Microflow Timer

Introduction

The Microflow Timer widget can be used to time and execute a microflow or nanoflow as long as a certain page is open. The microflow or nanoflow can be executed once or repeatedly, in which case it will not stop until it returns false or until the page is closed.

Typical Use Cases

• Update a grid or object after a certain amount of time (for example, a message inbox)
• Close a page with a message automatically after 10 seconds
• Automatically make backup copies while the user is still editing an object
• Open a page and directly trigger validation errors (to achieve this, set Interval (in ms) to 0, Execute once to Yes, and Start at once to Yes – see Configuration below)

Features

• Add timed behavior to your application
• Run a microflow or nanoflow

Configuration

To configure this widget, follow these steps:

1. In Studio Pro, place the Microflow Timer widget inside a Data View or Template Grid widget.

2. Make sure that you have set an entity as the Data source for the Data View or Template Grid widget. An object of this entity will be sent as an argument to the microflow or nanoflow evoked by the Microflow Timer.

3. Double-click the Microflow Timer widget to open the Edit Microflow Timer dialog box.

4. Configure the widget using the properties described below:

   • Interval (in ms) – defines how often the microflow or nanoflow is called

     • The inteval is in milliseconds, so the default of 30000 equals 30 seconds
     • Unless Execute once is set to Yes, the microflow is invoked immediately after loading the page for the first time

   • Execute once – if set to Yes, the microflow will be invoked only once

     • The Interval (in ms) above defines after how many seconds it will be invoked

   • Start at once – if set to Yes (and Execute once is also set to Yes), the microflow or nanoflow will be invoked the first time if the widget has loaded

     • If set to No, the microflow or nanoflow will be invoked the first time after the Interval (in ms) has passed

   • Microflow – this is the microflow to be executed

     • If the microflow returns false, it will not be executed any longer until the context changes

   • Nanoflow – this is the nanoflow to be executed

     • If the nanoflow returns false, it will not be executed any longer until the context changes

5. In addition to the standard configuration, you can also use the following configuration options found in the Context tab:

   • First tick delay – this is an optional attribute on the context entity that allows you to set a custom first interval (in milliseconds). This can be useful if you want to define a first interval different than what is defined in the Behavior tab.
   • Interval Attribute (in ms) – this option allows you to define the interval based on an entity attribute. If set, it overrides the interval defined in the Behavior tab.
   • Timer Status Attribute – this is an optional Boolean attribute that acts as a flag to enable or disable the timer, or even to verify its status.