Task Library - Now Available!

[colbert2677 (ImagineerColbert)]

Super excited to get these in my projects already. The task APIs look super easy to use, introduce to novice developers and get them used to new patterns. I too look forward to adopting new patterns in my code involving them. This could also help very much with getting used to deferred events which I initially resisted heavily.

the improved versions of old functions that were particularly discouraged (e.g. delay), especially wait and how it’s based on Heartbeat frequency. Don’t have to write my own boilerplate for that anymore or abuse Promises to get what I need. Same goes with task.spawn for fastSpawn. Less boilerplate and I can use these better versions rather than the ones based on the old frequencies.

Outstanding work. Thank you, engineers!

Also, alas begone, legacy wait. Get outta here.

[LocalWE (WilliApple)]

Question:

Is task.wait() with no parameters an alternative to using RunService.Heartbeat:Wait()?

There was this article about not using wait() with no parameters.

Avoiding wait() and why

This is an adaptation of a Twitter thread I made a while ago. This is simply a better formatted and more fleshed out version. Let’s talk about wait(). Not wait(n) (although if you are using small n values to where it’d be barely distinguishable from wait(), you’re probably going to hit the same issues mentioned in this thread). We probably learned about wait() at first as the solution to “why are my infinite loops crashing me?”. It’s a super easy solution and it works! This starts a bad habit…

Or should we continue using RunService.Heartbeat:Wait()?

[ZeezyRed (UnwaveringResolve)]

Yes, task.wait() is now equivalent to RunService.Heartbeat:Wait(), and a lot more convenient too. The amount of time spent typing that out saved is astonishing…

[QuantixDev (Quantix)]

Is there any reason you didn’t just change the default behaviours of those functions, and instead add a new task library? Does this have something to do with parallel lua

Anway’s glad that useless old function has now been given a replacement

[Ty_Scripts (IAmTrulyGreg)]

@LocalWE

Is task.wait() with no parameters an alternative to using RunService.Heartbeat:Wait() ?

I believe this should answer your question:

@WallsAreForClimbing

task.wait()
-- is equivalent to
RunService.Heartbeat:Wait()

The reason using wait() with no parameters is bad is because it (task.wait()) is

@Kampfkarren

2x faster than wait() and I’ve never had an issue where they didn’t work but wait() did.

[Stellabotrus (Stella)]

i’m wondering if this wait() alternative:

function Halt(Duration)
	--// Arguments: (Duration[Number])
	
	Duration = (Duration or 0)
	local cur = 0;
	if (Duration <= 0) then
		Heartbeat:Wait();
	end
	while cur < Duration do
		cur += Heartbeat:Wait();
	end
	return cur;
	
end

is the same as:

task.wait()

[EVILER778 (CC_Ev1l3r)]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 1 hour unless flagged)

[Halalaluyafail3 (FindFirstChild)]

@WallsAreForClimbing

task.wait()
-- is equivalent to
RunService.Heartbeat:Wait()

It should be noted that results of these aren’t equivalent:

task.spawn(function()
	print(task.wait())
end)
task.spawn(function()
	print(game:GetService"RunService".Heartbeat:Wait())
end)

task.wait()'s DeltaTime result will count from the time of the call, while Heartbeat:Wait() will count from the previous Heartbeat.

---

Also, task.delay() causes a crash instead of an error.

[ThatHyundaiGuy]

Is this almost like some kind of task manager for Studio?

[BenMactavsin]

@ObviouslyGreen

Why would you make a function using heartbeat when you can just do Heartbeat:Wait(2) instead of Halt(2)?

Because you can’t do Heartbeat:Wait(2) since :Wait() function on RBXScriptSignals doesn’t take any arguments?

[paap15 (Sheep_Wizard)]

@WallsAreForClimbing

fastSpawn pattern

What is the fastSpawn pattern?

[zCrxtix (zavier)]

So what’s the difference of task.wait, task.spawn, and wait, spawn?

[wynnrar (thwarted)]

I’m still struggling to understand use cases for task.defer. I understand how it works and how it fits into the library but under what circumstances would you want code to run at some predetermined point later in time that you have no control over? Is there any real benefit in doing so?

@WallsAreForClimbing

task.spawn is based on the fastSpawn pattern rather than being a replacement for spawn . We recommend you use this method where you would otherwise use fastSpawn.

I also don’t understand this. How is it not a replacement for spawn? And wasn’t the original fastspawn method implemented with BindableEvents? With deferred events that would mean that it wouldn’t be an immediate resumption, unless of course I’m misinterpreting the meaning of “fastSpawn pattern”.

[colbert2677 (ImagineerColbert)]

deferred on Nevermore (originally fastSpawn)

“An expensive way to spawn a function. However, unlike spawn(), it executes on the same frame, and unlike coroutines, does not obscure errors.”

(edit: changed link to folder with README, was originally set to a release branch)

[Salinas23]

I assume for legacy purposes, old games experiences whose behavior could be compromised if they just redo the old functions.

[loueque (paperbagger)]

Will documentation for task happen soon? I’d expect it to be available on the developer hub for more info and on task scheduler article on availability of a class (aka today).

[octav20071 (OctaViano)]

Hmmm… what is happening??

---

Is this basically like coroutine? I mean, I am a builder, not knowing much about these, but isn’t it the same thing?

[evaera]

Updated my “Spawn is Evil” article to just point to the new task library. Glad that this problem finally has an easy solution that doesn’t require several paragraphs to explain!

[Hacreey]

Wanted to test the accuracy to see if task.wait has any benefits. Here’s the results of averaging the delta time of each function 20 times:

task.wait really is EXACTLY Heartbeat:Wait(), only much easier to type out. For anyone asking the differences between wait and task.wait, the answer is accuracy.