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doc: copyedit setTimeout() documentation
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Copyedit the documentation for setTimeout() and enforce wrapping at 80
characters in the markdown file for nearby text.

PR-URL: #4434
Reviewed-By: Trevor Norris <trev.norris@gmail.com>
Reviewed-By: jasnell - James M Snell <jasnell@gmail.com>
Reviewed-By: Stephan Belanger <admin@stephenbelanger.com>
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Trott authored and Myles Borins committed Jan 28, 2016
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Showing 1 changed file with 12 additions and 11 deletions.
23 changes: 12 additions & 11 deletions doc/api/timers.markdown
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -49,25 +49,26 @@ milliseconds (approximately 25 days) or less than 1, Node.js will use 1 as the

## setTimeout(callback, delay[, arg][, ...])

To schedule execution of a one-time `callback` after `delay` milliseconds. Returns a
`timeoutObject` for possible use with `clearTimeout()`. Optionally you can
also pass arguments to the callback.
To schedule execution of a one-time `callback` after `delay` milliseconds.
Returns a `timeoutObject` for possible use with `clearTimeout()`. Optionally you
can also pass arguments to the callback.

It is important to note that your callback will probably not be called in exactly
`delay` milliseconds - Node.js makes no guarantees about the exact timing of when
the callback will fire, nor of the ordering things will fire in. The callback will
be called as close as possible to the time specified.
The callback will likely not be invoked in precisely `delay` milliseconds.
Node.js makes no guarantees about the exact timing of when callbacks will fire,
nor of their ordering. The callback will be called as close as possible to the
time specified.

To follow browser behavior, when using delays larger than 2147483647
milliseconds (approximately 25 days) or less than 1, the timeout is executed
immediately, as if the `delay` was set to 1.

## unref()

The opaque value returned by [`setTimeout`][] and [`setInterval`][] also has the method
`timer.unref()` which will allow you to create a timer that is active but if
it is the only item left in the event loop, it won't keep the program running.
If the timer is already `unref`d calling `unref` again will have no effect.
The opaque value returned by [`setTimeout`][] and [`setInterval`][] also has the
method `timer.unref()` which will allow you to create a timer that is active but
if it is the only item left in the event loop, it won't keep the program
running. If the timer is already `unref`d calling `unref` again will have no
effect.

In the case of `setTimeout` when you `unref` you create a separate timer that
will wakeup the event loop, creating too many of these may adversely effect
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