Question

How to make a part of a script always repeat (in loop) after X seconds?

Comments

I need to ask: are you used to structured programming?

If not, maybe you can look for some introductions to python to learn how to use things like functions (you can find a couple recommended in the Q&A).

Answer 1

First, I understand the title of the question is pretty much self-explanatory, but you should describe your question better. For example, what do you mean as a "part" of the script? Is it a method? Are you trying to run a whole section of it? How many approaches have you tried before asking the question?

Now, let's think about the game loop. You know you want to keep repeating a piece of code, so intuitively we can think on writing that code on the game loop (process or fixed_process) and have our way on it. But to repeat something every X seconds, we would have to get information on Time spent each loop; we could use Godot timer node, but usually I like to do this on the script I'm working with by simply storing time spent each loop (that's the 'delta' that process and fixed_process gives you), and when this timer is bigger than a threshold, reset it and run the piece of code I want. For example:

timer = 0
timer_limit = 1000 # in miliseconds

fixed_process(delta):
..timer += delta
..if (timer > timer_limit):
....timer -= timer_limit
....# REST OF THE CODE

Answer 2

You can also use a Timer:

func _ready():
    # Create a timer node
    var timer = Timer.new()

    # Set timer interval
    timer.set_wait_time(1.0)

    # Set it as repeat
    timer.set_one_shot(false)

    # Connect its timeout signal to the function you want to repeat
    timer.connect("timeout", self, "repeat_me")

    # Add to the tree as child of the current node
    add_child(timer)

    timer.start()


func repeat_me():
    print("Loop")

http://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/classes/class_timer.html

Comments

Thank you!
This worked flawslessly for what I needed :).

• Doing some coastal theme and needed to extend the background sound with additional sounds (like seagulls) do let them hear themselves every now and then. So I extended the script with some randomize(). Only "error" I have is that the first time, it plays it 2 times after each other, even if the first random number is 10 (for 10 seconds).
  Still need to add something so it chooses a rondom sound from a list/array/variable to make it even more diverse -

Answer 3

you can use the one line timer at the end(or start) of your function and , and then recall the same function at the end.

func example():
     stuff
     yield(get_tree().create_timer(timeBetweenCalls), "timeout")
     example()

Comments

Calling the same function again and again (recursion) might slow down the operation due to calling procedure. Iteration seems better here.