Wait Block

What it does: Pause your workflow for a specific amount of time or until a particular date/time.

When to Use This

Use the Wait block when you need to:

• ✅ Add delays between actions
• ✅ Schedule actions for specific times
• ✅ Implement rate limiting
• ✅ Give time for external processes to complete
• ✅ Space out notifications
• ✅ Create timed sequences

Example: After sending a welcome email, wait 24 hours, then send a follow-up email with tips.

How It Works

1. Previous Action: Workflow reaches Wait block
2. Pause: Workflow execution stops
3. Timer: System tracks elapsed time
4. Resume: Continue when time is up
5. Next Action: Proceed with workflow

Wait Types

1. Duration-Based Wait

Pause for a specific amount of time.

Time Units:

Seconds: 30 seconds
Minutes: 5 minutes
Hours: 2 hours
Days: 1 day

Examples:

Wait 30 seconds
Wait 5 minutes
Wait 2 hours
Wait 1 day
Wait 7 days

With Variables:

Wait {{delayMinutes}} minutes
Wait {{calculateDelay()}} seconds

2. Timestamp-Based Wait

Pause until a specific date and time.

Formats:

ISO 8601: 2024-12-25T09:00:00Z
Unix Timestamp: 1735117200
Date String: 2024-12-25 09:00:00

Examples:

Wait until: 2024-12-25T09:00:00Z
Wait until: {{event.scheduledTime}}
Wait until: {{calculateNextMonday()}}

Time Zones:

UTC: 2024-12-25T09:00:00Z
EST: 2024-12-25T09:00:00-05:00
PST: 2024-12-25T09:00:00-08:00

3. Relative Time Wait

Wait until a specific time relative to now.

Examples:

Wait until tomorrow at 9:00 AM
Wait until next Monday at 10:00 AM
Wait until end of day (11:59 PM)
Wait until next hour

Configuration

Duration Wait

Amount: How long to wait

Number: 5

Unit: Time measurement

seconds
minutes
hours
days

Dynamic Duration:

{{user.preferences.reminderDelay}} minutes
{{calculateOptimalWaitTime()}} hours

Timestamp Wait

Wait Until: Target date/time

2024-12-31T23:59:59Z
{{appointment.scheduledTime}}
{{event.startTime}}

Time Zone: Time zone for timestamp

UTC
America/New_York
Europe/London
Asia/Tokyo

Advanced Options

Wait Mode:

Blocking: Workflow is paused (default)
Non-blocking: Continue workflow, trigger later

Timeout: Maximum wait time

Max Wait: 30 days
If exceeded: Continue anyway or fail

Cancellable: Allow early termination

Allow Cancel: true/false
Cancel Trigger: {{shouldCancelWait}}

Common Use Cases

Example 1: Email Drip Campaign

Sequence: Progressive emails

1. Send welcome email
2. Wait 24 hours
3. Send tips email
4. Wait 3 days
5. Send feature highlights
6. Wait 7 days
7. Send upgrade offer

Implementation:

Send Email: "Welcome!"
↓
Wait: 1 day
↓
Send Email: "Here are some tips..."
↓
Wait: 3 days
↓
Send Email: "Check out these features..."
↓
Wait: 7 days
↓
Send Email: "Special upgrade offer!"

Example 2: Appointment Reminder

Trigger: Appointment scheduled Wait: Until reminder time

Set Variable: reminderTime
  = {{appointment.time}} - 1 hour

Wait until: {{reminderTime}}

Send SMS:
  To: {{customer.phone}}
  Message: "Reminder: Your appointment is in 1 hour at {{appointment.time}}"

Example 3: Rate Limiting

Use: API calls with rate limits

For each item in list:
  1. Make API call
  2. Wait: 2 seconds
  3. Continue to next item

(Ensures max 30 calls per minute)

Example 4: Processing Pipeline

Use: Wait for external processing

1. Upload file for processing
   Response: {{job.id}}

2. Wait: 30 seconds

3. Check job status
   GET /api/jobs/{{job.id}}

4. Condition: If not complete
   Loop back to step 2
   
5. If complete: Download result

Example 5: Business Hours Queue

Use: Schedule for business hours

Trigger: Support ticket received at 11 PM

Condition: If current time is after 6 PM
  Calculate: nextBusinessDay at 9 AM
  Wait until: {{nextBusinessDay}}
  Assign ticket to agent
Else:
  Assign immediately

Example 6: Reminder Sequence

Use: Progressive reminders

Event: Task assigned

Wait: 2 days
Send Reminder: "Don't forget about {{task.name}}"

Wait: 2 more days  
Send Reminder: "{{task.name}} due soon!"

Wait: 1 day
Send Urgent Reminder: "{{task.name}} due today!"

Best Practices

Timing

• ✅ Use appropriate units (don't wait 86400 seconds, use 1 day)
• ✅ Consider time zones for timestamp waits
• ✅ Account for weekends if needed
• ✅ Set realistic maximums to avoid hanging workflows
• ✅ Test with shorter times during development

Workflow Design

• ✅ Document wait purposes in workflow notes
• ✅ Use variables for flexibility (easy to adjust)
• ✅ Add timeout conditions for safety
• ✅ Consider user experience (don't wait too long)
• ✅ Plan for failures during wait period

Performance

• ✅ Batch waits when possible instead of many small ones
• ✅ Use scheduled triggers for long waits (days/weeks)
• ✅ Monitor active wait states in system
• ✅ Clean up cancelled waits promptly
• ✅ Avoid unnecessary waits

Error Handling

• ✅ Set maximum wait times to prevent indefinite waits
• ✅ Handle timeout scenarios gracefully
• ✅ Log wait start and completion for debugging
• ✅ Allow cancellation when appropriate
• ✅ Resume gracefully after waits

Advanced Patterns

Exponential Backoff

For retries with increasing delays:

Attempt 1: Immediate
Fail → Wait: 1 second

Attempt 2: After 1 second
Fail → Wait: 2 seconds

Attempt 3: After 2 seconds  
Fail → Wait: 4 seconds

Attempt 4: After 4 seconds
Fail → Wait: 8 seconds

Smart Scheduling

Wait until optimal time:

// Calculate best send time
Set Variable: optimalTime
  if {{user.timezone}} == "America/New_York":
    = Today at 10:00 AM EST
  else if {{user.timezone}} == "Asia/Tokyo":
    = Today at 10:00 AM JST
    
Wait until: {{optimalTime}}
 
Send Email: ...

Conditional Wait

Wait based on condition:

Condition: If {{user.plan}} == "premium":
  Wait: 1 hour (priority processing)
Else:
  Wait: 4 hours (standard processing)

Continue with processing...

Multi-Stage Wait

Complex timing scenarios:

Stage 1: Immediate
  Send confirmation

Stage 2: Wait 1 hour
  Send thank you

Stage 3: Wait 1 day  
  Send survey

Stage 4: Wait 7 days
  Send follow-up offer

Troubleshooting

Wait Not Completing

Causes:

• Timestamp is in the past
• Duration is too large
• Workflow timeout exceeded
• System issues

Solutions:

• Validate timestamp is future
• Check duration value
• Set reasonable timeout
• Check workflow logs

Incorrect Wait Duration

Issues:

• Wrong time unit selected
• Variable has unexpected value
• Calculation error
• Time zone confusion

Debug:

Log before wait:
  "Waiting for {{duration}} {{unit}}"
  "Current time: {{currentTime}}"
  "Resume at: {{resumeTime}}"

Workflow Timeout

Problem: Wait longer than workflow timeout

Solutions:

• Use scheduled trigger instead
• Break into multiple workflows
• Increase workflow timeout (if possible)
• Use external queue system

Time Zone Issues

Issues:

• Wrong local time used
• DST not accounted for
• Timezone not specified

Fix:

• Always use explicit time zones
• Test across time zones
• Use UTC for calculations
• Convert to local for display

Limitations

Duration Limits

• Maximum Wait: Typically 30 days
• Minimum Wait: 1 second
• Precision: Seconds (not milliseconds)
• Concurrent Waits: Platform dependent

Workflow Constraints

• Total Execution Time: Subject to workflow timeout
• Long Waits: May incur additional costs
• Multiple Waits: Accumulate time
• Resource Usage: Waiting workflows consume resources

Reliability

• System Maintenance: May interrupt waits
• Cancellation: User or system can cancel
• Power Outages: Resume when system recovers
• Clock Changes: DST or system time changes

Example Workflow

Related Blocks

• Loop: Use with wait for polling patterns
• Condition: Conditional waits
• Schedule Trigger: Alternative for long waits
• Set Variable: Calculate wait times
• HTTP Request: Wait for external processes
• ForEach: Wait between processing items

Need Help?

• Test waits with short durations first (seconds)
• Log timestamps before and after waits
• Consider time zones carefully
• Use scheduled triggers for long delays
• Monitor workflow execution logs
• Set appropriate timeouts