There is a JavaScript function, of which I have zero control of the code, which calls a function that I wrote. My function uses DOM to generate an iFrame, defines it’s src and then appends it to another DOM element. However, before my function returns, and thus allows continued execution of the containing function, it is imperative that the iFrame be fully loaded.
Here are the things that I have tried and why they do not work :
1. The SetTimeout option :
99.999% of the time, this is THE answer. As a matter of fact, in the past decade that I have been mentoring in JavaScript, I have always insisted that code could always be refactored to use this option, and never believed a scenario existed where that was not the case. Well, I finally found one! The problem is that because my function is being called inline, if the very next line is executed before my iFrame finishes loading, it totally neuters my script, and since the moment my script completes, the external script continues. A callback of sorts will not work
2. The “Do nothing” loop :
This option you use while(//iFrame is not loaded){//do nothing}. In theory this would not return until the frame is loaded. The problem is that since this hogs all the resources, the iFrame never loads. This trick, although horribly unprofessional, dirty etc. will work when you just need an inline delay, but since I require an external thread to complete, it will not.
In FF, after a few seconds, it pauses the script and an alert pops up stating that there is an unresponsive script. While that alert is up, the iFrame is able to load, and then my function is able to return, but having the browser frozen for 10 seconds, and then requiring the user to correctly dismiss an error is a no go.
3. The model dialogue :
I was inspired by the fact that the FF popup allowed the iFrame to load while halting the execution of the function, and thinking about it, I realized that it is because the modal dialogue, is a way of halting execution yet allowing other threads to continue! Brilliant, so I decided to try other modal options. Things like alert() work beautifully! When it pops up, even if only up for 1/10th of a second, the iFrame is able to complete, and all works great. And just in case the 1/10 of a second is not sufficient, I can put the model dialogue in the while loop from solution 2, and it would ensure that the iFrame is loaded in time. Sweet right? Except for the fact that I now have to pop up a very unprofessional dialogue for the user to dismiss in order to run my script. I fought with myself about this cost/benefit of this action, but then I encountered a scenario where my code was called 10 times on a single page! Having to dismiss 10 alerts before acessing a page?! That reminds me of the late 90s script kiddie pages, and is NOT an option.
4. A gazillion other delay script out there:
There are about 10 jQuery delay or sleep functions, some of them actually quite cleverly developed, but none worked. A few prototype options, and again, none I found could do it! A dozen or so other libraries and frameworks claimed they had what I needed, but alas they all conspired to give me false hope.
I am convinced that since a built in model dialogue can halt execution, while allowing other threads to continue, there must be some code accessible way to do the same thing with out user input.
The Code is literally thousands upon thousands of lines and is proprietary, so I wrote this little example of the problem for you to work with. It is important to note the ONLY code you are able to change is in the onlyThingYouCanChange function
Test File :
<html>
<head>
</head>
</html>
<body>
<div id='iFrameHolder'></div>
<script type='text/javascript'>
function unChangeableFunction()
{
new_iFrame = onlyThingYouCanChange(document.getElementById('iFrameHolder'));
new_iFrame_doc = (new_iFrame.contentWindow || new_iFrame.contentDocument);
if(new_iFrame_doc.document)new_iFrame_doc=new_iFrame_doc.document;
new_iFrame_body = new_iFrame_doc.body;
if(new_iFrame_body.innerHTML != 'Loaded?')
{
//The world explodes!!!
alert('you just blew up the world! Way to go!');
}
else
{
alert('wow, you did it! Way to go!');
}
}
var iFrameLoaded = false;
function onlyThingYouCanChange(objectToAppendIFrameTo)
{
iFrameLoaded = false;
iframe=document.createElement('iframe');
iframe.onload = new Function('iFrameLoaded = true');
iframe.src = 'blank_frame.html'; //Must use an HTML doc on the server because there is a very specific DOM structure that must be maintained.
objectToAppendIFrameTo.appendChild(iframe);
var it = 0;
while(!iFrameLoaded) //I put the limit on here so you don't
{
//If I was able to put some sort of delay here that paused the exicution of the script, but did not halt all other browser threads, and did not require user interaction we'd be golden!
//alert('test'); //This would work if it did not require user interaction!
}
return iframe;
}
unChangeableFunction();
</script>
</body>
blank_frame.html :
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body style='margin:0px'>Loaded?</body>
</html>
HERE IS THE ANSWER I MADE FROM COMBINING IDEAS FROM RESPONDERS! YOU GUYS ROCK!
new source of the function I was allowed to change :
function onlyThingYouCanChange(objectToAppendIFrameTo)
{
iFrameLoaded = false;
iframe=document.createElement('iframe');
iframe.onload = new Function('iFrameLoaded = true');
iframe.src = 'blank_frame.html'; //Must use an HTML doc on the server because there is a very specific DOM structure that must be maintained.
objectToAppendIFrameTo.appendChild(iframe);
var it = 0;
while(!iFrameLoaded) //I put the limit on here so you don't
{
if (window.XMLHttpRequest)
{
AJAX=new XMLHttpRequest();
}
else
{
AJAX=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
}
if (AJAX)
{
AJAX.open("GET", 'slow_page.php', false);
AJAX.send(null);
}
else
{
alert('something is wrong with AJAX!');
}
//If I was able to put some sort of delay here that paused the exicution of the script, but did not halt all other browser threads, and did not require user interaction we'd be golden!
//alert('test'); //This would work if it did not require user interaction!
}
return iframe;
}
slow_page.php :
<?
usleep(100000);//sleep for 1/10th of a second, to allow iFrame time to load without DOSing our own server!
?>
I do want to note that I stated that there was nothing outside of that function that I could change, and adding the php page did violate that “rule” but in may case I was able to do that. If I were not able to do that, I could have called blank_frame.html instead of slow_page.php, and it should have only ever needed to call it once (so 2 times per frame load) assuming that it responded in an identical amount of time as the iFrame load. If for some reason the iFrame load was slower, it might call it 2ce (a total of 3 calls to the server)
NB This is extremely hacky, and I wouldn’t use it in any real-world situation. Among other potential issues, given sufficient traffic you could end up DDOSing yourself.
You could create sleep functionality by making non-asynchronous (A)JAX calls. In some older browsers this may freeze everything, but at least it won’t require any kind of user response.