I'm using NSURLSession with a rather inconsistent REST API. The API can take between 1-50 seconds to respond for reasons out of my control.
I want to let the user know that on long waits (say over 10 seconds), that the request is still processing. I do NOT want to timeout or terminate any requests, though I know this is possible with NSURLSession. I simply want to provide a "still working" popup (for which I am using TSMessages to create).
How would I go about timing this, particularly as the requests are running on a background thread?
You could use NSTimer.
Creates and returns a new NSTimer object and schedules it on the
current run loop in the default mode. After seconds seconds have
elapsed, the timer fires, sending the message aSelector to target.
// Schedule a timer for 10 seconds and then call the method alertUser:
NSTimer *timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:10 target:self selector:#selector(alertUser:) userInfo:nil repeats:NO];
- (void)alertUser:(id)sender
{
// Alert the user
}
I would instantiate the NSTimer after you begin the NSURLSessonTask.
E.G.
self.dataTask = [self.session dataTaskWithRequest:theRequest];
[self.dataTask resume];
NSTimer *timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:10 target:self selector:#selector(alertUser:) userInfo:nil repeats:NO];
Per #Rob's comment,
If you have scheduled a repeating NSTimer you should invalidate it in either
- (void)URLSession:(NSURLSession *)session task:(NSURLSessionTask *)task didCompleteWithError:(NSError *)error
OR the completion block of NSURLSessionTask. If the NSTimer does not repeat there is no need to invalidate it as it will invalidate itself automatically. Note, once an NSTimer has been invalidated it cannot be reused.
Related
So I've got a timer that is not repetitive. Each time it fires, the method that being executed decide if to reschedule it or not according to some inner logic of my app.
This method is available from other parts of the app, so the first thing that I'm doing in the method is to check if the timer is still valid (to know if the initiator was the timer or a different entity) so in case it wasn't initiated by the timer I want to invalidate it:
if (self.pollingTimer.isValid) {
[self.pollingTimer invalidate];
self.pollingTimer = nil;
}
I've noticed that if the method is being called due to the timer being fired - I always receive a true value from the isValid property, even though when looking at the NSTimer documentations under the scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:(NSTimeInterval)seconds target:(id)target selector:(SEL)aSelector userInfo:(id)userInfo repeats:(BOOL)repeats method:
repeats
If YES, the timer will repeatedly reschedule itself until invalidated. If NO, the timer will be invalidated after it fires.
Discussion
After seconds seconds have elapsed, the timer fires,
sending the message aSelector to target.
I'm having hard time to understand when the timer is being automatically invalidated which bring me to my questions:
Any idea why I always get YES from isValid?
What is the exact definition of the timer fires? Is it just sending the message aSelector to target as stated in the documentation? or is it finishing the execution of the method? (which might explain what I'm experiencing)
Thanks in advance.
A timer is not a real-time mechanism; it fires only when one of the run loop modes to which the timer has been added is running and able to check if the timer’s firing time has passed. Therefore, the timer does not immediately invalidate itself, but at the end of the run loop.
As a simple test, you can see:
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
_timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:0.5 target:self selector:#selector(timerFired) userInfo:nil repeats:NO];
dispatch_after(dispatch_time(DISPATCH_TIME_NOW, (int64_t)(1 * NSEC_PER_SEC)), dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
if (self.timer.isValid){
NSLog(#"--> TIMER VALID");
} else {
NSLog(#"TIMER INVALID!");
}
});
}
- (void) timerFired {
if (self.timer.isValid){
NSLog(#"--> TIMER VALID");
} else {
NSLog(#"TIMER INVALID!");
}
}
This will log --> TIMER VALID from the timerFired method and when the block from dispatch_after is called, you will see TIMER INVALID!. So, when you schedule a timer with repeats:NO, it is guaranteed to not reschedule itself but it will not invalidate immediately.
So, to answer your question:
repeats
If YES, the timer will repeatedly reschedule itself until
invalidated. If NO, the timer will be invalidated after it fires (but not immediately)
I made a test like this:
self.timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:1 target:self selector:#selector(xx) userInfo:nil repeats:NO];
- (void)xx
{
if ([self.timer isValid]) {
NSLog(#"isvalid");
}
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
if ([self.timer isValid]) {
NSLog(#"isvalid");
}else{
NSLog(#"isInvalid");
}
});
static int i = 0;
NSLog(#"%d",i++);
}
and the result is:
isvalid
0
isInvalid
thus, I guess when timer is fired,the function is execute like this:
void __NSFireTimer(){
id yourObj;
[yourObj performSelector:#selector(yourSelector)];
timer.isvalid = NO;
}
what you believe is:
void __NSFireTimer(){
id yourObj;
timer.isvalid = NO;
[yourObj performSelector:#selector(yourSelector)];
}
So, just accept it.You can put your check valid code in dispatch_asyn() ,like the test code.
This is how I used my timers. First initialise it on the top as
#property (strong, nonatomic) NSTimer *refreshTimer;
then this two methods, to create and invalidate the timer. "Its very important to invalidate the current timer if you want to create another timer with same name" otherwise their will be two timers.
- (void)startTimer {
if (_refreshTimer) {
[self invalidateTimer];
}
_refreshTimer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:15.0
target:self
selector:#selector(determineIfPartOfgroup)
userInfo:nil
repeats:YES];
}
- (void)invalidateTimer {
if (_refreshTimer) {
[_refreshTimer invalidate];
_refreshTimer = nil;
}
}
I hope this will help you.
- (NSTimer *) timer
{
(!_timer)
{
_timer = [NSTimer timerWithTimeInterval:86400 target:self selector:#selector(timeset:) userInfo:nil repeats:YES];
}
return _timer;
}
You can't schedule execution for a specific time in the background on iOS. You can schedule a UILocalNotification - but your app will only be launched if the user taps on the notification.
Your best bet is to use background fetch mode. You app will be woken at intervals and given an opportunity to fetch new data. You can check to see if the time is at or after 7 and decide whether to refresh the data.
I use this code for stopping NSTimer
[timer invalidate]
timer = nil;
It works fine for the first run. But, after I resume the timer with this code.
timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:5.0
target:self
selector:#selector(checkNewUpdates)
userInfo:nil
repeats:YES];
NSTimer won't stop anymore with [timer invalidate]
It look like multiple instance of timer is running simultaneously. You can do one thing, before start to run a new timer, check for previous instance of timer, and if timer instance is available, then invalidate it. After this start new instance
if(timer)
{
[timer invalidate];
timer = nil;
}
timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:5.0
target:self
selector:#selector(checkNewUpdates)
userInfo:nil
repeats:YES];
In apple's official document they said:
You must send this message from the thread on which the timer was
installed. If you send this message from another thread, the input
source associated with the timer may not be removed from its run loop,
which could prevent the thread from exiting properly.
If your timer is running on main thread, do this:
[timer performSelectorOnMainThread:#selector(invalidate) withObject:nil waitUntilDone:YES];
If it is on any other thread, lets call the thread myThread, then do this:
[timer performSelector:#selector(invalidate) onThread:myThread withObject:nil waitUntilDone:NO];
Hope this helps.. :)
Just invalidate the timer inside the selector that fires. That will ensure you have a pointer to the correct timer (which is probably why your invalidate call isn't working:
timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:5.0
target:self
selector:#selector(checkNewUpdates:)
userInfo:nil
repeats:YES];
Note the colon after checkNewUpdates:
Then, in your checkNewUpdates: method, do something like this:
- (void)checkNewUpdates:(NSTimer*)timer
{
// do somehting
// Then, check if the criteria for stopping the timer has been met, and invalidate it here.
if( self.shouldStopTimer ) // made up variable, use your own criteria.
{
[timer invalidate];
}
}
I know this doesnt answer your question per-se;
Can I suggest using polling mechanism instead of a timer? Ive had a world of trouble with NSTimers in the past and polling was a good alternative. Ive made a simple one below.
- (void) doPoll {
// do logic here
if (shoudStop) {
return;
}
dispatch_after(dispatch_time(DISPATCH_TIME_NOW, X * NSEC_PER_SEC)),
dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
[self doPoll];
});
}
This is just a simple example, it does not stop retain cycles If you choose to try this, Yours should.
Hope it helps.
self.timerProgress=[NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:50.0 target:self selector:#selector(stopProgressView) userInfo:nil repeats:NO];
-(void)stopProgressView
{
if ([self.timerProgress isValid]) {
[self.timerProgress invalidate];
self.timerProgress=nil;
}
}
and on a button click when i tried to invalidate NSTimer object
-(void)cancelTimer
{
if ([self.timerProgress isValid]) {
[self.timerProgress invalidate];
self.timerProgress=nil;
}
}
it don't get invalidate. It calls once stopProgressView after the interval of 50.
How to get resolve from this issue?
- (IBAction)stopTimer {
if ([timerProgress isValid]) {
[timerProgress invalidate];
}
}
Don't use self.timerProgress use just timerProgress
The most likely reason for this is that your timer scheduled on a different run loop to the one where you try and invalidate it.
Timers must be invalidated on the same thread/runloop as the run loop that they are scheduled on.
Cocoa touch isn't thread safe, so you should be running all UI related activities on the main thread. It may work if you do GUI work on different threads, but then you'll get random crashes, and you'll also generate timer problems like this.
It seems like from what you're posting it should work. This is how I have it in my apps and it works fine.
However, you could try making the selector one that takes a timer object like:
-(void)stopProgressView:(NSTimer *)timer{
//do stuff with timer here
}
Note that this would also mean that you should change #selector(stopProgressView) to #selector(stopProgressView:). Although for the record my current stop timer function just uses [self.timer invalidate] and it works fine.
My other piece of advice for debugging is to use NSLogs to make sure each of the methods are in fact getting called, and that when the method is called an NSLog within the if clause to make sure that works.
You create NSTimer with out NSRunLoop so your NSTimer not started, to add this code after
self.timerProgress = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:50.0
target:self
selector:#selector(stopProgressView)
userInfo:nil
repeats:NO];
//add
[[NSRunLoop currentRunLoop] addTimer:_tapTimer
forMode:NSDefaultRunLoopMode];
As the title states, i have a while loop that will be executed until certain condition is met, or until 5 seconds have passed.
What is the best way to solve this? I have seen some simple tutorial about NSTimer, but it seems to me that selector that is fired within NSTimer will be executed after time interval specified no matter what. I only need to execute it if condition is not met...
Just create an NSTimer scheduled action store the timer and if you reach your what you wanted to achieve deactivate this timer so that it doesn't trigger the action.
Basically:
NSTimer *timer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:10 target:self selector:#selector(yourAction) userInfo:nil repeats:NO];
some code
//for deactivating the timer
[timer invalidate];
timer = nil;
You could start the NSTimer on the main thread (to ensure above code works) with this:
[self performSelectorOnMainThread:#selector(startTimerMethod) withObject:someOrNoObject waitUntilDone:NO];