In this example, we will create a very simple "manually run" task that opens prints a Microsoft Word document using the default printer. A manual task is one that only starts when you click the Run button from the AutoMate Task Administrator.
WHAT'S COVERED:
* Step by step creation of a managed task using the Add Task Wizard
* Creating a manual run task (i.e. a task without triggers)
* Introduction to building a task steps with the Task Builder
* Using the Print Action to print a document
NOTE: This example assumes that the Add Task Wizard is used to create tasks. This is the default behaviour. To ensure the Add Task Wizard is used, go to the System | Options menu in the AutoMate Task Administrator, and from the General tab, make sure "Use Add Task Wizard when adding tasks" is selected.
Step 1:
Click the New button from the toolbar of the AutoMate Task Administrator.
Step 2:
The Add Task Wizard should appear. Click
the Next button to move to the next page.
Step 3:
Enter a name for your task. For
example, "Print A Document Example". This is the name by which
the task will be referred to in the Task Administrator. Click
the Next button.
Step 4:
On this page we can specify what triggers we would like to attach to the
task. A
trigger is an event or condition that occurs on your system that will
cause the task to start. For
our example, however, we do not need a trigger since we are making a "manual
task", which will be run only when we click the Run button on the
AutoMate Task Administrator. We
could always add triggers later by editing the task's properties in the
Task Administrator. But
for now, click Next to move to the next page
Step 5:
Now, we need to build the steps of the task. This
is where you specify exactly what the task is to do when it is started.
This is
done using the AutoMate
Task Builder, which is an editor made specifically for creating and
debugging AutoMate Tasks. Click
the "Create Steps" button to start the AutoMate Task Builder.
Step 6:
The Task Builder provides many functions to help you in creating and debugging
your task. For
this example, we will use only a very small part of its capabilities.
The left
side of the Task Builder contains the "Available Actions". Within
this window are all the actions
that AutoMate can do. The
right hand side contains all the steps that the task will execute when
the task runs. Steps
are executed one after the other in the order they appear on the right
side. Our
task is going to consist of a single step: Print,
which will print out document. Find
the "Print" action in Available Actions by expanding the System
group (either by clicking the + to the left of the word "System"
or by double-clicking on "System"). Double-click
"Print", or drag it to the right hand side by holding the left-mouse
button over the action name, sliding the mouse over the steps section
of the Task Builder, and releasing the mouse button.
Step 7:
Most actions have properties you can set to further configure exactly what
the step is to do. In
our case, we need to tell the Print Action exactly what document we want
to print. Lets
assume we have a document called "Sales Report" in our My Documents
folder. Click
the open folder button to the right of the "Document" field.
A standard
windows browser will appear to allow you to select your document. Navigate
to your My Documents folder, select "Sales Report", and click
OK.
Step 8:
The full path to your document should appear. The
finished step should look something like this:
NOTE: The exact path to varies somewhat on each version of Windows. The important part is that the field ends with either "Sales Report" or "Sales Report.doc"
Step 9:
Thats it! This
simple step will cause the Sales Report document to be printed on the
default printer whenever the task is run. Click the "Update And Save"
button from the toolbar to save your changes and close the Task Builder.
You will
be returned to the Add Task Wizard.
Step 10:
Now that we are finished adding the task steps, click the Next button.
The next
page is used on Windows 2000/NT/XP to specify whether or not the task
should run when a workstation is logged off or locked. For
this example, leave the defaults: the task will not run when the workstation
is logged off, but will run invisibly when the workstation is locked.
Click the
Next button.
Step 11:
The final page of the Add Task Wizard provides a summary of the task you
built. Click
the Finish button. The
completed Managed Task now appears in your Task Administrator. Whenever
you select the Managed Task title "Print A Document Example"
and press the Run button, the Sales Report document will be instantly
printed. Give
it a try!
See Also:
Introduction to the Task Builder
Introduction to the Task Administrator