tx_too_early / Timebounds use

Question

I'm following this tuto and I'm stuck at the part Transaction 3: Unlock (similar to this question already asked).

My understanding : changing the thresholds to 1 when the minimum time is encountered.

Usage : On Stellar Laboratory, I try to make this transaction happens with a minimum timebound of my time + 2 hours.

Result : I get a status 400 and a tx_too_early

From my previous question here, I understand that timebounds only allow to valid a transaction at the time it is signed. Thus my questions are the following :

1. Is it even possible to automate a transaction to be executed at an exact time?
2. In case of an escrow, how do you handle the unlock automatically ? Do you have to do the step 3 at the time needed, can't you planify it?

Answer 1

1. Not as part of the Stellar protocol -- time bounds just specify when the transaction is considered valid. It doesn't have anything to do with how you actually submit them. A timebounds with time of now + 2 hours as the minimum simply means "I will be invalid if you submit me before 2 hours, but valid if you submit me after 2 hours". It's up to you to submit it at the given time.

2. Same as answer 1 -- just submit it after 2 hours via your own application's logic.

Answer 2

I'm working on timed payments with Stellar. You can have a look at the testnet-version already: https://test.artspirit.com