Javascript: Passing variables with setTimeout and getting it to work

source: http://www.graphic-euphoria.co.uk/javascript-passing-variables-with-settimeout-and-getting-it-to-work-in-internet-explorer

The Problem

If you write any sort of Javascript code then you probably have come across this at some point. Passing a variableto a function triggered from setTimeout doesn’t work in IE. Luckily I stumbled across a widely unknown solution! Normally you would use this:

1. setTimeout(“myFunction(‘“+variable+”’)”,1000);  

but you are meant to be able to use this:

1. setTimeout(myFunction,1000,variable);  

but frustratingly it doesn’t work in any version of Internet Explorer.

The Solution

Well, it is surprisingly simple. You just need to encase your function name in a ‘closure’. i.e. a function declaration. This is surprisingly similar to flash actionscript which is of course javascript based. Why didn’t I think of this before?? So you simply put:

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1. setTimeout(function(){myFunction(variable); variable = null},1000);  

the ‘variable = null’ is to stop a memory leak as the variable is not deleted as it should be. (thanksmakemineatriple)