[Feature Request] add `requestAnimationFrame` api

[iShawnWang]

It is available https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope/requestAnimationFrame

[chrisguttandin]

Hi @iShawnWang, can you please elobarte a bit what you have in mind? What would be the benefit compared to using requestAnimationFrame() on the main thread directly?

[ssjdan27]

If I had to guess, it seems like @iShawnWang wants the ability for requestAnimationFrame() to run in inactive tabs like what you have done here for the timers. If I recall correctly, requestAnimationFrame() does not run at all in inactive tabs and will completely stop until you go back to that tab. Could be of use, but I have not needed it myself.

[chrisguttandin]

Thanks for chiming in @ssjdan27.

My take is that requestAnimationFrame() is meant to run some code right before the browser renders something on the screen. When a website is not visible it will also not render anything on the screen and therefore it seems reasonable to me that requestAnimationFrame() never gets called.

If requestAnimationFrame() is used for something that doesn't render anything but should be called periodically it should probably be replaced by setTimeout() or setInterval().

But maybe there is a use case that I just haven't thought of yet. I'd be happy to be convinced otherwise.

[Serega007RU]

you can try this
https://github.com/brian-girko/always-active/blob/6b0085e25456f12fdbb35667ba2d03325b1de4d8/v3/data/inject/main.js#L145-L170