# Trigger every 6 hours but starting at 02:00?

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [19 October 2020 15:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509 "2020-10-19T15:47:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![loeten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@loeten](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/loeten)\
**Post date:** [19 October 2020 15:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/1 "2020-10-19T15:47:20Z")

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Hi there,

I want to get messages every 6 hours and so I have a flow with an inject node at boot time connected to a a trigger node that is set every 6 hours. That works fine, but depends on the moment when I boot.

Is there an easy way to start triggering not at boot but lets say at 02:00 morning, so I get next value at 08:00, 14:00 etc. ?

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**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [19 October 2020 16:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/2 "2020-10-19T16:06:24Z")

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Have a look at node-red-contrib-cron-plus. I am pretty sure that node can do that.

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**Author:** ![UnborN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4491bb/32.png) [@UnborN](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/UnborN)\
**Post date:** [19 October 2020 16:13 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/3 "2020-10-19T16:13:23Z")

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with Cron plus its real easy.  
Expanding on Colin's suggestion .. you can use the following configuration

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/7/4/74949a1805165b57ce2e61e8617e6c1688484d60.png)

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**Author:** ![loeten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@loeten](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/loeten)\
**Post date:** [19 October 2020 16:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/4 "2020-10-19T16:15:48Z")

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> [@Colin](#):
>
> node-red-contrib-cron-plus

Great, looks really good. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![E1cid](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/e1cid/32/77971_2.png) [@E1cid](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/E1cid)\
**Post date:** [19 October 2020 17:48 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/5 "2020-10-19T17:48:07Z")

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Or using a change node, Jsonata and a delay.  
You set the trigger hour in the inject node ( 1 for 1 am, 2 for 2am, etc) But simpler using cronplus as it is all done for you

```auto
[{"id":"600b537a.9dcba4","type":"inject","z":"8d22ae29.7df6d","name":"","props":[{"p":"starthour","v":"19","vt":"num"},{"p":"local","v":"Europe/London","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","x":90,"y":1000,"wires":[["80994d6c.5601d"]]},{"id":"80994d6c.5601d","type":"change","z":"8d22ae29.7df6d","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"delay","pt":"msg","to":"($local := local;\t$starttime := starthour * 3600000;\t$timegap := $toMillis(\"1970-01-01T\" & $moment().tz($local).format('HH:mm:ss') & \"Z\");\t $timegap <= $starttime ? ($starttime - $timegap) : (86400000 + $starttime - $timegap);\t \t \t )\t\t","tot":"jsonata"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":250,"y":1000,"wires":[["ca18810d.3ed83","b76ea11.89af86"]]},{"id":"b76ea11.89af86","type":"delay","z":"8d22ae29.7df6d","name":"","pauseType":"delayv","timeout":"5","timeoutUnits":"milliseconds","rate":"1","nbRateUnits":"1","rateUnits":"second","randomFirst":"1","randomLast":"5","randomUnits":"seconds","drop":false,"x":440,"y":1000,"wires":[["ba123fb5.f3788","ca18810d.3ed83"]]},{"id":"ba123fb5.f3788","type":"trigger","z":"8d22ae29.7df6d","name":"","op1":"1","op2":"1","op1type":"str","op2type":"str","duration":"6","extend":false,"units":"hr","reset":"","bytopic":"all","topic":"topic","outputs":1,"x":600,"y":1000,"wires":[[]]}]

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [19 October 2020 18:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/6 "2020-10-19T18:29:38Z")

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Thats one way 😛

Or `0 0 2/4 * * * *`

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/5/2/52dbc0b7cf08549e68b55d5b9fd8fa79f438fb1c.png)

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**Author:** ![krambriw](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/krambriw/32/5429_2.png) [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2020 04:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/7 "2020-10-20T04:08:28Z")

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@Steve-Mcl

You must have ment 0 0 2/6 \* \* \* \*

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2020 06:20 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/8 "2020-10-20T06:20:12Z")

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Doh haha. That'll teach me.

Cron is so flexible & at the same time takes no prisoners 😂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![krambriw](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/krambriw/32/5429_2.png) [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2020 08:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/9 "2020-10-20T08:21:40Z")

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Just kidding,  
You are THE expert, full respect!

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [19 December 2020 08:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/trigger-every-6-hours-but-starting-at-02-00/34509/10 "2020-12-19T08:21:53Z")

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