setInterval loop

[sssweb]

I must be missing something simple, but can someone explain why the following occurs in a function running on setInterval:

var num = 10;

function my() {
if (num2){
// script never gets here
}
else {
num--;
if (num<1) {
var num2 = 1;
}
}
}

I've verified that it initializes num2, but it never goes in the first conditional.

[penders]

Because num2 is declared as a local variable... local to the my() function. When my() exits, num2 is lost.

You need to declare num2 as global, as you do with num.

[sssweb]

I figured it was soemthing like that, but why then doesn't it also 'lose' the decremented value of num?

Anyway, I ended up using a work-around that does what I need. Thanks penders.

[penders]

You're welcome.

...but why then doesn't it also 'lose' the decremented value of num?

Because num is declared in the global scope. It is declared (with the var keyword) outside of any function and therefore exists everywhere (ie. it is 'global').

[sssweb]

So all I needed to do was add:

var num2 = 0;

after

var num = 10;

Is that right?

[sssweb]

...And also change:

var num2 = 1;

to

num2 = 1;

[penders]

Yes, that should do it.