What is Trigger?

In the context of software and hardware, a 'trigger' is a signal or event that initiates a specific action or process. Triggers are fundamental to event-driven programming, automation, and control systems. They can be internal (e.g., a timer expiring) or external (e.g., a user clicking a button, a sensor detecting a change). Upon activation, a trigger typically causes a predefined set of operations to be executed, such as executing a function, sending a notification, or altering the state of a system. Triggers are widely used in databases (to automatically perform actions based on data changes), operating systems (to respond to system events), and embedded systems (to control hardware components).