How to deal with Javascript timer innacuracy? - javascript

So I tried to implement an accurate timer in Javascript via the answer under the accepted answer in this SO post. The only change I made was to initialize an event_last_occurrence_time which occurs on some Javascript event initialization such as the opening of a lightbox. The idea is that every 4 seconds, I'll close a lightbox that is popped up when the page is first opened.
What I notice is that the lightbox actually closes in about 1-2 seconds as opposed to 4 seconds on the first instance of the browser launch. So I did console.log(elapsed-event_last_occurrence_time) and kept track on my stopwatch - it seems that the timing mechanism below moves faster than real-world time on initialization at least (I can see this via the console.log - it jumps to 5-10 seconds while my stopwatch is still around ~2 seconds.
1) Is this just the nature of the timing mechanisms in Javascript or is there an obvious flaw in the algorithm below that I'm missing?
var start = new Date().getTime(),
time = 0,
elapsed = '0.0'
event_last_occurrence_time = elapsed;
function instance()
{
time += 100;
elapsed = Math.floor(time / 100) / 10;
if(Math.round(elapsed) == elapsed) { elapsed += '.0'; }
if ((elapsed-event_last_occurrence_time)%4==0) { $.lightBox.close() }
document.title = elapsed;
var diff = (new Date().getTime() - start) - time;
window.setTimeout(instance, (100 - diff));
}
window.setTimeout(instance, 100);
$("#some_id").click(function(e)
{
$.lightBox({
onOpen: function ()
{
instance();
event_last_occurrence_time = elapsed;
}
});
});

Related

Fixing double running of javascript code in different tabs

I created a little timer which runs from 30seconds down to 0 and saved in the localStorage, butthen restarts after a event and again begins at 30secs. But if I open 2 tabs of the same page the code runs double. That means that after 1 seconds the timer jumps for example from 30 to 28.
function timer(){
localStorage.setItem("time", 30);
setInterval(function(){
localStorage.setItem("time", localStorage.getItem("time") - 1);
timerPlace.innerHTML = localStorage.getItem("time");
if(localStorage.getItem("time") < 0){
localStorage.setItem("time", 0);
timerPlace.innerHTML = "TIME TO PLACE !";
}
}, 1000);
if(localStorage.getItem("time") === null){
localStorage.setItem("time", 30);
}
}
I already thought of getting the number of opened tabs and do something with this. Or maybe there is a way to only run a javascript code in one tab.
Store the start time of your count in localStorage. Then calculate the distance from it in seconds. when reach 30, clear that value.
This example is without using localStorage because not allowed in a stack snippet.
var start = (new Date()).getTime();
var ind_id
ind_id = setInterval(function() {
var now = (new Date()).getTime()
var diff_in_seconds = Math.round((now - start) / 1000)
if (diff_in_seconds >= 30) {
cancelInterval(ind_id)
return;
}
timerPlace.innerHTML = (30 - diff_in_seconds)
}, 1000)
<div id="timerPlace"></div.>

How to synchronise a timer for everyone client

I have a working timer, but it runs from 25 seg every time who the website is visited by a client, I want to synchronise it. F.E. if i visit my webpage in mY Pc, and when it show 15seg left, i visit it from other pc and i want it to show 15 left too.
function timerr(){
var initial = 25000;
var count = initial;
var counter;
var initialMillis;
function timer() {
if (count <= 0) {
clearInterval(counter);
return;
}
var current = Date.now();
count = count - (current - initialMillis);
initialMillis = current;
displayCount(count);
function displayCount(count) {
var res = count / 1000;
if (res<0.1){
document.getElementById("timer").innerHTML = "";
}
else{
tiempo = res.toPrecision(count.toString().length);
tiempo_corto = tiempo.slice(0,-1);
document.getElementById("timer").innerHTML = tiempo_corto;
}
}
clearInterval(counter);
initialMillis = Date.now();
counter = setInterval(timer, 10);
}
If you want everyone to have the same timer count down every 25 seconds and stop at the exact same time, then you can simply use timestamps to keep everything in sync. Here's an example countdown timer that'll restart every 6 seconds (from 5 to 0) and will hit zero at the exact same time for everyone (unless their computer clock is off).
const timerElement = document.getElementById('timer')
const TIMER_DURATION = 6
function step() {
const timestamp = Date.now() / 1000
const timeLeft = (TIMER_DURATION - 1) - Math.round(timestamp) % TIMER_DURATION
timerElement.innerText = timeLeft
const timeCorrection = Math.round(timestamp) - timestamp
setTimeout(step, timeCorrection*1000 + 1000)
}
step()
<p id="timer"></p> seconds
Try it - open this page up in two different tabs and run it. This is set up to automatically account for the fact that setTimeout doesn't always trigger at the delay you asked it to do so (it'll adjust the next setTimeout with a timeCorrection value to correct these issues).
The basic principle is that we're getting the current timestamp and modding it by the amount of time we want this timer to last (6 seconds in the above example). This value will always be the same for everyone, and will always be a number that ranges from 0 to 5. It will also be a number that counts up every second (which is why we then subtract (TIMER_DURATION - 1) from it, to cause the number to count down instead).

setInterval halted when I move between browser tabs in react [duplicate]

function initTimer(timeLeft) {
var Me = this,
TotalSeconds = 35,
Seconds = Math.floor(timeLeft);
var x = window.setInterval(function() {
var timer = Seconds;
if(timer === -1) { clearInterval(x); return; }
$('#div').html('00:' + (timer < 10 ? '0' + timer : timer));
Seconds--;
},1000);
}
I have this code. Everything works fine, when this tab is active in browser, but when I change tab and return in tab later it has problems. To be more precise, it Incorrectly displays the time.
I'd also tried setTimeout, but problem was the same.
One idea, which I have is: HTML5 Web Workers...
But here is another problem... browsers support.
can someone help to solve this problem?
How can I write setInterval, which works properly,even when tab is not active
Use the Date object to calculate time. Don't rely on a timer firing when you ask it to (they are NOT real-time) because your only guarantee is that it'll not fire before you ask it to. It could fire much later, especially for an inactive tab. Try something like this:
function initTimer(periodInSeconds) {
var end = Date.now() + periodInSeconds * 1000;
var x = window.setInterval(function() {
var timeLeft = Math.floor((end - Date.now()) / 1000);
if(timeLeft < 0) { clearInterval(x); return; }
$('#div').html('00:' + (timeLeft < 10 ? '0' + timeLeft : timeLeft));
},200);
}
initTimer(10);
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div id="div"></div>
Note that by checking it more frequently we can make sure it's never off by too much.
JavaScript timers are not reliable, even when the tab is active. They only guarantee that at least as much time as you specified has passed; there is no guarantee that exactly that amount of time, or even anything close to it, has passed.
To solve this, whenever the interval fires, note what time it is. You really only need to keep track of two times: the current time, and the time that the previous interval fired. By subtracting the previous tick's time from the current tick's time, you can know how much time has actually passed between the two, and run your calculations accordingly.
Here's a basic outline of how something like this might look:
function initTimer(timeLeft) {
var Me = this,
TotalSeconds = 35,
Seconds = Math.floor(timeLeft),
CurrentTime = Date.now(),
PreviousTime = null;
var x = window.setInterval(function() {
var timer = Seconds,
timePassed;
PreviousTime = CurrentTime;
CurrentTime = Date.now();
timePassed = CurrentTime - PreviousTime;
if(timer < 0) { clearInterval(x); return; }
$('#div').html('00:' + (timer < 10 ? '0' + timer : timer));
Seconds = Seconds - timePassed;
},1000);
}

Javascript timer slows down when when repetitively updating DOM element inside setInterval()

I am creating an application that uses a timer to draw lines to several canvases while updating stats to DIVs. In order to create the smoothest animation possible I've had to set the setInterval() timer to the smallest delay possible, which from my understanding, is between 10-15 milliseconds across browsers.
The issue I am having is with the stopwatch that tracks the scenarios running time. The stopwatch itself works well enough as I have established using console.log, however, the setInterval() timer slows down when I try to update the DOM element. This has lead me to believe that in combination with the small timer tick delay there is a performance issue with the way I am updating the DOM element.
Code:
function draw() {
var drawTimer = setInterval(drawStuffTest, 15);
var timer = doc.getElementById('time');
var milliseconds = 0;
var seconds = 0;
var minutes = 0;
function updateTimer() {
//clear the old elapsed time
timer.innerHTML = "";
milliseconds += 15;
//increment seconds
if (milliseconds >= 1000) {
seconds++;
milliseconds = 0;
}
//increment minutes
if(seconds >= 60)
{
seconds = 0;
minutes++;
}
//Pad minutes and seconds with leading zeroes if either is lest than 10
var secondsString = ( seconds < 10 ? "0" : "" ) + seconds;
var minutesString = ( minutes < 10 ? "0" : "" ) + minutes;
var elapsedTime = minutesString + ":" + secondsString;
/* The timer works fine when I just use console.log to display the
timer however once I add the following statement to update the DOM
element the timer slows down */
//timer.innerHTML = elapsedTime;
console.log(elapsedTime);
}
Does anyone have any suggestions?

How to call a function every hour?

I am trying to update information from a weather service on my page. The info should be updated every hour on the hour. How exactly do I go about calling a function on the hour every hour?
I kind of had an idea but I'm not sure of how to actually refine it so it works...
What I had in mind was something like creating an if statement, such as: (pseudo code)
//get the mins of the current time
var mins = datetime.mins();
if(mins == "00"){
function();
}
You want to check out setInterval: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window.setInterval
It's a little hard to tell what you're trying to call with your code, but it would be something in the form of:
function callEveryHour() {
setInterval(yourFunction, 1000 * 60 * 60);
}
If you want it every hour, try something like:
var nextDate = new Date();
if (nextDate.getMinutes() === 0) { // You can check for seconds here too
callEveryHour()
} else {
nextDate.setHours(nextDate.getHours() + 1);
nextDate.setMinutes(0);
nextDate.setSeconds(0);// I wouldn't do milliseconds too ;)
var difference = nextDate - new Date();
setTimeout(callEveryHour, difference);
}
Now, this implementation checks the time once, sets the delay (or calls the function immediately), and then relies on setInterval to keep track after that. An alternative approach may be to poll the time every x many seconds/minutes, and fire it .getMinutes() == 0 instead (similar to the first part of the if-statement), which may sacrifice (marginal) performance for (marginal) accuracy. Depending on your exact needs, I would play around with both solutions.
Here is what should work (JSFiddle):
function tick() {
//get the mins of the current time
var mins = new Date().getMinutes();
if (mins == "00") {
alert('Do stuff');
}
console.log('Tick ' + mins);
}
setInterval(tick, 1000);
What you probably want is something like that:
var now = new Date();
var delay = 60 * 60 * 1000; // 1 hour in msec
var start = delay - (now.getMinutes() * 60 + now.getSeconds()) * 1000 + now.getMilliseconds();
setTimeout(function doSomething() {
// do the operation
// ... your code here...
// schedule the next tick
setTimeout(doSomething, delay);
}, start);
So basically the first time the user get the access, you need to know what is the delay in millisecond to the next "hour". So, if the user access to the page at 8:54 (with 56 seconds and 123 milliseconds), you have to schedule the first execution after around 3 minutes: after the first one is done, you can call it every "hour" (60 * 60 * 1000).
Repeat at specific minute past the hour
This counter is a little bit more versatile; it allows to perform a task repeatedly always at the same minute past the hour (e.g. 37 minutes past the hour), and this with up to millisecond precision.
The precision of this timer is derived from its recursion.
At every recursion, the millisecond time to the next minute gets recalculated. This prevents time lag over long periods.
The % sign refers to the modulo operator.
function minuteCount(minutesAfterHour) {
const now = new Date();
const hours = now.getHours();
const minutes = now.getMinutes();
const seconds = now.getSeconds();
const milliseconds = now.getMilliseconds();
waitUntilNextMinute = setTimeout(minuteCount, 60000 - seconds * 1000 - milliseconds);
if(minutes % 60 === minutesAfterHour) {
doSomethingHourly();
}
}
minuteCount(37);
Finally, timers are best kept away from the main thread. They are best run from within a web worker, as explained here.
This works perfectly with unfocused tabs in desktop browsers.
However, dedicated web workers on Chrome for Android are put to sleep about 5 minutes after moving the main client to the background.
EDIT: Oops, I didn't see the " o' clock" things, so I edit my answer :
var last_execution = new Date().getTime();
function doSomething(force){
var current_time = new Date().getTime();
if (force || (current_time.getMinutes() == 0)
{
last_execution = current_time;
// something
// ...
}
setTimeout(doSomething(false), 1000);
}
// force the first time
doSomething(true);
// ... call your func now
let intervalId;
let timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
// ... call your func on end of current hour
intervalId = setInterval(() => {
// ... call your func on end of each next hours
}, 3600000);
}, ((60 − moment().minutes()) × 60 × 1000) - (moment().second() * 1000));
Here is my pair of setIntervalWithDelay and clearIntervalWithDelay that one can use like this:
let descriptor = setIntervalWithDelay(callback, 60 * 60 * 1000, nextHourDelay)
And when you are done with it:
clearIntervalWithDelay(descriptor)
Here is my implementation of the functions:
const setIntervalWithDelay = (callback, interval, delay = 0) => {
let descriptor = {}
descriptor.timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
if(!descriptor.timeoutId){
return
}
descriptor.timeoutId = null
callback()
descriptor.intervalId = setInterval(callback, interval)
}, delay)
return descriptor
}
export const clearIntervalWithDelay = (descriptor) => {
if(!isObject(descriptor) || (!descriptor.timeoutId && !descriptor.intervalId)){
console.warn("clearIntervalWithDelay: Incorrect descriptor. Please pass an object returned by setIntervalWithDelay. Skipping this call.")
return
}
if(descriptor.timeoutId){
clearTimeout(descriptor.timeoutId)
descriptor.timeoutId = null
console.log("clearIntervalWithDelay: stopped during delay.")
}
if(descriptor.intervalId){
clearInterval(descriptor.intervalId)
descriptor.intervalId = null
console.log("clearIntervalWithDelay: stopped during interval repeat.")
}
}
One example of using dayjs to get the delay for the next hour:
let nextHour = dayjs().second(0).millisecond(0).add(1, "hour")
let nextHourDelay = nextHour.diff(dayjs())

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