WorkerGlobalScope: setTimeout() method

Baseline Widely available *

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since ⁨July 2015⁩.

* Some parts of this feature may have varying levels of support.

Note: This feature is only available in Web Workers.

Warning: When the code parameter is used, this method dynamically executes its value as JavaScript. APIs like this are known as injection sinks, and are potentially a vector for cross-site-scripting (XSS) attacks.

You can mitigate this risk by always assigning TrustedScript objects instead of strings and enforcing trusted types. See Security considerations in Window.setTimeout() for more information.

The setTimeout() method of the WorkerGlobalScope interface sets a timer which executes a function or specified piece of code once the timer expires.

Syntax

js
setTimeout(code)
setTimeout(code, delay)

setTimeout(func)
setTimeout(func, delay)
setTimeout(func, delay, param1)
setTimeout(func, delay, param1, param2)
setTimeout(func, delay, param1, param2, /* …, */ paramN)

Parameters

func

A function to be executed after the timer expires.

code

A TrustedScript or a string of arbitrary code that is compiled and executed every delay milliseconds. This can be used instead of passing a function, but is strongly discouraged for the same reasons that make using eval() a security risk.

delay Optional

The time that the timer should wait before the specified function or code is executed, in milliseconds. Defaults to 0 if not specified.

Note:

param1, …, paramN Optional

Additional arguments which are passed through to the function specified by func.

Return value

A positive integer (typically within the range of 1 to 2,147,483,647) that uniquely identifies the timer created by the call. This identifier, often referred to as a "timeout ID", can be passed to clearTimeout() to cancel the timer.

Within the same global environment (e.g., a specific window or worker) the timeout ID is guaranteed not to be reused for any new timer as long as the original timer remains active. However, separate global environments maintain their own independent pools of timer IDs.

Exceptions

SyntaxError

The code can't be parsed as a script.

TypeError

Thrown if the code parameter is set to a string when Trusted Types are enforced by a CSP and no default policy is defined. It is also thrown if the first parameter is not one of the supported types: a function, string or TrustedScript.

Description

See Window.setTimeout() for detailed descriptions.

Examples

See Window.setTimeout() for examples.

Specifications

Specification
HTML
# dom-settimeout-dev

Browser compatibility

See also