Recurring Task
Overview
The Recurring Task allows you to specify a target task, of any task type, along with recurrence options, to control when and how many times the target task is launched by that Recurring task.
Built-In Variables
The following built-in variables can be used in a Recurring task to pass data where appropriate:
Creating a Recurring Task
Step 1 | From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > Recurring Tasks. The Recurring Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined Recurring tasks. |
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Step 2 | Enter/select Details for a new Recurring 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).
Recurring Task Details
The following Recurring Task Details is for an existing Recurring task.
Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, and whether or not the Recurring 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 Recurring Task Details.
Recurring Task Details Field Descriptions
The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the Recurring Task Details.
Field Name | Description |
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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:
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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 | Priority for acquiring a resource when two or more tasks are waiting for the resource. This priority applies to all resources required by the task. Options: 1 (high) - 100 (low). Default is 10. |
Hold Resources on Failure |
If enabled, the task instance will continue to hold Renewable resources if the task instance fails. Renewable resources will be returned only if the task instance status is either Complete, Finished, or Skipped. |
Mutually Exclusive With Self | If enabled, the task will not be allowed to run concurrently with itself. Task will not start until the instance that is running finishes. An instance will transition to Exclusive Wait status if it cannot start due to another instance already running. |
Simulate | Specifies if the instance should execute under simulation mode. |
Override Previous Instance Wait | Specifies whether or not to override the parent workflow's Previous Instance Wait configuration. This option only applies for an instance running within a workflow. Options:
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Recurring Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the task. |
Recurrence Type | Type of recurrence. Valid values:
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Recurrence Time List | If Recurrence Type = On; List of Times and Days on which runs of the Target Task will recur. |
Recurrence Interval | Amount of time to wait - based on the time unit specified in Recurrence Interval Unit - between runs of the specified Target Task. The default value, as specified in the Recurring Task Minimum Frequency In Seconds Universal Controller system property, is 5 (seconds). The minimum value is 0. |
Recurrence Interval Unit | Units of time to wait - based on the time specified in Recurrence Interval - between runs of the specified Target Task. Options:
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Indefinite Recurrences | Indication that the recurrence of runs for the specified Target Task will occur indefinitely. |
Number of Recurrences | If Indefinite Occurrences is not selected; Number of times that runs of the specified Target Task will occur. |
Time Window | If Indefinite Occurrences is not selected; Indication that the Target Task will run within a specified time frame. |
Purge By Retention Duration | Specification for whether task instances launched by the Recurring Task instance can be purged by retention duration. |
Exclude Backup | If Purge By Retention Duration is selected; Specification for whether qualifying task instances can be excluded from the backup when being purged by retention duration. |
Retention Duration | If Purge By Retention Duration is selected; Minimum retention duration for the selected Retention Duration Unit before triggered task instances can qualify for purge. If Retention Duration Unit = Days, valid values are 1 to 366. If Retention Duration Unit = Hours, valid values are 1 to 24. |
Retention Duration Unit | |
Interval Start Time (HH:MM) | If Time Window is selected; Starting time of day that runs of the specified Target Task will occur. |
Interval End Time (HH:MM) | If Time Window is selected; Ending time of day that runs of the specified Target Task will recur. |
Interval Start Day Constraint | If Time Window is selected; Specification for whether or not to advance the start day of the recurrence to another day.
Default is – None --. |
Interval End Day Constraint | If Time Window is selected; Specification for whether or not to advance the end day of the recurrence to another day.
Default is – None --. |
Launch Details | This section contains information about the target task being launched. |
Target Task | Name of the task for which you want to specify recurrence details. Click the icon to display Task Details for the task. |
Task Launch Skip Condition | User-defined; Controls when launching a target task for recurrence will be skipped. The Recurring Task Launch Skip Condition Default Universal Controller system property value is used as the default value for this field. Options:
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Override Variables | List of task variables to override.
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Monitor Details | This section contains specifications for monitoring the target task. |
Target Task Monitor Condition | Specification for which target task instance(s) will be monitored. Options:
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Status To Monitor | If Target Task Monitor Condition is not --None--; Status being monitored for. When the target task instance(s) being monitored go to the status specified here, the Recurring Task Instance will complete successfully. Options:
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Wait / Delay Options | This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task. |
Wait To Start |
Amount of time to wait before starting a task from the time that it was launched.
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Wait Time | If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Time of day (in 24-hour time) to wait until before starting the task. |
Wait Day Constraint | If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the wait time to another day. Valid values:
Default is – None --. |
Wait Duration | If Wait To Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to wait before starting the task. |
Wait Duration In Seconds | If Wait To Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to wait before starting the task. |
Delay On Start |
Amount of time to delay the start of a task, after it has been launched, from the time that it is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, it is not waiting on any predecessors, or there is no wait time specified.
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Delay Duration | If Delay On Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to delay after starting the task. |
Delay Duration In Seconds | If Delay On Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to delay after starting the task. |
Workflow Only | Specification for whether or not to apply the Wait To Start and Delay On Start specifications only if the task is in a Workflow.
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Time Options | This section contains time-related specifications for task instances of the task. |
Late Start | If enabled, and if the task instance starts after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late start (see Late Start Type). To determine whether a task instance started late, open the task instance and locate the Started Late field; the field is checked if the instance started after the specified time. The Started Late field displays in the task instance Details only if the user specified a Late Start in the task Details. |
Late Start Type | Required if Late Start is enabled. Options:
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Late Start Time | If Late Start Type = Time; Time after which the task start time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time. |