Timers & Intervals

Timers work in persistent scripts (started with lua:start). They fire on the main thread during the render frame.

Recurring Timer

local id = pl.set_interval(1000, function()
    pl.log("Every second")
end)

Returns a timer ID. The callback fires every ms milliseconds.

One-Shot Timer

local id = pl.set_timeout(5000, function()
    pl.log("5 seconds later")
end)

Fires once after ms milliseconds, then auto-removes.

Cancel a Timer

pl.clear_interval(id)
pl.clear_timeout(id)   -- same function, works for both

Example: Auto-Save Reminder

pl.set_interval(300000, function()  -- 5 minutes
    pl.log("Reminder: save your project!")
end)

Example: Delayed Action

-- Start recording, then stop after 8 bars
pl.cmd("transport:toggle-record")

local transport = pl.get_transport()
local bar_duration_ms = (60000 / transport.tempo) * transport.timeSigNum * 8

pl.set_timeout(bar_duration_ms, function()
    pl.cmd("transport:stop")
    pl.log("Recording stopped after 8 bars")
end)

Performance

• Timers are checked each render frame (~16ms at 60fps)
• Timer resolution is frame-rate dependent, not sample-accurate
• For sample-accurate timing, use pl.on_beat or pl.on_bar instead
• One-shot timers are automatically cleaned up after firing