---
name: "SoTimerSensor"
section: "3iv"
platform: "linux"
package: "inventor-doc"
version: "2.1.6+ds-2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/SoTimerSensor/3iv"
---

# SoTimerSensor(3iv)

sensor that triggers callback repeatedly at regular intervals

## NAME

SoTimerSensor — sensor that triggers callback repeatedly at regular intervals

## INHERITS FROM

SoSensor \> SoTimerQueueSensor \> SoTimerSensor

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<Inventor/sensors/SoTimerSensor.h\>**

Methods from class SoTimerSensor:

	**SoTimerSensor()**\
 	**SoTimerSensor(SoSensorCB \*func, void \*data)**\
 	**~SoTimerSensor()**\
 **void**	**setBaseTime(const SbTime &base)**\
 **const SbTime &**	**getBaseTime() const**\
 **void**	**setInterval(const SbTime &interval)**\
 **const SbTime &**	**getInterval() const**

Methods from class SoTimerQueueSensor:

**const SbTime &**	**getTriggerTime()**\
 **virtual void**	**schedule()**\
 **virtual void**	**unschedule()**\
 **virtual SbBool**	**isScheduled()**

Methods from class SoSensor:

**void**	**setFunction(SoSensorCB \*callbackFunction)**\
 **SoSensorCB \***	**getFunction() const**\
 **void**	**setData(void \*callbackData)**\
 **void \***	**getData() const**

## DESCRIPTION

**Timer sensors trigger their callback function at regular intervals. For example, a timer might be setup to call its callback function every second on the second by setting the base time to SbTime(0.0)** and the interval to **SbTime(1.0)**. Timers are guaranteed to be triggered only once when the timer queue is processed, so if the application only processes the timer queue once every 5 seconds (because it is busy doing something else) the once-a-second sensor's callback will be called only once every 5 seconds.

Note also that **SoTimer**s always schedule themselves to be triggered the next even multiple of the interval time after the base time; so, for example, if the once-a-second sensor is triggered at time 2.9 (because the application way busy doing something at time 2.0 and didn't get around to processing the sensor queue for a while) it will reschedule itself to go off at time 3.0, not at time 3.9. If the base time was never set, the sensor would be scheduled for time 3.9.

## METHODS

	**SoTimerSensor()**\
 	**SoTimerSensor(SoSensorCB \*func, void \*data)**\
 Creation methods. The second method takes the callback function and data to be called when the sensor is triggered.

	**~SoTimerSensor()**\
 Destroys the sensor, freeing up any memory associated with it after unscheduling it.

**void**	**setBaseTime(const SbTime &base)**\
 **const SbTime &**	**getBaseTime() const**\
 **void**	**setInterval(const SbTime &interval)**\
 **const SbTime &**	**getInterval() const**\
 Sets/gets the base time and the interval. The default base time is the time when the sensor is scheduled or rescheduled, and the default interval is 1/30th of a second.

## SEE ALSO

**SoOneShotSensor, SoAlarmSensor, SoTimerQueueSensor, SbTime**