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delay

Syntax

    delay numberOfTicks

Description

Command; pauses the playback head for a given amount of time. The integer expression `numberOfTicks` specifies the number of ticks to wait, where each tick is 1/60 of a second. The only mouse and keyboard activity possible during this time is stopping the movie by pressing Control+Alt+period (Windows) or Command+period (Macintosh). Because it increases the time of individual frames, the `delay` command is useful for controlling the playback rate of a sequence of frames.

The `delay` command can be applied only when the playback head is moving. However, when `delay` is in effect, handlers still run: only the playback head halts, not script execution. Place scripts that use the `delay` command in either an `on enterFrame` or `on exitFrame` handler.

To mimic the behavior of a halt in a handler when the playback head is not moving, use the `startTimer` command or assign the current value of `timer` to a variable and wait for the specified amount of time to pass before exiting the frame.

Example

This handler delays the movie for 2 seconds when the playback head exits the current frame:

    on exitFrame
    	delay 2 * 60
    end

Example

This handler, which can be placed in a frame script, delays the movie a random number of ticks:

    on keyDown
    	if the key = RETURN then delay random(180)
    end

Example

The first of these handlers sets a timer when the playback head leaves a frame. The second handler, assigned to the next frame, loops in the frame until the specified amount of time passes:

    --script for first frame

    on exitFrame
    	global gTimer
    	set gTimer = the ticks
    end

    --script for second frame

    on exitFrame
    	global gTimer
    	if the ticks < gTimer + (10 * 60) then
    		go to the frame
    	end if
    end

See also

`startTimer`, `ticks`, `timer`