Comments on: setTimeout() “Gotcha” in Class Files

By: David Stiller

David Stiller — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:35:06 +0000

annie,

Thanks for that. You’re right, it isn’t especially obvious how to use arguments with setInterval(). In addition, this function happens to have two alternate uses, as you’ve shown in your reply: an object reference may optionally be supplied as the first parameter, shoving the remaining parameters over a slot. The object reference affords basically the same benefit as using the Delegate.create() method.

By: annie

annie — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:44:37 +0000

I know this is from a while ago, but yet again I was directed to your site for help

It took me a little while to find out how to call a function in setTimout if the function has arguments, so I thought I’d share it here.

You have to call them after the interval:

setTimeout( obj, methodName:String , duration:Number, [arg1, arg2, ...]) ;

Source: http://wiki.mediabox.fr/tutoriaux/flash/settimeout

By: NSurveyor

NSurveyor — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 03:14:21 +0000

Good point. I’ve been putting lines of code such as: _global[" n"];, compiling, and then decompiling, to see how it works. And after a little bit of testing, I find that if it is an illegal variable, it will not remove the eval/array access operator, otherwise it will.

By: David Stiller

David Stiller — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:45:58 +0000

NSurveyor,

That makes sense. The array access operator does, however, allow references to illegal variable names such as numerals. That prompts all sorts of new questions for me on how the compiler works.

I just tested _global. n = 5;, for example. That two-character property n shouldn’t work, because the first character is a space — yet it does.

By: NSurveyor

NSurveyor — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 18:23:24 +0000

Also, when you use eval(“this.somestring”) or this["somestring"], it is compiled as this.somestring because the compiler knows that when evaluating a literal string, it will have the same end result as using that literal string as a variable. So if _global["setTimeout"] does work, then surely _global.setTimeout would too.

By: David Stiller

David Stiller — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:55:36 +0000

Davel_x,

Ha! Yes, you’re right. The array access operator isn’t needed. Thanks for pointing that out!

By: Davel_x

Davel_x — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:28:49 +0000

According to this page :
http://wiki.media-box.net/tutoriaux/flash/settimeout
simply typing _global.setTimeout() works too, have you tried ?

I didn’t know this function and I needed it just… now ! I could have done things with a setInterval but this is much more clean Thanks !