Windows Task
Before You Begin
The Windows task allows you to run a platform-specific application on a Windows machine. To run a Windows task, you must first complete the following tasks:
Install Universal Agent for Windows on a Windows machine.
Launch the Agent. When the Agent connects with the Controller, it automatically creates an Agent resource definition in the database.
Optionally, customize the Agent heartbeat and log levels, as described in Windows Agent Details Field Descriptions.
Built-In Variables
The following built-in variables can be used in a Windows task to pass data where appropriate:
Creating a Windows Task
Step 1 | From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > Windows Tasks. The Windows Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined Windows tasks. |
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Step 2 | Enter/select Details for a new Windows task, using the field descriptions below as a guide.
To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:
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Step 3 | Click the button. The task is added to the database, and all buttons and tabs in the Task Details are enabled. |
Note
To open an existing record on the list, either:
Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list. (To clear record Details below the list, click the New button that displays above and below the Details.)
Clicking the Details icon next to a record name in the list, or right-click a record in the list and then click Open in the Action menu that displays, to display a pop-up version of the record Details.
Right-click a record in the a list, or open a record and right-click in the record Details, and then click Open In Tab in the Action menu that displays, to display the record Details under a new tab on the record list page (see Record Details as Tabs).
Windows Task Details
The following Windows Task Details is for an existing Windows task.
Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, and whether or not the Windows task has ever been launched, more (or less) fields may display. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the Windows Task Details.
Windows Task Details Field Descriptions
The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the Windows Task Details.
Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
General | This section contains general information about the task. |
Name | |
Version | |
Description | |
Member of Business Services | |
Resolve Name Immediately | |
Time Zone Preference | |
Hold on Start | |
Hold Reason | |
Virtual Resource Priority | |
Hold Resources on Failure | |
Mutually Exclusive With Self | |
Simulate | |
Override Previous Instance Wait | |
Agent Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the Agent / Agent Cluster selected for this task. |
Cluster | |
Agent | |
Agent Variable | |
Agent Cluster | |
Agent Cluster Variable | |
Broadcast | |
Cluster Broadcast | |
Cluster Broadcast Variable | |
Credentials | |
Credentials Variable | |
Run with Highest Privileges | This option must be enabled in order to execute the task using an elevated privileges token, rather than one subject to User Account Control (UAC) restrictions. An elevated token allows a process to execute with all the privileges available to its specified credentials. For example, a task executed with an administrative account will behave as though it received permission via a UAC dialog to perform a privileged operation. Note This option only will affect tasks executed on Windows systems that support User Account Control (UAC). It will have no affect on tasks run on Windows releases prior to Vista (for example, Windows XP, Server 2003). |
Interact with Desktop | If Windows Task Interact With Desktop Permitted system property = true; This option must be enabled for a task that runs an application with a GUI requiring some manual actions from a user (for example, clicking buttons or entering values). Note When using this option to display GUI applications on any version of Windows that enforces session 0 desktop isolation (that is, Windows Vista and later), the GUI will only be accessible from the interactive console session. Further, the task will execute using the credentials of the user logged into that session. This means that any GUI-based application executed via a Windows task will not be visible from a remote desktop session. It will be visible only from console of the interactive session that exists on the system itself (that is, the session you would see from a monitor attached directly to the Windows machine or by logging in via a VM's host UI). |
Create Console | If Interact with Desktop is enabled; Allocates a new console for the process, rather than having it inherit one. |
Windows Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the task instance. |
Command or Script | If the Windows/Linux Scripts Permitted Universal Controller system property is set to false:
Note For both command-based tasks that call a .vbs/.js file directly, and script-based tasks that also rely on the systems association with file extension, GUI-based wscript.exe is associated with the vbs and js file extensions. Without explicitly calling one or the other, the Controller would use wscript.exe. |
Command | |
Script | |
Parameters | |
Runtime Directory | |
Environment Variables | |
Result Processing Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about result processing for this task. |
Exit Code Processing | |
Output Type | |
Scan Output For | |
Output File (for Exit Code Processing) | |
Exit Codes | |
Automatic Output Retrieval | |
Wait For Output | |
Failure Only | |
Start Line | |
Number of Lines | |
Scan Text | |
Output File (for Automatic Output Retrieval) | |
Retry Options | This section contains specifications for retrying the task. |
Retry Exit Codes | |
Maximum Retries | |
Retry Indefinitely | |
Retry Interval (Seconds) | |
Suppress Intermediate Failures | |
Wait / Delay Options | This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task. |
Wait To Start | |
Wait Time | |
Wait Day Constraint | |
Wait Duration | |
Wait Duration In Seconds | |
Delay On Start | |
Delay Duration | |
Delay Duration In Seconds | |
Workflow Only | |
Time Options | This section contains time-related specifications for the task. |
Late Start | |
Late Start Type | |
Late Start Time | |
Late Start Day Constraint | |
Late Start Nth Amount | |
Late Start Duration | |
Late Finish | |
Late Finish Type | |
Late Finish Offset Type | |
Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + ) | |
Late Finish Duration Offset ( + ) | |
Late Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Late Finish Time | |
Late Finish Day Constraint | |
Late Finish Nth Amount | |
Late Finish Duration | |
Early Finish | |
Early Finish Type | |
Early Finish Offset Type | |
Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - ) | |
Early Finish Duration Offset ( - ) | |
Early Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Early Finish Time | |
Early Finish Day Constraint | |
Early Finish Nth Amount | |
Early Finish Duration | |
User Estimated Duration | |
Critical Path Options | This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task. |
CP Duration | |
CP Duration (Resolved) | |
CP Duration Unit | |
Workflow Execution Options | This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow. |
Execution Restriction | |
Restriction Period | |
Before Date | |
Before Time | |
After Date | |
After Time | |
Date List | |
Self-Service Options | This section contains Self-Service specifications for the task. |
Enforce Variables | |
Lock Variables | |
Statistics | This section contains time-related statistics for task instances of the task. |
First Execution | |
Last Execution | |
Last Instance Duration | |
Lowest Instance Time | |
Average Instance Time | |
Highest Instance Time | |
Number of Instances |