Email Task

Email Task

Overview

The Email task allows you to create and send emails. In order to execute Email tasks, you first need to define an Email Connection, which defines the server information needed to create and send emails.

Built-In Variables

The following built-in variables can be used in an Email task to pass data where appropriate:

Creating an Email Task

Step 1

From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > Email Tasks. The Email Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined Email tasks.
 
To the right of list, Email Task Details for a new Email task displays.
 


 

Step 2

Enter/select Details for a new Email task, using the field descriptions below as a guide.

  • Required fields display an asterisk ( * ) after the field name.

  • Default values for fields, if available, display automatically.

To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:

  • Use the scroll bar.

  • Temporarily hide the list above the Details.

  • Click the 

     button above the list to display a pop-up version of the Details.

Step 3

Click a 

 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).

Email Task Details

The following Email Task Details is for an existing Email task.

Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, and whether or not the Email 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 Email Task Details.
 

Email Task Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the Email Task Details.

Field Name

Description

Field Name

Description

General

This section contains general information about the task.

Name

User-defined name of this task (Maximum = 255 alphanumeric characters); variables supported. It is the responsibility of the user to develop a workable naming scheme for tasks.

Version

System-supplied; version number of the current record, which is incremented by the Controller every time a user updates a record. Click the Versions tab to view previous versions. For details, see Record Versioning.

Description

Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters.

Member of Business Services

User-defined; Allows you to select one or more Business Services that this record belongs to.  (You also can Check All or Uncheck All Business Services for this record.)

You can select up to 62 Business Services for any record type, and enter a maximum of 2048 characters for each Business Service.

If the Business Service Visibility Restricted Universal Controller system property is set to true, depending on your assigned (or inherited) Permissions or Roles, Business Services available for selection may be restricted.

Resolve Name Immediately

If enabled, the Instance Name of the task instance will be resolved immediately at trigger/launch time.

Time Zone Preference

User-defined; Allows you to specify the time zone that will be applied to the task.

Options:

  • -- System Default --
    Time zone is based on the value of the Task Time Zone Preference Universal Controller system property: Server or Inherited.
  • Server (xxx)
    Where (xxx) is the time zone ID of the server; time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the server.
  • Inherited
    Time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the Parent Workflow or Trigger / Launch specification in the case there is no Parent Workflow.

Hold on Start

 

If enabled, when the task is launched it appears in the Activity Monitor with a status of Held. The task runs when the user releases it.



Hold Reason

Information about why the task will be put on hold when it starts.

Virtual Resource Priority

Hold Resources on Failure

Mutually Exclusive With Self

Simulate 

Override Previous Instance Wait

Email Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the task.

Email Template

Email Template Variable

Email Connection

Reply-To

To

Cc

Bcc

Subject

Body

Report

Report to attach to this email.

Report Variable

List Report Format

Report format

Options:

  • PDF

  • XML

  • JSON

  • CSV

  • TSV

If the attached report is not a List type report, this option will be ignored. 

Attach Local File

Local Attachments Path

Local Attachment

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

Metadata

This section contains Metadata information about this record.

UUID

Universally Unique Identifier of this record.

Updated By

Name of the user that last updated this record.

Updated

Date and time that this record was last updated.

Created By

Name of the user that created this record.

Created

Date and time that this record was created.

Buttons

This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Task Details that let you perform various actions.

Save

Saves a new task record in the Controller database.

Save & New

Saves a new record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another new record.

Save & View

Saves a new record in the Controller database and continues to display that record.

New

Displays empty (except for default values) Details for creating a new task.

Update

Launch

View Parents

Copy

Creates a copy of this task, which you are prompted to rename.

Delete

Note

You cannot delete a task if it is either:

  • Specified in an enabled Trigger.

  • The only task specified in a disabled Trigger.

Refresh

Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details.

Close

For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this task.

Tabs

This section identifies the tabs across the top of the Task Details that provide access to additional information about the task.

Variables

Actions

Virtual Resources

Mutually Exclusive

Instances

Lists all instances of the task.

Triggers

Notes

Versions

Report Variable Resolution

Reports do not have to be unique by Title. However, Reports with the same Title must be unique per visibility: per User, per Group, and per Everyone.

Accordingly, the following applies regarding Report Variable field resolution.
 

Once resolved, the Report Variable field value could match multiple Reports with the same Title, but with different visibilities. Therefore, there is an order of precedence to choosing the report by Title:

  1. User visibility (execution user).

  2. Group visibility (execution user's groups).

  3. Everyone visibility.