> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.flowx.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Timer start event (interrupting)

> A Timer Start Event initiates a process instance based on a specified time or schedule.

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  ![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/3.5/timer_start_interrupting.png#center)
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<Info>
  Please note that a process definition version can accommodate only one **Timer Start Event**.
</Info>

<Warning>
  If a process definition contains versions with Start Timer Event nodes, only for the published version will generate a scheduler.
</Warning>

## Configuration

Depending on the node type, the following timer types can be configured:

| Node Type         | Date | Duration | Cycle |
| ----------------- | ---- | -------- | ----- |
| Timer Start Event | Yes  | No       | Yes   |

<Check>
  Starting a process via registered timers requires sending a process start message to Kafka, necessitating a service account and authentication. For detailed guidance, refer to:

  [**Service Accounts**](../../../../setup-guides/access-management/configuring-an-iam-solution#scheduler-service-account)
</Check>

### Timer type values

* Date
* Cycle

#### Date

Specifies an exact date and time for triggering the event. You can use ISO 8601 date format for accurate date-time representation.

#### Scenario: employee onboarding reminder

In this scenario, the Timer Start Event is used to trigger an employee onboarding process at a specific date and time.

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  ![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/employee_onboarding_reminder.png)
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* Start Event (Timer Start Event) - New Hire Start Date
  * Timer Definition: 2023-09-01T09:00:00Z (ISO 8601 format) → This means the process will initiate automatically at the specified date and time.
  * This event serves as the trigger for the entire process.
  * Transition → Employee Onboarding Notification

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  ![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/start_timer_date.png)
</Frame>

* Employee Onboarding Notification
  * Notify new employee about onboarding requirements by sending an email notification with a template called "Important Onboarding Information"
  * Actions: The HR team or automated system sends out necessary email information/documents, and instructions to the new employee.
  * After the notification is sent, the process transitions to the Complete Onboarding node.

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  ![](https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docx.flowx.ai/release34/onboarding_notification.png)
</Frame>

* Complete Onboarding
  * Employee onboarding completed
  * At this point, the employee's onboarding process is considered complete.
  * Actions: The employee may have completed required tasks, paperwork, or orientation sessions.

#### Cycle

Specifies a repeating interval for triggering the event. The cycle can be defined using ISO 8601 repeating intervals or cron expressions.

### Configuration according to timer type

For each timer type, the following values can be configured:

| Field             | Validations        | Accepted Values                    |
| ----------------- | ------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| Definition        | Mandatory          | - Process param                    |
|                   |                    | - ISO 8601 formats (date/duration) |
|                   |                    | - Cron expressions (cycle)         |
| Start Time        | Only for Cycle     | - ISO 8601 format (date-time)      |
|                   |                    | - Process param                    |
| End Time          | Only for Cycle     | - ISO 8601 format (date-time)      |
|                   |                    | - Process param                    |
| Active/ Suspended | Default: Suspended | - Active                           |
|                   |                    | - Suspended                        |

<Info>
  The Start Timer Event supports either ISO 8601 formats or spring cron expressions for defining timer values.
</Info>

### General rules

* A process definition version can have a single published version, which can be a committed or a WIP version.
* Only the published version generates a scheduler when it contains Start Timer Event nodes.
* When a new committed version is published or when a WIP published version is updated with new Start Timer Event settings:
  * The scheduler is updated based on the settings in the published version.
  * The scheduler state (active or suspended) remains the same as before.


## Related topics

- [Timer events](/4.6.0/docs/building-blocks/node/timer-events/timer-events.md)
- [Timer Intermediate Event (interrupting)](/4.6.0/docs/building-blocks/node/timer-events/timer-intermediate-event.md)
- [Application manager setup](/4.6.0/setup-guides/application-manager.md)
- [Initiating processes](/4.6.0/docs/flowx-designer/managing-a-process-flow/starting-a-process.md)
- [Timer boundary event](/4.6.0/docs/building-blocks/node/timer-events/timer-boundary-event.md)