Making text blink

SlowCoder

12-03-2012, 09:18 PM

I'm building a multi-object Javascript blinker.

Something's broken, but I can't tell what.

<div id="agent1">blah</div>
<div id="agent2">bleh</div>

<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
var BlinkToggle = new Array();

BlinkToggle[1] = false;BlinkToggle[2] = true;

function BlinkText(AgentNum,objID){
BlinkToggle[AgentNum] = !BlinkToggle[AgentNum];
//document.write(BlinkToggle[AgentNum]);
BlinkObject=document.getElementById(objID);
if(BlinkToggle[AgentNum] == false)
{BlinkObject.style.visibility = 'hidden'}
else
{BlinkObject.style.visibility = 'visible'};

window.setTimeout(BlinkText(AgentNum,objID),3000);
}

BlinkText(1,"agent1");
BlinkText(2,"agent2");
</script>
1. IE gives me an out of memory error on line 13.
2. If I uncomment the doc.write command, it shows that the function appears to be looping, but obviously not once every 3 seconds.
3. I've tried using setTimeout with single and double quotes, and without any at all, around the called function.

Anyone tell me what's not working here?

felgall

12-03-2012, 09:23 PM

WolfShade

12-03-2012, 09:36 PM

All I'm going to say is that <blink> was deprecated for a reason.

http://htmlcss.wikia.com/wiki/Blink

VIPStephan

12-03-2012, 09:57 PM

But text-decoration: blink (http://reference.sitepoint.com/css/text-decoration) is not.

WolfShade

12-03-2012, 10:20 PM

It should be.

Old Pedant

12-03-2012, 11:06 PM

In any case, the code is horribly over-complex and could and should be simplified:

<html>
<body>
<div id="agent1">blah</div>
<div id="agent2">bleh</div>

<script type="text/javascript">
(
function()
{
function blink( )
{
for ( var b = 1; b < 9999; ++b )
{
var div = document.getElementById("agent" + b )
if ( div == null ) return;

div.style.visibility = ( div.style.visibility == "hidden" ) ? "visible" : "hidden";
}
}

setInterval( blink, 3000 );
}
)();
</script>
</body>
</html>

Now it works with any number of "agentNN" divs (or spans or whatever) *and* with any initial visibility per agentNN (provided the style is code inline).

That is, you could add
<span id="agent3" style="visibility: hidden;">wowser!</span>

And it would autmatically be blinked, as well, but in opposition to the blinks for agent1 and agent2, as given.

SlowCoder

12-04-2012, 12:32 PM