
this._args = [].slice.call(arguments,1);
this._queue = {};
this._count = 0;
this._run = false;
}
call_after_completion.prototype.add_condition = function(str){
if(this._queue[str] !== undefined)
throw new TypeError("Identifier '"+str+"' used twice");
else if(typeof str !== "String" && str.toString === undefined)
throw new TypeError("Identifier has to be a string or needs a toString method");
this._queue[str] = 1;
this._count++;
return str;
}
call_after_completion.prototype.remove_condition = function(str){
if(this._queue[str] === undefined){
console.log("Removal of condition '"+str+"' has no effect");
return;
}
else if(typeof str !== "String" && str.toString === undefined)
throw new TypeError("Identifier has to be a string or needs a toString method");
delete this._queue[str];
if(--this._count === 0 && this._run === false){
this._run = true;
this._callback.apply(null,this._args);
}
}
You can simplify this object by ignoring the identifier str and just increasing/decreasing this._count, however this system could be useful for debugging.
In order to use call_after_completion you simply create a new call_after_completion with your desired function func as argument and add_conditions. func will only be called if all conditions have been removed.
Example:
var foo = function(){console.log("foo");}
var bar = new call_after_completion(foo);
var i;
bar.add_condition("foo:3-Second-Timer");
bar.add_condition("foo:additional function");
bar.add_condition("foo:for-loop-finished");
function additional_stuff(cond){
console.log("additional things");
cond.remove_condition("foo:additional function");
}
for(i = 0; i < 1000; ++i){
}
console.log("for loop finished");
bar.remove_condition("foo:for-loop-finished");
additional_stuff(bar);
setTimeout(function(){
console.log("3 second timeout");
bar.remove_condition("foo:3-Second-Timer");
},3000);
JSFiddle Demo
If you don't want to use any helper libraries, than you need to write some helper yourself, there's no simple one line solution for this.
If you'd like to end with something that looks as readable as it would in synchronous case, try some deferred/promise concept implementation (it's still plain JavaScript), e.g. using deferred package you may end up with something as simple as:
// Invoke one after another:
funcA()(funcB)(funcC);
// Invoke funcA and funcB simultaneously and afterwards funcC:
funcA()(funcB())(funcC);
// If want result of both funcA and funcB to be passed to funcC:
deferred(funcA(), funcB())(funcC);
Have a look into jQuery's deferred objects. This provides a sophisticated means of controlling what happens when in an asynchronous environment.
The obvious use-case for this is AJAX, but it is not restricted to this.
Resources:
jQuery docs: deferred object
good introduction to deferred object patterns
Non-AJAX use for jQuery's deferred objects
I was looking for the same kind of pattern. I am using APIs that interrogate multiple remote data sources. The APIs each require that I pass a callback function to them. This means that I cannot just fire off a set of my own functions and wait for them to return. Instead I need a solution that works with a set of callbacks that might be called in any order depending on how responsive the different data sources are.
I came up with the following solution. JS is way down the list of languages that I am most familiar with, so this may not be a very JS idiom.
function getCallbackCreator( number_of_data_callbacks, final_callback ) {
var all_data = {}
return function ( data_key ) {
return function( data_value ) {
all_data[data_key] = data_value;
if ( Object.keys(all_data).length == number_of_data_callbacks ) {
final_callback( all_data );
}
}
}
}
var getCallback = getCallbackCreator( 2, inflatePage );
myGoogleDataFetcher( getCallback( 'google' ) );
myCartoDataFetcher( getCallback( 'cartodb' ) );
Edit: The question was tagged with node.js but the OP said, "I'm looking for a general Javascript programming pattern for this," so I have posted this even though I am not using node.
Nowadays, one can do something like this:
Let's say we have both funcA, funcB and funcC:
If one's want funcA and funcB results to be passed to funcC:
var promiseA = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
resolve(await funcA());
});
var promiseB = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
resolve(await funcB());
});
var promise = Promise.all([ promiseA, promiseB ]).then(results => {
// results = [result from funcA, result from funcB]
return funcC(results);
});
If one's want funcA, then funcB and then funcC:
var promise = (
new Promise(async resolve => resolve( await funcA() ))
).then(result_a => funcB(result_a)).then(result_b => funcC(result_b));
And finally:
promise.then(result_c => console.log('done.'));
how about:
funcC(funcB(funcA)));
I think the questions is because some of functions run longer and there might be a situation when we run funcC when funcA or funcB did not fininsh executing.

Execute the setInterval function without delay the first time

It's there a way to configure the setInterval method of javascript to execute the method immediately and then executes with the timer
It's simplest to just call the function yourself directly the first time:
foo();
setInterval(foo, delay);
However there are good reasons to avoid setInterval - in particular in some circumstances a whole load of setInterval events can arrive immediately after each other without any delay. Another reason is that if you want to stop the loop you have to explicitly call clearInterval which means you have to remember the handle returned from the original setInterval call.
So an alternative method is to have foo trigger itself for subsequent calls using setTimeout instead:
function foo() {
// do stuff
// ...
// and schedule a repeat
setTimeout(foo, delay);
}
// start the cycle
foo();
This guarantees that there is at least an interval of delay between calls. It also makes it easier to cancel the loop if required - you just don't call setTimeout when your loop termination condition is reached.
Better yet, you can wrap that all up in an immediately invoked function expression which creates the function, which then calls itself again as above, and automatically starts the loop:
(function foo() {
...
setTimeout(foo, delay);
})();
which defines the function and starts the cycle all in one go.
I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly, but you could easily do something like this:
setInterval(function hello() {
console.log('world');
return hello;
}(), 5000);
There's obviously any number of ways of doing this, but that's the most concise way I can think of.
I stumbled upon this question due to the same problem but none of the answers helps if you need to behave exactly like setInterval() but with the only difference that the function is called immediately at the beginning.
Here is my solution to this problem:
function setIntervalImmediately(func, interval) {
func();
return setInterval(func, interval);
}
The advantage of this solution:
existing code using setInterval can easily be adapted by substitution
works in strict mode
it works with existing named functions and closures
you can still use the return value and pass it to clearInterval() later
Example:
// create 1 second interval with immediate execution
var myInterval = setIntervalImmediately( _ => {
console.log('hello');
}, 1000);
// clear interval after 4.5 seconds
setTimeout( _ => {
clearInterval(myInterval);
}, 4500);
To be cheeky, if you really need to use setInterval then you could also replace the original setInterval. Hence, no change of code required when adding this before your existing code:
var setIntervalOrig = setInterval;
setInterval = function(func, interval) {
func();
return setIntervalOrig(func, interval);
}
Still, all advantages as listed above apply here but no substitution is necessary.
You could wrap setInterval() in a function that provides that behavior:
function instantGratification( fn, delay ) {
fn();
setInterval( fn, delay );
}
...then use it like this:
instantGratification( function() {
console.log( 'invoked' );
}, 3000);
Here's a wrapper to pretty-fy it if you need it:
(function() {
var originalSetInterval = window.setInterval;
window.setInterval = function(fn, delay, runImmediately) {
if(runImmediately) fn();
return originalSetInterval(fn, delay);
};
})();
Set the third argument of setInterval to true and it'll run for the first time immediately after calling setInterval:
setInterval(function() { console.log("hello world"); }, 5000, true);
Or omit the third argument and it will retain its original behaviour:
setInterval(function() { console.log("hello world"); }, 5000);
Some browsers support additional arguments for setInterval which this wrapper doesn't take into account; I think these are rarely used, but keep that in mind if you do need them.
Here's a simple version for novices without all the messing around. It just declares the function, calls it, then starts the interval. That's it.
//Declare your function here
function My_Function(){
console.log("foo");
}
//Call the function first
My_Function();
//Set the interval
var interval = window.setInterval( My_Function, 500 );
There's a convenient npm package called firstInterval (full disclosure, it's mine).
Many of the examples here don't include parameter handling, and changing default behaviors of setInterval in any large project is evil. From the docs:
This pattern
setInterval(callback, 1000, p1, p2);
callback(p1, p2);
is identical to
firstInterval(callback, 1000, p1, p2);
If you're old school in the browser and don't want the dependency, it's an easy cut-and-paste from the code.
I will suggest calling the functions in the following sequence
var _timer = setInterval(foo, delay, params);
foo(params)
You can also pass the _timer to the foo, if you want to clearInterval(_timer) on a certain condition
var _timer = setInterval(function() { foo(_timer, params) }, delay);
foo(_timer, params);
For someone needs to bring the outer this inside as if it's an arrow function.
(function f() {
this.emit("...");
setTimeout(f.bind(this), 1000);
}).bind(this)();
If the above producing garbage bothers you, you can make a closure instead.
(that => {
(function f() {
that.emit("...");
setTimeout(f, 1000);
})();
})(this);
Or maybe consider using the #autobind decorator depending on your code.
You can set a very small initial delay-time (e.g. 100) and set it to your desired delay-time within the function:
var delay = 100;
function foo() {
console.log("Change initial delay-time to what you want.");
delay = 12000;
setTimeout(foo, delay);
}
To solve this problem , I run the function a first time after the page has loaded.
function foo(){ ... }
window.onload = function() {
foo();
};
window.setInterval(function()
{
foo();
}, 5000);
This example builds on #Alnitak's answer, but uses await Promise for finer granularity of control within the loop cycle.
Compare examples:
let stillGoing = true;
(function foo() {
console.log('The quick brown fox did its thing');
if (stillGoing) setTimeout(foo, 5000);
})();
foo();
In the above example we call foo() and then it calls itself every 5 seconds.
But if, at some point in the future, we set stillGoing to false in order to stop the loop, we'll still get an extra log line even after we've issued the stop order. This is because at any given time, before we set stillGoing to false the current iteration will have already created a timeout to call the next iteration.
If we instead use await Promise as the delay mechanism then we have an opportunity to stop the loop before calling the next iteration:
let stillGoing = true;
(async function foo() {
console.log('The quick brown fox did its thing');
await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 5000));
if (stillGoing) foo();
})();
foo();
In the second example we start by setting a 5000ms delay, after which we check the stillGoing value and decide whether calling another recursion is appropriate.
So if we set stillGoing to false at any point, there won't be that one extra log line printed after we set the value.
The caveat is this requires the function to be async, which may or may not be an option for a given use.
For Those using React, here is how I solve this problem:
const intervalRef = useRef(0);
useEffect(() => {
if (condition is true){
if (intervalRef.current === 0) {
callMyFunction();
}
const interval = setInterval(() => {
callMyFunction();
}, 5_000);
intervalRef.current = interval;
} else {
clearInterval(intervalRef.current);
}
}, [deps]);
// YCombinator
function anonymous(fnc) {
return function() {
fnc.apply(fnc, arguments);
return fnc;
}
}
// Invoking the first time:
setInterval(anonymous(function() {
console.log("bar");
})(), 4000);
// Not invoking the first time:
setInterval(anonymous(function() {
console.log("foo");
}), 4000);
// Or simple:
setInterval(function() {
console.log("baz");
}, 4000);
Ok this is so complex, so, let me put it more simple:
function hello(status ) {
console.log('world', ++status.count);
return status;
}
setInterval(hello, 5 * 1000, hello({ count: 0 }));
If you can use RxJS, there is something called timer():
import { Subscription, timer } from 'rxjs';
const INITIAL_DELAY = 1;
const INTERVAL_DELAY = 10000;
const timerSubscription = timer(INITIAL_DELAY, INTERVAL_DELAY)
.subscribe(() => {
this.updateSomething();
});
// when destroying
timerSubscription.unsubscribe();
With ES2017, it may be preferable to avoid setInterval altogether.
The following solution has a much cleaner execution flow, prevents issues if the function takes longer than the desired time to complete, and allows for asynchronous operations.
const timeout = (delayMs) => new Promise((res, _rej) => setTimeout(res, delayMs));
const DELAY = 1_000;
(async () => {
while (true) {
let start_time = Date.now();
// insert code here...
let end_time = Date.now();
await timeout(DELAY - (end_time - start_time));
}
})();
There's a problem with immediate asynchronous call of your function, because standard setTimeout/setInterval has a minimal timeout about several milliseconds even if you directly set it to 0. It caused by a browser specific work.
An example of code with a REAL zero delay wich works in Chrome, Safari, Opera
function setZeroTimeout(callback) {
var channel = new MessageChannel();
channel.port1.onmessage = callback;
channel.port2.postMessage('');
}
You can find more information here
And after the first manual call you can create an interval with your function.
actually the quickest is to do
interval = setInterval(myFunction(),45000)
this will call myfunction, and then will do it agaian every 45 seconds which is different than doing
interval = setInterval(myfunction, 45000)
which won't call it, but schedule it only

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