How to call a function through the timer?

Questions
1

I’m looking to make a splash screen, I have 4 collections, a loader collection (which has collection proxies for the other 3), a splashscreen collection, a mainmenu collection, and a main collection (where the game takes place). In my loader.script I want to be able to call my function “unload_splash” from inside my function “load_splash”, the idea is that load_splash’s code exectues, then starts a timer, and when that time is up it will unload. If anyone has any idea of a better way to do a splash screen so its more fading in then please let me know.

Many thanks in advance :slight_smile:

2

Try:

timer.delay([time in seconds], false, function(self)
   -- Code to run when the timer ends
end)
1 Like
3

So this is the code I’m using in my loader.script:

local function unload_splash(self)
	msg.post("go#splashscreen", "unload")
end

local function load_splash(self)
	msg.post("go#splashscreen", "load")
	msg.post("go#splashscreen", "enable")
	timer.delay(5, false, function(self)
		unload_splash(self)
		load_menu(self)
	end)
end

local function load_menu(self)
	msg.post("go#mainmenu", "load")
	msg.post("go#mainmenu", "enable")
	
end

local function unload_menu(self)
	msg.post("go#mainmenu", "unload")
end

local function load_main(self)
	msg.post("go#main", "load")
	msg.post("go#main", "enable")
end

function init(self)
	msg.post(".", "acquire_input_focus")
	load_splash(self)
end

function on_message(self, message_id, message, sender)
	if message_id == hash("start_game") then
		unload_menu(self)
		load_main(self)
	end	
end

I now see the splash screen show up, it goes away after 5 seconds as i set it to, but then its just a black screen, when it should be calling load_menu and loading up the main menu, it isnt for some reason, any ideas?

4

The main issue here is the disconnect between your “load” and “enable” which suggests you should rearrange the code a bit.

Call “load”, then wait for the message “proxy_loaded” and only after that point should you initialise the collection.

function on_message(self, message_id, message, sender)
    if message_id == hash("proxy_loaded") then
        -- New world is loaded. Init and enable it.
        msg.post(sender, "init")
        msg.post(sender, "enable")
        ...
    end
end

I think even the shutdown of the splash screen shouldn’t be scheduled until after it was successfully loaded. (it doesn’t matter in the end result, but it’s a bit confusing)

2 Likes
5

You need to rearrange your code a bit. Local functions need to be defined before they can be called. You can’t have a line calling load_menu() above the line where load_menu() is defined.

You could take a look at a screen manager such as Monarch which would take care of all the loading and unloading for you.

1 Like