Recurring Events

From HomeSeer

A recurring event is a way to cause HomeSeer to execute an action periodically, such as check for email or record a condition to a log file.

[edit] Special Considerations

To avoid a situation where many recurring events repeatedly execute together requires some planning. When HomeSeer is started, for example, it will start all recurring events at nearly the same time. That can cause them to repeatedly execute simultaneously if their recurrence times are the same or multiples of the same time (e.g. multiples of one minute). Even events started at various times relative to the hour can still end up executing together if their recurrence times are multiples of the same time.

If the events require significant computer resources and/or take appreciable time to complete (particularly if they involve running a script), simultaneous recurring events can lead to unexpected performance problems.

To minimize the potential for conflicts over resources, it is a good practice to adjust recurring events so they are not concurrent. Among the ways to accomplish that are:

• Assign each event a different time relative to the hour.
• Assign each event a slightly different recurrence time, such as 1 min and 1 sec for one and 1 min and 2 sec for another.
• Have the recurring event insert a short delay that is different for each recurring event. For example, if the event action is to run a script, then have the event call the script after a short delay.

These strategies can also be combined to further decrease the likelihood that recurring events will repeatedly execute concurrently.