How to run a function in background?

Sooooo.... There are a few ways you can run a function in the background in order to avoid waiting for its response:

1. Async/await: If you are using JavaScript, you can use the async/await pattern to run a function asynchronously. This allows you to write code that looks synchronous, but is actually asynchronous under the hood. To use async/await, you would declare your function as async, and then use the await keyword to pause the function until a promise is resolved. Here is an example:

async function checkNearbyUsers() {
const nearbyUsers = await checkUserLocation();
// do something with nearbyUsers
}


1. Promises: Another option is to use promises to run your function asynchronously. A promise represents the result of an asynchronous operation, and allows you to attach callbacks to handle the success or failure of the operation. Here is an example using promises:
   function checkNearbyUsers() {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
checkUserLocation()
.then(nearbyUsers => {
// do something with nearbyUsers
resolve(nearbyUsers);
})
.catch(error => {
reject(error);
});
});
}


2. Web Workers: If you want to run your function in a separate thread, you can use web workers. Web workers allow you to run JavaScript code in the background, separate from the main thread. This can be useful for running long-running or resource-intensive tasks without blocking the UI. Here is an example using web workers:

`// In the main thread:
const worker = new Worker('worker.js');
worker.postMessage({ message: 'check nearby users' });

// In worker.js:
onmessage = function(event) {
if (event.data.message === 'check nearby users') {
checkUserLocation()
.then(nearbyUsers => {
// do something with nearbyUsers
postMessage(nearbyUsers);
})
.catch(error => {
postMessage(error);
});
}
};
`

Which option you choose will depend on your specific needs and the environment you are working in of course! Hopefully that helps :)

Here is a place you can start with: Introducing asynchronous JavaScript @MDN.