# AG\_IATIMEOUT > [HTML Version](ag_iatimeout.htm) _Reviewed and revised December 2023_ **tab(-10, AG\_IATIMEOUT); opcode, timesecs; chr(127);** [Tab(-10,x) Syntax Notes](ag_xxx_syntax-notes.htm.md) AG\_IATIMEOUT (79) retrieves or sets the inactivity timeout period. This function has both a [subroutine and a print tab implementation](subroutine-print-pairs.htm.md). **Parameters** _opcode_ should be 1 (MXOP\_SET) to set the timeout, and 1 (MXOP\_gET) to retrieve it (in seconds). Since the default opcode is 0 (MXOP\_get) and the _timesecs_ argument is ignored in the case of the retrieve operation, both arguments can be eliminated when retrieving the timeout. **Response** For opcode 0, the current inactivity timeout value in seconds: _timesecs_ Note that this differs from the IATIMEOUT parameter in the system ini file, which uses units of minutes. **Examples** Retrieve: ? tab(-10,AG\_IATIMEOUT);chr(127); input "",timeout'seconds Set: ? tab(-10,AG\_TIMEOUT);"1,";timeout'seconds;chr(127); **Comments** Note that in the case of ATE, if the server-side timeout expires, the job will receive error 254, whereas if the client-side timeout expires, the job will experience this as a hang-up (error 250). See [Job Terminations](job_terminations.htm.md) for more details on how hang-ups are handled. **See Also** • [MX\_IATIMEOUT](mx_iatimeout.htm.md)[xs](keyword-types.htm.md) • [IATIMEOUT](iatimeout_sp.htm.md)[sp](keyword-types.htm.md) **History** 2011 June, A-Shell 5.1.1221: Command added to A-Shell