A time event specifies an instance in time by an expression. The expression might be absolute or it might be relative to some other point in time. Relative time events must always be used in the context of a trigger and the starting point is the time at which the trigger becomes active.

A relative time trigger is specified with the keyword “after” followed by an expression that evaluates to a time value, such as “after (5 seconds).” An absolute time trigger is specified with the keyword “at” followed by an expression that evaluates to a time value, such as “Jan. 1, 2012, Noon.”

You can change the time expression by changing the Is Relative property value.


To specify a time for a time event


  1. Open the selected TransitionSpecification window or Accept Event Action Specification window having the TimeEvent type assigned.
  2. In the Trigger category, do one of the following:

    If you do not see the Event Type property, click the button + near the Trigger category to expand its content.

    • To specify the event occurrence at the absolute time, set Is Relative property value to false.The time event is specified as absolute, and the command syntax changes from after() to at ().

    • To specify the event occurrence at the relative time, set Is Relative property value to true.The time event is specified as relative, and the command syntax changes from at () to after ().