Qt Reference Documentation

# QML WorkerScript Element

The WorkerScript element enables the use of threads in QML. More...

- List of all members, including inherited members

## Properties

- source : url

## Signal Handlers

- onMessage

## Methods

- sendMessage

## Detailed Description

Use WorkerScript to run operations in a new thread. This is useful for running operations in the background so that the main GUI thread is not blocked.

Messages can be passed between the new thread and the parent thread using sendMessage() and the onMessage() handler.

An example:

     import QtQuick 1.0

     Rectangle {
         width: 300; height: 300

         Text {
             id: myText
             text: 'Click anywhere'
         }

         WorkerScript {
             id: myWorker
             source: "script.js"

             onMessage: myText.text = messageObject.reply
         }

         MouseArea {
             anchors.fill: parent
             onClicked: myWorker.sendMessage({ 'x': mouse.x, 'y': mouse.y })
         }
     }

The above worker script specifies a JavaScript file, "script.js", that handles the operations to be performed in the new thread. Here is `script.js`:

     WorkerScript.onMessage = function(message) {
         // ... long-running operations and calculations are done here
         WorkerScript.sendMessage({ 'reply': 'Mouse is at ' + message.x + ',' + message.y })
     }

When the user clicks anywhere within the rectangle, `sendMessage()` is called, triggering the `WorkerScript.onMessage()` handler in `script.js`. This in turn sends a reply message that is then received by the `onMessage()` handler of `myWorker`.

#### Restrictions

Since the `WorkerScript.onMessage()` function is run in a separate thread, the JavaScript file is evaluated in a context separate from the main QML engine. This means that unlike an ordinary JavaScript file that is imported into QML, the `script.js` in the above example cannot access the properties, methods or other attributes of the QML item, nor can it access any context properties set on the QML object through QDeclarativeContext.

Additionally, there are restrictions on the types of values that can be passed to and from the worker script. See the sendMessage() documentation for details.

See also WorkerScript example and Threaded ListModel example.

## Property Documentation

source : url

This holds the url of the JavaScript file that implements the `WorkerScript.onMessage()` handler for threaded operations.

## Signal Handler Documentation

WorkerScript::onMessage ( jsobject msg )

This handler is called when a message msg is received from a worker script in another thread through a call to sendMessage().

## Method Documentation

WorkerScript::sendMessage ( jsobject message )

Sends the given message to a worker script handler in another thread. The other worker script handler can receive this message through the onMessage() handler.

The `message` object may only contain values of the following types:

- boolean, number, string
- JavaScript objects and arrays
- ListModel objects (any other type of QObject* is not allowed)

All objects and arrays are copied to the `message`. With the exception of ListModel objects, any modifications by the other thread to an object passed in `message` will not be reflected in the original object.