> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.collibra.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.collibra.com/workflows/designing-workflows/processes/shape-repository/timer-start-event.md).

# Timer start event

This event is used when a process is started on cyclic timer events either at specific points in time, after time spans or after timeouts.

<img src="/files/zKZCJp5EQ6YjWL7hN4qP" alt="The timer start event BPMN element in Collibra Workflow Designer" width="25%">

{% hint style="warning" %}
If a workflow triggered by a timer start event fails before reaching the first [asynchronous task](/workflows/designing-workflows/processes/process-execution.md#asynchronous-activities), such as a user task, Collibra tries to restart it three times before stopping further attempts. Once the workflow is stopped, it no longer runs when the next timer event occurs, even if the underlying issue is resolved later.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="success" %}
To restart such a workflow, republish it.
{% endhint %}

## General properties

| Property            | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Model ID            | The unique identifier of the element within the process model.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Name                | The name of the element displayed in the diagram.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Documentation       | A description and any additional information about this element.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Timer configuration | <p>The configuration of when the timer event fires:</p><ul><li><strong>Cycle</strong>: Use this option for repeating timers.</li><li><strong>Duration</strong>: Use this option if the timer needs to fire a certain period after the event is created.</li><li><strong>Date</strong>: Use this option to set a fixed time for the timer to fire.</li><li><p><strong>Technical</strong>: Use this option to specify any of the above in ISO 8601 format, for example:</p><ul><li><code>2026-03-20</code> for the date March 20, 2026.</li><li><code>P10D</code> for a duration of 10 days.</li><li><p><code>R3/PT10H</code> for three cycles lasting 10 hours each.</p><div data-gb-custom-block data-tag="hint" data-style="info" class="hint hint-info"><p>You can also specify a cycle using cron expressions where the first symbol denotes seconds. For example <code>0 0/5 \* \* \* ?</code> represents every five minutes.</p></div></li></ul></li></ul> |
| Job category        | Set a specific job category for the process that this event starts.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |

## Advanced form properties

| Property        | Description                                                                    |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Form properties | Custom form properties which are used within the legacy or custom form engine. |

## Advanced properties

| Property            | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Interrupting        | Whether the parent executions will be terminated.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| Execution listeners | <p>Allows you to invoke Java logic after certain events:</p><ul><li><strong>Start</strong>: Executes after the activity has been started.</li><li><strong>End</strong>: Executes after the activity was completed.</li><li><strong>Transition</strong>: When defined on a sequence flow, executes once the flow is transition is taken.</li></ul> |

## Visual properties

| Property         | Description                                         |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Font size        | The font size of the element in the diagram.        |
| Font weight      | The font weight of the element in the diagram.      |
| Font style       | The font style of the element in the diagram.       |
| Font color       | The font color of the element in the diagram.       |
| Background color | The background color of the element in the diagram. |
| Border color     | The border color of the element in the diagram.     |


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