timecondition

A timecondition, in computing and information systems, is a condition whose truth value depends on the current time or on time-derived values. It is used to gate actions, decisions, or events within software, automation workflows, and policy engines.

Timeconditions can be specified as time windows (for example, from 09:00 to 17:00), schedules (every weekday at 08:30), or recurring patterns (cron-like expressions). They may compare the current timestamp against a fixed range, or use relative timing (delay of 5 minutes, countdown to a deadline).

Usage examples include access control that allows entry only during business hours; automated backups that run at night; reminders or notifications that trigger when a deadline is approaching; and rate limiting that resets counters at the start of each hour.

Implementation considerations include evaluation against a clock, so time zone, daylight saving time, and clock skew must be handled correctly. Some systems support timecondition as a first-class construct; others implement it via arithmetic on timestamps or through external schedulers. Efficient evaluation may involve caching active windows or using event-driven triggers rather than polling.

See also: time-based access control, scheduling, cron, event trigger, policy engine.