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Interval

The Interval class was inspired by the JavaScript setInterval() function, which is responsible for executing a callback function at a specified interval.

In this Lua version for World of Warcraft addons, it works in a similar way, but with an oriented object approach. That said, an instance of the Interval class is created by settings its properties and calling the start() method to start the interval and stop() to stop it.

It uses the World of Warcraft API in its background, more specifically the C_Timer table and the NewTicker() function. However, addons don't need to worry about how it works internally, just use the exposed methods.

Usage​

The example above creates an interval that will print Hello, World of Warcraft! every 5 seconds.

local interval = library:new('Interval')

interval
    :setSeconds(5)
    :setCallback(function()
        print('Hello, World of Warcraft!')
    end)
    :start() -- or :startImmediately()

Later when the interval must be stopped, just call the stop() method on the same instance.

interval:stop()

It's also possible to start the interval immediately by calling interval:startImmediately(). This method will execute the callback function then start.

Notes​

  • Multiple intervals can be created and started at the same time
  • Make sure to save the instance variable to stop the interval later, if necessary, of course
The first execution

The first execution of the callback function will occur after the interval time has passed. For example, if the interval is set to 5 seconds, the first execution will occur after 5 seconds, not immediately after calling the start() method.

If you want the interval to execute the callback function before waiting for the interval time, use the startImmediately() method.