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**IDLE(**[//procedure//] [,//separation//]**)**

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| **IDLE** | Arms a //procedure// that periodically executes. |
| //procedure// | The label of a PROCEDURE. The //procedure// may not take any parameters. |
| //separation// | An integer that specifies the minimum wait time (in seconds) between calls to the //procedure//. A //separation// of 0 specifies continuous calls. If //separation// is omitted, the default value is 1 second. |

An **IDLE** procedure is active while ASK or ACCEPT are waiting for user input. Only one IDLE procedure may be active at a time. Naming a new IDLE //procedure// overrides the previous one. An IDLE statement with no parameters disarms the IDLE process.

The IDLE //procedure// executes on thread one (1)--the same thread as the APPLICATION frame in an MDI application. Therefore, any WINDOW structure in an IDLE //procedure// must not have the MDI attribute. Since opening a non-MDI window in the same thread as the APPLICATION frame creates an application modal window, it would be more usual for an IDLE //procedure// not to have a WINDOW structure at all.

An IDLE //procedure// is usually prototyped in the PROGRAM's MAP. If prototyped in a MEMBER MAP, the IDLE statements which activate and de-activate it must be contained in a procedure within the same MEMBER module.

**Example:**

**IDLE(ShoTime,10)     !Call shotime every 10 seconds**

**IDLE(CheckNet)       !Check network activity every 1 second**

**IDLE                 !Disarm idle procedure**

**See Also:**

[[ask  get one keystroke .htm|ASK]]

[[accept  the event processor .htm|ACCEPT]]

[[procedure  define a procedure .htm|PROCEDURE]]

[[map  declare procedure prototypes .htm|MAP]]

[[mdi  set mdi child window .htm|MDI]]