> ## 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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<Info>
  Please note that a process definition version can accommodate only one **Timer Start Event**.
</Info>

## Configuration

The Timer Start Event supports two timer types:

| Timer Type | Description                                                                           |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Date       | Specifies an exact date and time for triggering the event (ISO 8601 format)           |
| Cycle      | Specifies a repeating interval using ISO 8601 repeating intervals or cron expressions |

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

<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 details

### Date

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

When configuring a Date timer, you can set:

* **Date**: Select a specific date (format: yyyy-mm-dd) using the date picker
* **Time**: Set the specific time when the timer should trigger

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### Cycle

Specifies a repeating interval for triggering the event. For the Cycle timer definition, you can use either:

#### ISO 8601 repeating intervals

For standardized time intervals (e.g., "R5/PT10M" for repeating 5 times with 10 minutes between each)

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<Tip>
  When configuring a Cycle timer (ISO 8601 repeating intervals) you can set:

  * **Repeat Every**: The interval between triggers (e.g., "2 hours")
  * **# of repeats**: How many times the timer should trigger (e.g., "3")
  * **Infinite**: Option to make the timer repeat indefinitely
  * **Start Time**: When the timer should begin (format: yyyy-mm-dd)
</Tip>

#### Cron expressions

For more complex scheduling patterns (e.g., "0 0 12 \* \* MON-FRI" for 12pm every weekday)

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## Activate/deactivate start timer events

All timers can be activated/deactivated in the Runtime section under "Scheduled Processes":

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<Warning>
  If a project contains multiple versions with Start Timer Event nodes, a scheduler will be generated only for the ones included in the version set in the active policy.

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</Warning>

## Usage examples

### Date timer example: Employee Onboarding Reminder

In this scenario, the Timer Start Event triggers an employee onboarding process at a specific date and time.

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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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* 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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* 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.

### General rules

* Schedulers are generated only for builds that are part of the active policy.
* If you change the active policy, processes with Timer Start Event nodes might appear or disappear from the scheduled processes list if they aren't part of the active build.
* You can view scheduled processes in the Runtime section under "Scheduled Processes".
* When a build in the active policy is updated with new Timer Start Event settings:
  * The scheduler is updated based on the new settings.
  * The scheduler state (active or suspended) remains the same as before.