Exploring Apache Camel Core - Timer Component

Camel Timer is a simple and yet useful component. It brings the JDK’s timer functionality into your camel Route with very simple config.

   from("timer://mytimer?period=1000")
    .process(new Processor() {
        public void process(Exchange msg) {
            LOG.info("Processing {}", msg);
        }
    });

That will generate a timer event message every second. You may short hand 1000 with 1s instead. It supports m for minutes, or h for hours as well. Pretty handy.

Another useful timer feature is that it can limit (stop) the number of timer messages after a certain count. You simply need to add repeatCount option toward the url.

Couple of properties from the event message would be useful when handling the timer message. Here is an example how to read them.

   from("timer://mytimer?period=1s&repeatCount=5")
    .process(new Processor() {
        public void process(Exchange msg) {
            java.util.Date fireTime = msg.getProperty(Exchange.TIMER_FIRED_TIME, java.util.Date.class);
            int eventCount = msg.getProperty(Exchange.TIMER_COUNTER, Integer.class);
            LOG.info("We received {}th timer event that was fired on {}", eventCount, fireTime);
        }
    });

There are more options availabe from Timer component that you may explore. Try it out with a Route and see it for yourself.