Overview

Every call to trigger() can behave in one of three fundamentally different ways depending on the action you pass. Choosing the right action determines whether the caller blocks, whether the work is queued with retries, or whether the message is simply dispatched and forgotten.

Action	Caller blocks?	Retries?	Returns
(none) — Synchronous	Yes	No	Function result
`Void` — Fire-and-forget	No	No	`None` / `null`
`Enqueue` — Named queue	No	Yes	`{ messageReceiptId }`

Understanding these three modes is critical because they affect latency, reliability, ordering, and error handling across your entire system.

The Three Trigger Actions

1. Synchronous (no action)

When you omit the action field, trigger() performs a direct, synchronous invocation. The caller sends the request to the engine, the engine routes it to the target function, and the caller blocks until the function returns a result or the timeout expires.

mermaid

sequenceDiagram
    participant Caller
    participant Engine
    participant Function

    Caller->>Engine: trigger({ function_id, payload })
    Engine->>Function: Invoke
    Function-->>Engine: Result
    Engine-->>Caller: Result
    Note over Caller: Caller was blocked the entire time

<Tabs> <Tab title="Node / TypeScript"> ```typescript import { registerWorker } from 'iii-sdk'

const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? 'ws://localhost:49134')

const result = await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'users::get', payload: { id: 'usr_42' }, timeoutMs: 5000, })

console.log(result.name) // "Alice"

</Tab>
<Tab title="Python">
```python
from iii import register_worker

iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134")

result = iii.trigger({
    "function_id": "users::get",
    "payload": {"id": "usr_42"},
    "timeout_ms": 5000,
})

print(result["name"])  # "Alice"

</Tab> <Tab title="Rust"> ```rust use iii_sdk::{register_worker, InitOptions, TriggerRequest}; use serde_json::json;

let iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134", InitOptions::default());

let result = iii.trigger(TriggerRequest { function_id: "users::get".to_string(), payload: json!({ "id": "usr_42" }), action: None, timeout_ms: Some(5000), }).await?;

println!("{}", result["name"]); // "Alice"

</Tab>
</Tabs>

**When to use synchronous triggers:**

- You need the function's return value to continue (e.g. fetching data, validating input)
- The operation is fast and the caller can afford to wait
- You want errors to propagate directly to the caller
- Request/response APIs like HTTP endpoints that must return data to a client

### 2. Void (fire-and-forget)

`TriggerAction.Void()` tells the engine to dispatch the invocation but **not wait for a result**. The caller continues immediately. If the target function fails, the caller is unaware — there are no retries and no acknowledgement.

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant Caller
    participant Engine
    participant Function

    Caller->>Engine: trigger({ function_id, payload, action: Void })
    Engine-->>Caller: (returns immediately)
    Note over Caller: Caller continues — no blocking
    Engine->>Function: Invoke (async)
    Function-->>Engine: Result (discarded)

<Tabs> <Tab title="Node / TypeScript"> ```typescript import { registerWorker, TriggerAction } from 'iii-sdk'

const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? 'ws://localhost:49134')

await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'analytics::track-event', payload: { event: 'page_view', userId: 'usr_42', page: '/dashboard' }, action: TriggerAction.Void(), }) // Execution continues immediately — no waiting for analytics to complete

</Tab>
<Tab title="Python">
```python
from iii import register_worker, TriggerAction

iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134")

iii.trigger({
    "function_id": "analytics::track-event",
    "payload": {"event": "page_view", "userId": "usr_42", "page": "/dashboard"},
    "action": TriggerAction.Void(),
})
# Execution continues immediately

</Tab> <Tab title="Rust"> ```rust use iii_sdk::{register_worker, InitOptions, TriggerAction, TriggerRequest}; use serde_json::json;

let iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134", InitOptions::default());

iii.trigger(TriggerRequest { function_id: "analytics::track-event".to_string(), payload: json!({ "event": "page_view", "userId": "usr_42", "page": "/dashboard", }), action: Some(TriggerAction::Void), timeout_ms: None, }).await?; // Execution continues immediately

</Tab>
</Tabs>

**When to use Void:**

- The caller does not need a response
- Losing the occasional message is acceptable (best-effort delivery)
- You want minimal latency impact on the caller's hot path
- Side effects like logging, analytics, non-critical notifications

### 3. Enqueue (named queue)

`TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'name' })` routes the invocation through a **named queue** configured in `iii-config.yaml`, check how to [create queues in more detail](/how-to/use-queues). The caller receives an acknowledgement (`messageReceiptId`) once the engine accepts the job but does not wait for it to be processed. The queue provides retries, concurrency control, backoff, and optional FIFO ordering. If all retries are exhausted, the job moves to a dead letter queue.

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant Caller
    participant Engine
    participant Queue
    participant Function

    Caller->>Engine: trigger({ function_id, payload, action: Enqueue })
    Engine->>Queue: Enqueue job
    Queue-->>Engine: Accepted (messageReceiptId)
    Engine-->>Caller: { messageReceiptId }
    Note over Caller: Caller continues — job queued

    Queue->>Function: Dequeue & invoke
    alt Success
        Function-->>Queue: Result
        Queue->>Queue: ACK — job removed
    else Failure
        Function-->>Queue: Error
        Queue->>Queue: Retry with backoff
    end

<Tabs> <Tab title="Node / TypeScript"> ```typescript import { registerWorker, TriggerAction } from 'iii-sdk'

const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? 'ws://localhost:49134')

const receipt = await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'orders::process-payment', payload: { orderId: 'ord_789', amount: 149.99, currency: 'USD' }, action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'payment' }), })

console.log(receipt.messageReceiptId) // "msg_abc123"

</Tab>
<Tab title="Python">
```python
from iii import register_worker, TriggerAction

iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134")

receipt = iii.trigger({
    "function_id": "orders::process-payment",
    "payload": {"orderId": "ord_789", "amount": 149.99, "currency": "USD"},
    "action": TriggerAction.Enqueue(queue="payment"),
})

print(receipt["messageReceiptId"])  # "msg_abc123"

</Tab> <Tab title="Rust"> ```rust use iii_sdk::{register_worker, InitOptions, TriggerAction, TriggerRequest}; use serde_json::json;

let iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134", InitOptions::default());

let receipt = iii.trigger(TriggerRequest { function_id: "orders::process-payment".to_string(), payload: json!({ "orderId": "ord_789", "amount": 149.99, "currency": "USD", }), action: Some(TriggerAction::Enqueue { queue: "payment".to_string() }), timeout_ms: None, }).await?;

println!("{}", receipt["messageReceiptId"]); // "msg_abc123"

</Tab>
</Tabs>

**When to use Enqueue:**

- The work is expensive or slow and you do not want to block the caller
- You need automatic retries with backoff on failure
- You need concurrency control over how many jobs run in parallel
- You need FIFO ordering guarantees (e.g. financial transactions)
- You want failed jobs preserved in a dead letter queue for later inspection

## Key Differences at a Glance

| Dimension | Synchronous | Void | Enqueue |
|-----------|------------|------|---------|
| **Caller blocks** | Yes — waits for result | No | No |
| **Returns** | Function return value | `null` / `None` | `{ messageReceiptId }` |
| **Error propagation** | Errors reach the caller directly | Errors are silent to the caller | Retried automatically; DLQ on exhaustion |
| **Retries** | None — caller handles retry logic | None | Configurable (`max_retries`, `backoff_ms`) |
| **Ordering** | Sequential by nature | No guarantees | Optional FIFO with `message_group_field` |
| **Concurrency control** | N/A | N/A | Configurable per queue |
| **Use case** | Read data, validate, RPC | Analytics, logs, non-critical side effects | Payments, emails, heavy processing |

## Real-World Scenarios

### Scenario 1: E-Commerce Order Flow

An order API must respond fast, payment processing must be reliable, and analytics can be best-effort.

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant API as orders::create
    participant Queue as payment queue
    participant Payment as orders::process-payment
    participant Analytics as analytics::track

    Client->>API: POST /orders (HTTP trigger)
    API->>API: Validate & save order
    API->>Queue: Enqueue payment job
    API->>Analytics: Void — track "order_created"
    API-->>Client: { orderId: "ord_789" }

    Note over Client,API: Client gets fast response

    Queue->>Payment: Process payment (with retries)
    alt Payment succeeds
        Payment-->>Queue: ACK
    else Payment fails
        Queue->>Payment: Retry (up to max_retries)
    end

<Tabs> <Tab title="Node / TypeScript"> ```typescript import { registerWorker, TriggerAction, Logger } from 'iii-sdk'

const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? 'ws://localhost:49134')

iii.registerFunction({ id: 'orders::create' }, async (req) => { const logger = new Logger() const order = { id: crypto.randomUUID(), ...req.body }

// Reliable payment processing — enqueued with retries await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'orders::process-payment', payload: order, action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'payment' }), })

// Best-effort analytics — fire and forget await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'analytics::track', payload: { event: 'order_created', orderId: order.id }, action: TriggerAction.Void(), })

logger.info('Order created', { orderId: order.id }) return { status_code: 201, body: { orderId: order.id } } })

iii.registerTrigger({ type: 'http', function_id: 'orders::create', config: { api_path: '/orders', http_method: 'POST' }, })

</Tab>
<Tab title="Python">
```python
import os
import uuid

from iii import Logger, TriggerAction, register_worker

iii = register_worker(os.environ.get("III_URL", "ws://localhost:49134"))


def create_order(req):
    logger = Logger()
    order = {"id": str(uuid.uuid4()), **req.get("body", {})}

    # Reliable payment processing — enqueued with retries
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "orders::process-payment",
        "payload": order,
        "action": TriggerAction.Enqueue(queue="payment"),
    })

    # Best-effort analytics — fire and forget
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "analytics::track",
        "payload": {"event": "order_created", "orderId": order["id"]},
        "action": TriggerAction.Void(),
    })

    logger.info("Order created", {"orderId": order["id"]})
    return {"status_code": 201, "body": {"orderId": order["id"]}}


fn = iii.register_function({"id": "orders::create"}, create_order)

iii.register_trigger({
    "type": "http",
    "function_id": fn.id,
    "config": {"api_path": "/orders", "http_method": "POST"},
})

</Tab> <Tab title="Rust"> ```rust use iii_sdk::{ register_worker, InitOptions, Logger, RegisterFunctionMessage, RegisterTriggerInput, TriggerAction, TriggerRequest, }; use serde_json::{json, Value};

let iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134", InitOptions::default());

let iii_clone = iii.clone(); iii.register_function( RegisterFunctionMessage { id: "orders::create".into(), description: None, request_format: None, response_format: None, metadata: None, invocation: None, }, move |req: Value| { let iii = iii_clone.clone(); async move { let logger = Logger::new(); let order_id = uuid::Uuid::new_v4().to_string(); let order = json!({ "id": order_id, "items": req["body"]["items"] });

        // Reliable payment processing — enqueued with retries
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "orders::process-payment".into(),
            payload: order.clone(),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Enqueue { queue: "payment".into() }),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        // Best-effort analytics — fire and forget
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "analytics::track".into(),
            payload: json!({ "event": "order_created", "orderId": order_id }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Void),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        logger.info("Order created", Some(json!({ "orderId": order_id })));
        Ok(json!({ "status_code": 201, "body": { "orderId": order_id } }))
    }
},

);

iii.register_trigger(RegisterTriggerInput { trigger_type: "http".into(), function_id: "orders::create".into(), config: json!({ "api_path": "/orders", "http_method": "POST" }), })?;

</Tab>
</Tabs>

### Scenario 2: User Registration Pipeline

Registration must return the created user (synchronous), send a welcome email reliably (enqueue), and log the event without blocking (void).

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant Register as users::register
    participant Validate as users::validate-email
    participant EmailQ as email queue
    participant Email as emails::send-welcome
    participant Audit as audit::log

    Client->>Register: POST /register
    Register->>Validate: Synchronous — validate email format
    Validate-->>Register: { valid: true }
    Register->>Register: Create user in DB
    Register->>EmailQ: Enqueue welcome email
    Register->>Audit: Void — log registration event
    Register-->>Client: { userId: "usr_99" }

    EmailQ->>Email: Send welcome email (retries on SMTP failure)

<Tabs> <Tab title="Node / TypeScript"> ```typescript import { registerWorker, TriggerAction } from 'iii-sdk'

const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? 'ws://localhost:49134')

iii.registerFunction({ id: 'users::register' }, async (req) => { const { email, name } = req.body

// Synchronous — need the validation result before proceeding const validation = await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'users::validate-email', payload: { email }, })

if (!validation.valid) { return { status_code: 400, body: { error: 'Invalid email' } } }

const user = await createUserInDb({ email, name })

// Enqueue — welcome email must be delivered reliably await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'emails::send-welcome', payload: { userId: user.id, email, name }, action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'email' }), })

// Void — audit log is best-effort await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'audit::log', payload: { action: 'user_registered', userId: user.id }, action: TriggerAction.Void(), })

return { status_code: 201, body: { userId: user.id } } })

</Tab>
<Tab title="Python">
```python
from iii import TriggerAction, register_worker

iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134")


def register_user(req):
    email = req["body"]["email"]
    name = req["body"]["name"]

    # Synchronous — need the validation result before proceeding
    validation = iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "users::validate-email",
        "payload": {"email": email},
    })

    if not validation.get("valid"):
        return {"status_code": 400, "body": {"error": "Invalid email"}}

    user = create_user_in_db({"email": email, "name": name})

    # Enqueue — welcome email must be delivered reliably
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "emails::send-welcome",
        "payload": {"userId": user["id"], "email": email, "name": name},
        "action": TriggerAction.Enqueue(queue="email"),
    })

    # Void — audit log is best-effort
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "audit::log",
        "payload": {"action": "user_registered", "userId": user["id"]},
        "action": TriggerAction.Void(),
    })

    return {"status_code": 201, "body": {"userId": user["id"]}}


fn = iii.register_function({"id": "users::register"}, register_user)

</Tab> <Tab title="Rust"> ```rust use iii_sdk::{ register_worker, InitOptions, RegisterFunctionMessage, TriggerAction, TriggerRequest, }; use serde_json::{json, Value};

let iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134", InitOptions::default());

let iii_clone = iii.clone(); iii.register_function( RegisterFunctionMessage { id: "users::register".into(), description: None, request_format: None, response_format: None, metadata: None, invocation: None, }, move |req: Value| { let iii = iii_clone.clone(); async move { let email = req["body"]["email"].as_str().unwrap_or(""); let name = req["body"]["name"].as_str().unwrap_or("");

        // Synchronous — need the validation result before proceeding
        let validation = iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "users::validate-email".into(),
            payload: json!({ "email": email }),
            action: None,
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        if validation["valid"].as_bool() != Some(true) {
            return Ok(json!({ "status_code": 400, "body": { "error": "Invalid email" } }));
        }

        let user = create_user_in_db(email, name).await;

        // Enqueue — welcome email must be delivered reliably
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "emails::send-welcome".into(),
            payload: json!({ "userId": user.id, "email": email, "name": name }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Enqueue { queue: "email".into() }),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        // Void — audit log is best-effort
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "audit::log".into(),
            payload: json!({ "action": "user_registered", "userId": user.id }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Void),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        Ok(json!({ "status_code": 201, "body": { "userId": user.id } }))
    }
},

);

</Tab>
</Tabs>

### Scenario 3: Multi-Step Data Pipeline

An ETL pipeline where each stage hands off to the next via queues, with monitoring dispatched as void.

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant Cron as cron trigger
    participant Extract as etl::extract
    participant TransformQ as transform queue
    participant Transform as etl::transform
    participant LoadQ as load queue
    participant Load as etl::load
    participant Monitor as monitoring::report

    Cron->>Extract: Scheduled trigger (every hour)
    Extract->>Extract: Fetch raw data from source
    Extract->>TransformQ: Enqueue raw data for transformation
    Extract->>Monitor: Void — report extraction metrics

    TransformQ->>Transform: Process batch
    Transform->>Transform: Clean, normalize, enrich
    Transform->>LoadQ: Enqueue transformed data
    Transform->>Monitor: Void — report transform metrics

    LoadQ->>Load: Write to destination
    Load->>Monitor: Void — report load metrics

<Tabs> <Tab title="Node / TypeScript"> ```typescript import { registerWorker, TriggerAction, Logger } from 'iii-sdk'

const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? 'ws://localhost:49134')

iii.registerFunction({ id: 'etl::extract' }, async () => { const logger = new Logger() const rawData = await fetchFromSource()

// Reliable handoff — transform stage must not lose data await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'etl::transform', payload: { records: rawData, extractedAt: Date.now() }, action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'etl-transform' }), })

// Best-effort monitoring await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'monitoring::report', payload: { stage: 'extract', recordCount: rawData.length }, action: TriggerAction.Void(), })

logger.info('Extraction complete', { records: rawData.length }) })

iii.registerTrigger({ type: 'cron', function_id: 'etl::extract', config: { expression: '0 * * * *' }, })

</Tab>
<Tab title="Python">
```python
from iii import Logger, TriggerAction, register_worker

iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134")


def extract(_data):
    logger = Logger()
    raw_data = fetch_from_source()

    # Reliable handoff — transform stage must not lose data
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "etl::transform",
        "payload": {"records": raw_data, "extractedAt": time.time()},
        "action": TriggerAction.Enqueue(queue="etl-transform"),
    })

    # Best-effort monitoring
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "monitoring::report",
        "payload": {"stage": "extract", "recordCount": len(raw_data)},
        "action": TriggerAction.Void(),
    })

    logger.info("Extraction complete", {"records": len(raw_data)})


fn = iii.register_function({"id": "etl::extract"}, extract)

iii.register_trigger({
    "type": "cron",
    "function_id": fn.id,
    "config": {"expression": "0 * * * *"},
})

</Tab> <Tab title="Rust"> ```rust use iii_sdk::{ register_worker, InitOptions, Logger, RegisterFunctionMessage, RegisterTriggerInput, TriggerAction, TriggerRequest, }; use serde_json::{json, Value};

let iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134", InitOptions::default());

let iii_clone = iii.clone(); iii.register_function( RegisterFunctionMessage { id: "etl::extract".into(), description: None, request_format: None, response_format: None, metadata: None, invocation: None, }, move |_: Value| { let iii = iii_clone.clone(); async move { let logger = Logger::new(); let raw_data = fetch_from_source().await;

        // Reliable handoff — transform stage must not lose data
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "etl::transform".into(),
            payload: json!({ "records": raw_data, "extractedAt": now_ms() }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Enqueue { queue: "etl-transform".into() }),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        // Best-effort monitoring
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "monitoring::report".into(),
            payload: json!({ "stage": "extract", "recordCount": raw_data.len() }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Void),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        logger.info("Extraction complete", Some(json!({ "records": raw_data.len() })));
        Ok(json!(null))
    }
},

);

iii.register_trigger(RegisterTriggerInput { trigger_type: "cron".into(), function_id: "etl::extract".into(), config: json!({ "expression": "0 * * * *" }), })?;

</Tab>
</Tabs>

## Decision Flowchart

Use this mental model when deciding which action to use:

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    Start["iii.trigger()"] --> NeedResult{"Do you need the
function's return value?"}
    NeedResult -->|Yes| Sync["Use Synchronous
(no action)"]
    NeedResult -->|No| NeedReliability{"Must the work
complete reliably?"}
    NeedReliability -->|Yes| Enqueue["Use Enqueue
TriggerAction.Enqueue()"]
    NeedReliability -->|No| Void["Use Void
TriggerAction.Void()"]

    Sync --> SyncEx["Examples:
- Fetch user data
- Validate input
- Call external API"]
    Enqueue --> EnqueueEx["Examples:
- Process payment
- Send email
- Generate report"]
    Void --> VoidEx["Examples:
- Track analytics
- Audit log
- Cache warming"]

Combining Actions in a Single Function

A single function can use all three actions. This is common in orchestrator functions that coordinate multiple downstream services.

<Tabs> <Tab title="Node / TypeScript"> ```typescript import { registerWorker, TriggerAction, Logger } from 'iii-sdk'

const iii = registerWorker(process.env.III_URL ?? 'ws://localhost:49134')

iii.registerFunction({ id: 'checkout::process' }, async (cart) => { const logger = new Logger()

// 1. Synchronous — validate inventory before charging const inventory = await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'inventory::check', payload: { items: cart.items }, })

if (!inventory.available) { return { status_code: 409, body: { error: 'Items out of stock' } } }

// 2. Synchronous — charge the customer (need confirmation) const charge = await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'payments::charge', payload: { amount: cart.total, paymentMethod: cart.paymentMethod }, })

// 3. Enqueue — fulfillment is slow but must complete await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'fulfillment::ship', payload: { orderId: charge.orderId, items: cart.items }, action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'fulfillment' }), })

// 4. Enqueue — confirmation email must be delivered await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'emails::order-confirmation', payload: { email: cart.email, orderId: charge.orderId }, action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'email' }), })

// 5. Void — analytics can be best-effort await iii.trigger({ function_id: 'analytics::track', payload: { event: 'checkout_complete', orderId: charge.orderId }, action: TriggerAction.Void(), })

logger.info('Checkout complete', { orderId: charge.orderId }) return { status_code: 200, body: { orderId: charge.orderId } } })

</Tab>
<Tab title="Python">
```python
from iii import Logger, TriggerAction, register_worker

iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134")


def process_checkout(cart):
    logger = Logger()

    # 1. Synchronous — validate inventory before charging
    inventory = iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "inventory::check",
        "payload": {"items": cart["items"]},
    })

    if not inventory.get("available"):
        return {"status_code": 409, "body": {"error": "Items out of stock"}}

    # 2. Synchronous — charge the customer (need confirmation)
    charge = iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "payments::charge",
        "payload": {"amount": cart["total"], "paymentMethod": cart["paymentMethod"]},
    })

    # 3. Enqueue — fulfillment is slow but must complete
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "fulfillment::ship",
        "payload": {"orderId": charge["orderId"], "items": cart["items"]},
        "action": TriggerAction.Enqueue(queue="fulfillment"),
    })

    # 4. Enqueue — confirmation email must be delivered
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "emails::order-confirmation",
        "payload": {"email": cart["email"], "orderId": charge["orderId"]},
        "action": TriggerAction.Enqueue(queue="email"),
    })

    # 5. Void — analytics can be best-effort
    iii.trigger({
        "function_id": "analytics::track",
        "payload": {"event": "checkout_complete", "orderId": charge["orderId"]},
        "action": TriggerAction.Void(),
    })

    logger.info("Checkout complete", {"orderId": charge["orderId"]})
    return {"status_code": 200, "body": {"orderId": charge["orderId"]}}


iii.register_function({"id": "checkout::process"}, process_checkout)

</Tab> <Tab title="Rust"> ```rust use iii_sdk::{ register_worker, InitOptions, Logger, RegisterFunctionMessage, TriggerAction, TriggerRequest, }; use serde_json::{json, Value};

let iii = register_worker("ws://localhost:49134", InitOptions::default());

let iii_clone = iii.clone(); iii.register_function( RegisterFunctionMessage { id: "checkout::process".into(), description: None, request_format: None, response_format: None, metadata: None, invocation: None, }, move |cart: Value| { let iii = iii_clone.clone(); async move { let logger = Logger::new();

        // 1. Synchronous — validate inventory before charging
        let inventory = iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "inventory::check".into(),
            payload: json!({ "items": cart["items"] }),
            action: None,
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        if inventory["available"].as_bool() != Some(true) {
            return Ok(json!({
                "status_code": 409,
                "body": { "error": "Items out of stock" },
            }));
        }

        // 2. Synchronous — charge the customer (need confirmation)
        let charge = iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "payments::charge".into(),
            payload: json!({
                "amount": cart["total"],
                "paymentMethod": cart["paymentMethod"],
            }),
            action: None,
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        let order_id = charge["orderId"].as_str().unwrap_or("");

        // 3. Enqueue — fulfillment is slow but must complete
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "fulfillment::ship".into(),
            payload: json!({ "orderId": order_id, "items": cart["items"] }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Enqueue { queue: "fulfillment".into() }),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        // 4. Enqueue — confirmation email must be delivered
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "emails::order-confirmation".into(),
            payload: json!({ "email": cart["email"], "orderId": order_id }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Enqueue { queue: "email".into() }),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        // 5. Void — analytics can be best-effort
        iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
            function_id: "analytics::track".into(),
            payload: json!({ "event": "checkout_complete", "orderId": order_id }),
            action: Some(TriggerAction::Void),
            timeout_ms: None,
        }).await?;

        logger.info("Checkout complete", Some(json!({ "orderId": order_id })));
        Ok(json!({ "status_code": 200, "body": { "orderId": order_id } }))
    }
},

);

</Tab>
</Tabs>

## SDK Syntax Reference

<Tabs>
<Tab title="Node / TypeScript">
```typescript
import { TriggerAction } from 'iii-sdk'

// Synchronous (default)
const result = await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'my-function',
  payload: { key: 'value' },
})

// Void
await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'my-function',
  payload: { key: 'value' },
  action: TriggerAction.Void(),
})

// Enqueue
const receipt = await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'my-function',
  payload: { key: 'value' },
  action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'my-queue' }),
})

</Tab> <Tab title="Python"> ```python from iii import TriggerAction

Synchronous (default)

result = iii.trigger({ "function_id": "my-function", "payload": {"key": "value"}, })

Void

iii.trigger({ "function_id": "my-function", "payload": {"key": "value"}, "action": TriggerAction.Void(), })

Enqueue

receipt = iii.trigger({ "function_id": "my-function", "payload": {"key": "value"}, "action": TriggerAction.Enqueue(queue="my-queue"), })

</Tab>
<Tab title="Rust">
```rust
use iii_sdk::{TriggerAction, TriggerRequest};
use serde_json::json;

// Synchronous (default)
let result = iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
    function_id: "my-function".into(),
    payload: json!({ "key": "value" }),
    action: None,
    timeout_ms: None,
}).await?;

// Void
iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
    function_id: "my-function".into(),
    payload: json!({ "key": "value" }),
    action: Some(TriggerAction::Void),
    timeout_ms: None,
}).await?;

// Enqueue
let receipt = iii.trigger(TriggerRequest {
    function_id: "my-function".into(),
    payload: json!({ "key": "value" }),
    action: Some(TriggerAction::Enqueue { queue: "my-queue".into() }),
    timeout_ms: None,
}).await?;

</Tab> </Tabs>

Common Mistakes

<AccordionGroup> <Accordion title="Using synchronous calls for slow, non-critical work"> If you call a slow function synchronously inside an HTTP handler, your API response time degrades. Use `Enqueue` for work that does not need to complete before responding.

```typescript
// Bad — blocks the HTTP response for 10+ seconds
const report = await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'reports::generate-pdf',
  payload: { userId: 'usr_42' },
})

// Good — respond immediately, process later
await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'reports::generate-pdf',
  payload: { userId: 'usr_42' },
  action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'reports' }),
})
```

</Accordion> <Accordion title="Using Void for work that must complete"> Void provides no delivery guarantees. If the target function fails or the worker is unavailable, the message is lost. Use `Enqueue` when reliability matters.

```typescript
// Bad — if the email service is down, the receipt is lost forever
await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'emails::send-receipt',
  payload: receiptData,
  action: TriggerAction.Void(),
})

// Good — queue ensures retry on failure
await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'emails::send-receipt',
  payload: receiptData,
  action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'email' }),
})
```

</Accordion> <Accordion title="Enqueuing work that needs an immediate response"> Enqueue returns a receipt, not the function's result. If you need the function's return value, use a synchronous call.

```typescript
// Bad — receipt does not contain the user data
const receipt = await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'users::get',
  payload: { id: 'usr_42' },
  action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue: 'default' }),
})
// receipt.messageReceiptId — not what you wanted

// Good — synchronous call returns the user
const user = await iii.trigger({
  function_id: 'users::get',
  payload: { id: 'usr_42' },
})
```

</Accordion> </AccordionGroup>

Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}> <Card title="Use Queues" href="/how-to/use-queues" icon="bolt"> Configure named queues with retries, concurrency, and FIFO ordering </Card> <Card title="Dead Letter Queues" href="/how-to/dead-letter-queues" icon="skull"> Handle and redrive failed queue messages </Card> <Card title="Functions & Triggers" href="/how-to/use-functions-and-triggers" icon="code"> Register functions and bind triggers to them </Card> <Card title="Trigger Types" href="/architecture/trigger-types" icon="diagram-project"> Deep dive into HTTP, queue, cron, log, and stream triggers </Card> </CardGroup>