Timer Event

Timer Events are triggered by a defined timer. You can use the timer event in the Designer as an intermediate event or as a boundary event:

• Intermediate: You can use the object as an intermediate catching event. In this case, the event is a separate process step. When the execution arrives at the event, a timer is started. When the timer fires, the sequence flow exiting the timer is followed.

• Boundary: The timer is attached to an activity and works as a stopwatch and an alarm clock. When the execution reaches the activity, the timer is started. When the timer fires, for example after a defined interval, the activity is interrupted and the sequence flow exiting the timer is followed.

Plain Event, Message Event and Timer Event can be used as boundary events along with User Task and Receive Task. When using the events as boundary events, attach the element directly to the border of the corresponding task:

To set the duration of the timer, the event should be trigged by a persisted property of type integer or datetime. You have two options to set the timeout in the attributes panel:

• Integer: Define the number of seconds the event has to wait.

• Datetime: Define the absolute datetime when the event should fire.

• Name

• Description

• Timeout (see Particularity)

• Symbol Type  

To set the duration of the timer, the event should be triggered by a persisted property of type Integer or DateTime.

In the Attributes Panel, select the persisted property you want to use. If the drop-down list of attribute Timeout is empty, you need to create a new persisted property of type Integer or DateTime first. Depending on the type of the property, you have different options to set the timeout:

• Integer: Specify the number of seconds the event has to wait.

• DateTime: Specify an absolute timestamp when the event should fire.

The value of the timeout can be specified at development time (default) or at runtime.

On Event: Without input or output parameters.

• Refer to Working with the BPMN Editor for further information regarding editing of BPMN elements using the different context menus on the diagram pane.

• Refer to Styling BPMN Elements for further information regarding styling possibilities for BPMN elements, for example how to change the background color, the font style and size etc.