ExtendableEvent

The ExtendableEvent interface extends the lifetime of the install and activate events dispatched on the global scope as part of the service worker lifecycle. This ensures that any functional events (like FetchEvent) are not dispatched until it upgrades database schemas and deletes the outdated cache entries.

If waitUntil() is called outside of the ExtendableEvent handler, the browser should throw an InvalidStateError; note also that multiple calls will stack up, and the resulting promises will be added to the list of extend lifetime promises.

This interface inherits from the Event interface.

 
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Constructor

ExtendableEvent()

Creates a new ExtendableEvent object.

Properties

Doesn't implement any specific properties, but inherits properties from its parent, Event.

Methods

Inherits methods from its parent, Event.

ExtendableEvent.waitUntil()

Extends the lifetime of the event.  It is intended to be called in the install EventHandler for the installing worker and on the active EventHandler for the active worker.

Examples

This code snippet is from the service worker prefetch sample (see prefetch example live.) The code calls ExtendableEvent.waitUntil() in ServiceWorkerGlobalScope.oninstall, delaying treating the ServiceWorkerRegistration.installing worker as installed until the passed promise resolves successfully. The promise resolves when all resources have been fetched and cached, or else when any exception occurs.

The code snippet also shows a best practice for versioning caches used by the service worker. Though there's only one cache in this example, the same approach can be used for multiple caches. It maps a shorthand identifier for a cache to a specific, versioned cache name.

var CACHE_VERSION = 1;
var CURRENT_CACHES = {
  prefetch: 'prefetch-cache-v' + CACHE_VERSION
};

self.addEventListener('install', function(event) {
  var urlsToPrefetch = [
    './static/pre_fetched.txt',
    './static/pre_fetched.html',
    'https://www.chromium.org/_/rsrc/1302286216006/config/customLogo.gif'
  ];

  console.log('Handling install event. Resources to pre-fetch:', urlsToPrefetch);

  event.waitUntil(
    caches.open(CURRENT_CACHES['prefetch']).then(function(cache) {
      cache.addAll(urlsToPrefetch.map(function(urlToPrefetch) {
        return new Request(urlToPrefetch, {mode: 'no-cors'});
      })).then(function() {
        console.log('All resources have been fetched and cached.');
      });
    }).catch(function(error) {
      console.error('Pre-fetching failed:', error);
    })
  );
});

Specifications

Browser compatibility

[1] Service workers (and Push) have been disabled in the Firefox 45 Extended Support Release (ESR.)

See also

• Using Service Workers
• Service workers basic code example
• Is ServiceWorker ready?
• Promise
• Using web workers