Create Timers and Trigger Notification Messages

This document uses an example to describe how you need to proceed so that the timer sends notification messages in the time intervals you have specified.

Procedure

  1. Create a timer source system and define a timer, for example, Timer1.

  2. Define for the timer Timer1 that you want a notification message to be sent every 30 seconds. (See also: Timer Configuration Tab.)

  3. Create an agent instance for the timer source system and on the Subscription Items tab, browse for and select the timer Timer1.

    Timer1 is added as a subscription item. It has the data type System.DateTime and cannot be changed.

  4. Create a notification for the agent instance.

  5. In the notification, click on the Output tab and choose Generate Expressions.

    Timer1 is added as an output expression.

  6. Click on the Destinations tab and select a simulation destination system.

  7. Start the agent instance.

Result:

The agent instance of the timer is started. A notification message is sent to the simulation destination system every 30 seconds. You can display the messages in the folder of the simulation destination system.

Every message contains the subscription item with the values [CDATA[event_time]] where [event_time] is the time of the notification message.

Notes:

  • Even if you don’t want to use the expression Timer1 as the input parameter for the destination system call, you need to create it in any case, so that the notification is triggered for a timer event.

  • You can also use the subscription item for the timer in the trigger condition of the notification if your requirements for execution of the timer are not covered by the configuration options of the timer source system.