JavaScript synchronization options

Question

I was wondering whenever exists a solution to perform synchronization in JavaScript code. For example I have the following case: I'm trying to cache some response values from AJAX call, the problem is, that it's possible to perform simultaneously several calls, therefore it leads to race condition in the code. So I'm very curious to find solution for that? Any one has idea that to do?

Answer 1

I can offer a possible solution, but without seeing the code ... not completely sure what you are doing, but there is no reason why you couldn't do this.

Basic code in jQuery : (not tested and abbreviated ... but I have done things similar)

var needAllThese = {};

$(function(){

      $.ajax("POST","/somepage.aspx",function(data) {
          needAllThese.A = "VALUE";
      });

      $.ajax("POST","/somepage2.aspx",function(data) {
          needAllThese.B = "VALUE";
      });

      $.ajax("POST","/somepage3.aspx",function(data) {
          needAllThese.C = "VALUE";
      });

      startWatching();
});

function startWatching() {
   if (!haveEverythingNeeded()) {
       setTimeout(startWatching,100);
       return;
   }
   everythingIsLoaded();
}

function haveEverythingNeeded() {
    return needAllThese.A && needAllThese.B && needAllThese.C;
}

function everythingIsLoaded() {
   alert("Everything is loaded!");
}

EDIT: (re: your comment)

You're looking for callbacks, the same way jQuery would do it.

   var cache = {};

   function getSomeValue(key, callback) {
       if (cache[key]) callback( cache[key] );

       $.post( "url",  function(data) {
           setSomeValue(key,data);
           callback( cache[key] );
       }); 
   }

   function setSomeValue(key,val) {
        cache[key] = val;
   }

   $(function(){       
        // not sure you would need this, given the code above
        for ( var i = 0; i < some_length; ++i)  {
            $.post( "url", function(data){ 
                setSomeValue("somekey",data); 
            });
        }

        getSomeValue("somekey",function(val){            
             $("#element").txt( val );              
        };            
    });

Answer 2

Javascript is inherently single-threaded, at least for the normal browser environment. There will never two simultaneous executions of scripts accessing the same document. (the new Javascript worker threads might be an exception here, but they're not meant to access documents at all, just to communicate by message passing).

Answer 3

I have found solution for my problem. I have to say it's not that perfect as I was looking for, but so far it works and I think about that more as temporarily work around.

$.post( "url1", function( data)
{
     // do some computation on data and then
     setSomeValue( data);
});

var setSomeValue = ( function()
{
    var cache = {};
    return function( data)
    {
        if ( cache[data] == "updating")
        {
             setTimeout( function(){ setSomeValue( data);}, 100);
             return;
        }
        if ( !cache[date])
        {
             cache[date] = updating;
             $.post( "url2", function( another_data)
             {
                  //make heavy computation on another_data
                  cache[data] = value;
                  // update the UI with value
             });
        }
        else
        {
             //update the UI using cached value
        }
    }
})();