Timers

A timer runs an action once after a delay (after) or repeatedly at an interval (every). The action is either a string sent as a command, or a Lua function.

rune.timer.after(5, "stand")                          -- once, in 5 seconds
rune.timer.every(60, "save", { name = "autosave" })   -- every 60 seconds

-- Try five times, then stop
local tries = 0
rune.timer.every(2, function(ctx)
    tries = tries + 1
    rune.send("open gate")
    if tries >= 10 then ctx:remove() end
end)

Creating

rune.timer.after(seconds, action, opts?)   -- fires once
rune.timer.every(seconds, action, opts?)   -- fires repeatedly

Strings go through rune.send, so ; chaining and aliases apply. Use a function when the timer needs a condition, state, or to cancel itself. The function receives a ctx with name, group, type, and a ctx:remove() method that removes the timer from inside its own callback.

For a repeating timer, the countdown to the next repeat starts when the timer becomes due, without waiting for its action to finish.

Options

Timers take the common options name and group. Creating a timer with an existing name replaces the old timer.

Examples

A delayed sequence without callbacks inside callbacks:

rune.alias.exact("ritual", function()
    rune.send("kneel")
    rune.timer.after(2, "chant")
    rune.timer.after(4, "sacrifice goat")
end)

A keepalive that only runs while grouped:

rune.timer.every(300, "save", { name = "keepalive", group = "afk" })
-- /group afk on   when you walk away

Managing

Creating a timer returns a handle you can use to manage it:

local h = rune.timer.every(60, "save", { name = "autosave" })
h:disable()  h:enable()  h:cancel()   -- :cancel() is an alias for :remove()

By name: rune.timer.disable/enable/remove(name) (rune.timer.cancel is the same as remove). The full list is in the API reference. In the client, /timers shows every timer with its state, mode and interval, time remaining, action, group, name, and the file:line that registered it. For example, every 60.0s (23.4s left) means the next scheduled firing is about 23.4 seconds away. These values are from when you run /timers; run it again to see an updated countdown.

Time remaining

To check how many seconds are left, call :remaining() on the timer:

local h = rune.timer.after(30, "stand")
local seconds = h:remaining()

The result includes fractions of a second. It is nil when the timer has finished, been cancelled, or been removed.

You can also find a timer by name:

local timer = rune.timer.get("autosave")
local seconds = timer and timer:remaining()

The timer and check handles the case where no timer has that name. If you create another timer with the same name, use get() again to find the new one. The old handle still refers to the old timer.

To inspect all timers, use rune.timer.list():

for _, timer in ipairs(rune.timer.list()) do
    rune.echo(string.format("%s: %.1fs left", timer.name, timer.remaining))
end

Disabled timers and timers in disabled groups keep counting down; their actions are skipped while disabled. A one-shot that is due but still waiting to run shows 0.0s left.

/reload clears all timers. Create them in your script if they should start again when you reload.

Gotchas

If Rune is busy, a timer’s action may run later than the countdown suggests.
Rune interrupts timer functions that run too long and automatically disables timers whose actions keep producing errors.
Disabling a repeating timer skips its actions without pausing or restarting its countdown. A one-shot that becomes due while disabled is removed without running; create a new timer if you still need the action.
Sub-second intervals work (rune.timer.every(0.25, ...)). Keep frequently repeated actions short so they do not slow down the client.