[Solved] How to make a javascript count up, such as world population? [closed]

Question

The code they are using is likely pulling from a database with an actual value increasing live.

Check out this js fiddle I made for an example of how a simple timer can work. Notice that if you press “Run” multiple times, the time itself will stay constant.

Using a remote database will cause a lot more work, but for saving values across browser refreshes you should learn about localStorage I’d check out W3 School’s article on the subject.

In my implementation I use

localStorage.setItem("time", currentTime);   // Note that CurrentTime must be a string!

in each iteration of your code after setting the currentTime var.

When you start up your application, a simple if statement

if (localStorage.getItem("time") {
    CurrentTime = localStorage.getItem("time");
} else {
    // set default values
}

will work, as localStorage.getItem will return null if the value doesn’t exist (or if you set the value to null manually).

(for localStorage, you can also use [bracket notation] and will probably see that in most common examples)

localStorage["foo"] = "value"; 
// is the same as: 
localStorage.setItem("foo", "value")
// and
var bar = localStorage["foo"]; 
// is the same as: 
var bar = localStorage.getItem("foo");

Accepted Answer