how to make a sleep in javascript?

Question

Does anyone know how can I make a sleep in javascript before next line been read by the system?

example:

    1 var chkResult = Validation();
    2 /         


        

Answer 1

May I suggest this as a generic solution:

  function sleep (ms, args, obj) {
    /* Called at the top of a function to invoke a delay in processing that
       function

       Returns true if the function should be executed, and false if the sleep
       timer is activated. 

       At the end of the sleep tiemout, the calling function is re-called by
       calling it with "apply (obj, args || [])".
    */

    var caller = sleep.caller;
    if (caller.sleepTimer) { 
      /* if invoked from timeout function, delete timer and return false */
      delete caller.sleepTimer;
      return true;
    }

    /* Create timer and re-call caller at expiry */
    caller.sleepTimer = window.setTimeout (function () {
      caller.apply (obj || null, args || []);
    },ms);

    return false;
  }    

Examples of use:

function delayed () {
  if (!sleep (5000)) return;  

  document.body.innerHTML += "
delayed processing
";
}

function delayed_args (a, b) {
  if (!sleep (10000, arguments)) return;  

  document.body.innerHTML += "
args : (" + a + ", " + b + ")
";
}

function delayed_method_args (a,b) {
  if (!sleep (20000, arguments, this)) return;  

  document.body.innerHTML += "
method_args " + this + " (" + a + ", " + b + ")
";
}

Tested on Opera and Firefox 3.0