pause

Suspend the current script while EPIC continues processing events.

Synopsis

/pause [seconds]

Description

pause performs a nonblocking sleep for the requested number of seconds: the calling script waits, while the client continues handling input, server traffic, timers, and other events through its event loop. Decimal intervals such as 0.5 are supported. Only the first whitespace-delimited argument is used; additional text is ignored. There are no options, and the command is always registered.

The interval is converted with atof, rather than validated. A nonnumeric argument becomes zero; zero and finite negative intervals schedule an already-due timer and normally resume at the next timer-processing opportunity. Use a finite nonnegative number for intentional timing.

Without an argument, pause waits for a decoded input character instead of a timer. It temporarily installs an empty prompt, then restores the previous input line when input arrives. The character is also processed normally: it can be inserted, trigger a binding, or submit the restored line. Arrow and other escape sequences can resume the pause on their first decoded character. This mode requires interactive fullscreen input; it cannot receive that key event through the non-fullscreen input path.

Timing and state

pause does not guarantee prompt return when the interval expires. A nested command or event handler can keep the event loop occupied, and quitting the client prevents the script from resuming. Commands issued during the pause can change state: servers may disconnect, windows or input may change, and background operations may finish. Check the state you depend on after resuming.

Use timer to schedule a later command without keeping the calling script suspended. Timers also depend on event-loop scheduling and do not provide a real-time execution guarantee. Do not use a fixed pause as a substitute for wait or a reply hook when you need to know whether a server request has completed.

For asynchronous prompting that delivers a response to a callback, see input and input_char. Unlike input_char, an argumentless pause does not consume the character exclusively for its callback. A return executed in an unrelated callback is not the completion mechanism for the suspended pause; its own timer or key callback marks it done.

The command produces no result value or completion message and does not itself require an IRC connection.

Examples

Wait approximately half a second before continuing:

/pause 0.5
/echo continuing

Wait for input, allowing that input to have its usual effect:

/echo Press a key to continue
/pause

History and source

pause first appeared in EPIC3.003; subsecond intervals were introduced in EPIC4-1.1.2.

Registration, e_pause, and its completion callbacks are in source/commands.c. Timer scheduling and dispatch are in source/timer.c, recursive event-loop processing in source/irc.c, and pass-through key prompts and input restoration in source/screen.c.