This reference is for Processing 3.0+. If you have a previous version, use the reference included with your software in the Help menu. If you see any errors or have suggestions, please let us know. If you prefer a more technical reference, visit the Processing Core Javadoc and Libraries Javadoc.

Name

delay()
Examples
import processing.serial.*;

Serial myPort;  // The serial port

void setup() {
  printArray(Serial.list());
  myPort = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[0], 9600);
}

void draw() {
  while (myPort.available() > 0) {
    int inByte = myPort.read();
    println(inByte);
  }
  delay(100);
}
Description The delay() function halts for a specified time. Delay times are specified in thousandths of a second. For example, running delay(3000) will stop the program for three seconds and delay(500) will stop the program for a half-second.

The screen only updates when the end of draw() is reached, so delay() cannot be used to slow down drawing. For instance, you cannot use delay() to control the timing of an animation.

The delay() function should only be used for pausing scripts (i.e. a script that needs to pause a few seconds before attempting a download, or a sketch that needs to wait a few milliseconds before reading from the serial port.)
Syntax
delay(napTime)
Parameters
napTime int: milliseconds to pause before running draw() again
Returnsvoid
RelatedframeRate
draw()
Updated on January 1, 2021 03:38:06am EST

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.