Call a javascript function after 5 sec of last key press

Question

Hello,

I have a form with an <input type=text /> and I want to call a javascript function after 5 seconds of the last key press, and every time a new key is pressed, this timer should reset and only call the function after 5 seconds.

How can I do this?

I'm using jQuery.

thanks!

Answer 1

Something like this should get you started:

var timeout;
$('input[type=text]').keypress(function() {
    if(timeout) {
        clearTimeout(timeout);
        timeout = null;
    }

    timeout = setTimeout(myFunction, 5000)
})

Answer 2

Although it doesn't use jQuery, you could also have a look at the debouncing function described here.

Steve