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JavaScript·Advanced·Coding·1 min read

How would you yield during a large browser computation?

Short interview answer

Break work into bounded chunks and schedule continuation through a task-producing mechanism or an appropriate scheduling API so rendering and input can run between chunks. A chain of queueMicrotask calls does not yield to rendering because microtasks drain before the next rendering opportunity.

Example

JavaScript
async function processInChunks(items, work, chunkSize = 500) {  for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i += chunkSize) {    for (let j = i; j < i + chunkSize && j < items.length; j++) work(items[j]);    // hand the thread back so the browser can paint / handle input    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r));  }}

Key takeaway

Explain the underlying mental model clearly, then support it with a concrete example and its trade-offs.

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