In addition to the standard JavaScript set of functions (such as String
, Array
, Object
, JSON
etc), there are a variety of functions available from the DOM to workers. This article provides a list of those.
Workers run in another global context, DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope
different from the current window. By default methods and properties of Window
are not available to them, but DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope
, like Window
, implements WindowTimers
and WindowBase64
.
Comparison of the properties and methods of the different type of workers
APIs available in workers
Function | Functionality | Support in Gecko (Firefox) | Support in IE | Support in Blink (Chrome and Opera) | Support in WebKit (Safari) |
XMLHttpRequest |
Creates and returns a new XMLHttpRequest object; this mimics the behavior of the standard XMLHttpRequest() constructor. Note that the responseXML and channel attributes on XMLHttpRequest always return null . |
Basic: 3.5 (1.9.1)
|
(Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
Worker |
Creates a new Worker . Yes, workers can spawn more workers. |
3.5 (1.9.1) | 10.0 | Not supported See crbug.com/31666 | Not supported |
URL |
Workers can use the static methods URL.createObjectURL and URL.revokeObjectURL with Blob objects accesible to the worker.Workers can also create a new URL using the URL() constructor and call any normal method on the returned object. |
21 (21) and 26 (26) for URL() constructor | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
TextEncoder and TextDecoder |
Create and return a new TextEncoder , or respectively TextDecoder , allowing to encode or decode strings into specific encodings. |
20 (20) | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
WorkerNavigator |
The subset of the Navigator interface available to workers. |
Basic implementation (Yes)appCodeName , product , taintEnabled() : 28 (28)onLine : 29 (29)NavigatorLanguage : Not supported |
appName , appName , onLine , platform , userAgent : 10.0Other: Not supported |
(Yes) | (Yes) |
WorkerLocation |
The subset of the Location interface available to workers. |
3.6 (1.9.2) | 10.0 | (Yes) | (Yes) |
WorkerGlobalScope |
The global scope of workers. This objects defines worker-specific functions. | (Yes) | 10.0 | (Yes) | (Yes) |
ImageData |
The underlying pixel data of an area of a canvas element. Manipulating such data can be a complex task better suited to be delegated to a Web Worker. |
25 (25) | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
FileReaderSync |
This API allows synchronous read of Blob and File objects. This is an API that works only in workers. |
8 (8) | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
IndexedDB |
Database to store records holding simple values and hierarchical objects. | 37 (37) | 10.0 | (Yes) | Not supported |
WebSocket |
Creates and returns a new WebSocket object; this mimics the behavior of the standard WebSocket() constructor. |
36 (36) | 11.0 | (Yes) | (Yes) |
Data Store API | A powerful, flexible storage mechanism for multiple Firefox OS applications to use to store and share data between one another quickly, efficiently, and securely. | Only in Firefox OS internal (certified) applications, since v1.0.1. | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
Promises | JavaScript objects that allow you to write asynchronous functions. | 28 (28) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
See also
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