chrome.alarms

Description: Use the chrome.alarms API to schedule code to run periodically or at a specified time in the future.
Availability: Since Chrome 35.
Permissions: "alarms"
Learn More: Event Pages

Summary

Types
Alarm
Methods
create − chrome.alarms.create(string name, object alarmInfo)
get − chrome.alarms.get(string name, function callback)
getAll − chrome.alarms.getAll(function callback)
clear − chrome.alarms.clear(string name, function callback)
clearAll − chrome.alarms.clearAll(function callback)
Events
onAlarm

Types

Alarm

properties
string name

Name of this alarm.

double scheduledTime

Time at which this alarm was scheduled to fire, in milliseconds past the epoch (e.g. Date.now() + n). For performance reasons, the alarm may have been delayed an arbitrary amount beyond this.

double (optional) periodInMinutes

If not null, the alarm is a repeating alarm and will fire again in periodInMinutes minutes.

Methods

create

chrome.alarms.create(string name, object alarmInfo)

Creates an alarm. Near the time(s) specified by alarmInfo, the onAlarm event is fired. If there is another alarm with the same name (or no name if none is specified), it will be cancelled and replaced by this alarm.

In order to reduce the load on the user's machine, Chrome limits alarms to at most once every 1 minute but may delay them an arbitrary amount more. That is, setting delayInMinutes or periodInMinutes to less than 1 will not be honored and will cause a warning. when can be set to less than 1 minute after "now" without warning but won't actually cause the alarm to fire for at least 1 minute.

To help you debug your app or extension, when you've loaded it unpacked, there's no limit to how often the alarm can fire.

Parameters
string (optional) name

Optional name to identify this alarm. Defaults to the empty string.

object alarmInfo

Describes when the alarm should fire. The initial time must be specified by either when or delayInMinutes (but not both). If periodInMinutes is set, the alarm will repeat every periodInMinutes minutes after the initial event. If neither when or delayInMinutes is set for a repeating alarm, periodInMinutes is used as the default for delayInMinutes.

double (optional) when

Time at which the alarm should fire, in milliseconds past the epoch (e.g. Date.now() + n).

double (optional) delayInMinutes

Length of time in minutes after which the onAlarm event should fire.
double (optional) periodInMinutes

If set, the onAlarm event should fire every periodInMinutes minutes after the initial event specified by when or delayInMinutes. If not set, the alarm will only fire once.

get

chrome.alarms.get(string name, function callback)

Retrieves details about the specified alarm.

Parameters
string (optional) name

The name of the alarm to get. Defaults to the empty string.

function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function( Alarm alarm) {...};
Alarm (optional) alarm

getAll

chrome.alarms.getAll(function callback)

Gets an array of all the alarms.

Parameters
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function(array of Alarm alarms) {...};
array of Alarm alarms

clear

chrome.alarms.clear(string name, function callback)

Clears the alarm with the given name.

Parameters
string (optional) name

The name of the alarm to clear. Defaults to the empty string.

function (optional) callback

If you specify the callback parameter, it should be a function that looks like this:

function(boolean wasCleared) {...};
boolean wasCleared

clearAll

chrome.alarms.clearAll(function callback)

Clears all alarms.

Parameters
function (optional) callback

If you specify the callback parameter, it should be a function that looks like this:

function(boolean wasCleared) {...};
boolean wasCleared

Events

onAlarm

Fired when an alarm has elapsed. Useful for event pages.

addListener

chrome.alarms.onAlarm.addListener(function callback)
Parameters
function callback

The callback parameter should be a function that looks like this:

function( Alarm alarm) {...};
Alarm alarm

The alarm that has elapsed.