startTimer

StartTimer is a generic term in software development for initiating a timer object or scheduling a task to occur after a delay or at regular intervals. It typically creates a timer that, when started, will execute a specified callback function once (one-shot) or repeatedly at a defined cadence. Timers are used to defer work, implement timeouts, animate UI elements, or regulate periodic tasks.

Key concepts include the delay or interval duration, the callback to execute, and a mechanism to cancel or reset the timer. Timers may be created in a pending state or started immediately, and many environments offer operations such as start, stop, reset, and pause. Some timers are tied to event loops, while others rely on multithreading or hardware clocks. Precision and scheduler quality vary across platforms, so timer accuracy can drift or be affected by system load.

Language and library variety are common. In JavaScript, typical timer functions include one-shot and repeating timers (for example, setTimeout and setInterval), often exposed as wrappers named startTimer in higher-level libraries. In Python, options include threading.Timer for one-shot execution and asyncio for asynchronous delays. In Java, javax.swing.Timer is used for GUI events, while java.util.Timer schedules background tasks. Embedded and real-time systems may rely on hardware timers or real-time clocks with strict determinism.

Common use cases include delaying actions after user input, implementing timeouts for operations, debouncing input, and driving periodic updates such as animations or monitor polling. Pitfalls to consider include timer drift, cancellation race conditions, and the impact of system sleep or clock changes on scheduled callbacks. See also timer, scheduling, and event loop concepts.