How to create an accurate timer in javascript?

Question

I need to create a simple but accurate timer.

This is my code:

var seconds = 0;
setInterval(function() {
timer.innerHTML = seconds++;
}, 1000);
         


        

Answer 1

I'ma just build on Bergi's answer (specifically the second part) a little bit because I really liked the way it was done, but I want the option to stop the timer once it starts (like clearInterval() almost). Sooo... I've wrapped it up into a constructor function so we can do 'objecty' things with it.

1. Constructor

Alright, so you copy/paste that...

/**
 * Self-adjusting interval to account for drifting
 * 
 * @param {function} workFunc  Callback containing the work to be done
 *                             for each interval
 * @param {int}      interval  Interval speed (in milliseconds) - This 
 * @param {function} errorFunc (Optional) Callback to run if the drift
 *                             exceeds interval
 */
function AdjustingInterval(workFunc, interval, errorFunc) {
    var that = this;
    var expected, timeout;
    this.interval = interval;

    this.start = function() {
        expected = Date.now() + this.interval;
        timeout = setTimeout(step, this.interval);
    }

    this.stop = function() {
        clearTimeout(timeout);
    }

    function step() {
        var drift = Date.now() - expected;
        if (drift > that.interval) {
            // You could have some default stuff here too...
            if (errorFunc) errorFunc();
        }
        workFunc();
        expected += that.interval;
        timeout = setTimeout(step, Math.max(0, that.interval-drift));
    }
}

2. Instantiate

Tell it what to do and all that...

// For testing purposes, we'll just increment
// this and send it out to the console.
var justSomeNumber = 0;

// Define the work to be done
var doWork = function() {
    console.log(++justSomeNumber);
};

// Define what to do if something goes wrong
var doError = function() {
    console.warn('The drift exceeded the interval.');
};

// (The third argument is optional)
var ticker = new AdjustingInterval(doWork, 1000, doError);

3. Then do... stuff

// You can start or stop your timer at will
ticker.start();
ticker.stop();

// You can also change the interval while it's in progress
ticker.interval = 99;

I mean, it works for me anyway. If there's a better way, lemme know.