Lingo Dictionary > G-K > idleHandlerPeriod |
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idleHandlerPeriod
Syntax
the idleHandlerPeriod
Description
Movie property; determines the maximum number of ticks (60ths of a second) that passes until the movie sends an idle
message. The default value is 1, which tells the movie to send idle
handler messages no more than 60 times per second.
Increasing the value of the idleHandlerPeriod
property reduces the use of the computer's CPU by lowering the number of idle events generated.
When the playback head enters a frame, Director starts a timer, repaints the appropriate sprites on the Stage, and issues an enterFrame
event. Then, if the amount of time set for the tempo has elapsed, Director generates an exitFrame
event and goes to the next specified frame; if the amount of time set for this frame hasn't elapsed, Director waits until the time runs out and periodically generates an idle
message. The amount of time between idle
events is determined by idleHandlerPeriod
.
Possible settings for idleHandlerPeriod
are:
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0As many idle events as possible |
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1Up to 60 per second |
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2Up to 30 per second |
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3Up to 20 per second |
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nUp to 60/n per second |
The number of idle
events per frame also depends on the frame rate of the movie and other activity, including whether Lingo scripts are executing. If the tempo is 60 frames per second (fps) and the idleHandlerPeriod
value is 1, one idle
event per frame occurs. If the tempo is 20 fps, three idle
events per frame occur. Idle time results from Director doesn't have a current task to perform and cannot generate any events.
In contrast, if the idleHandlerPeriod
property is set to 0 and the tempo is very low, thousands of idle
events can be generated.
The default value for this property is 1, which differs from previous versions in which it defaulted to 0.
Example
The following statement causes the movie to send an idle
message a maximum of once per second:
the idleHandlerPeriod = 60
See also
idleHandlerPeriod
, idleLoadDone()
, idleLoadMode
, idleLoadTag
, idleReadChunkSize
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