Tasks

Overview

Tasks are the primary objects in a workflow because they perform the actual "work". A workflow is comprised of one or more tasks. A task can contain one or more steps derived from over 500 actions and activities. Each step is designed to accomplish a specific process or operation. A task can be built to automate almost any business process, such as file transfers, batch data processing, application testing, email transmissions and much more. A task can be composed of a single step or hundreds of steps, depending on the complexity of the overall process. Tasks can be started manually by a user or set to run automatically when triggered by a particular event or condition.

Related Topics

Basic steps of creating a task

Task creation requires giving the task a name and selecting actions and assigning properties that make up the steps of the task. There are several ways to create a task, which involve accessing the Task Builder, an intuitive development interface used to visually assemble and test the actions that a task should carry out when it is executed (either manually or automatically by an event or condition). What is unique about the Task Builder is that it enables sophisticated automation development without requiring programming expertise. Task steps are created by visually dragging-and-dropping Automate Actions from an actions palette and placing them in the sequence desired for execution, eliminating the need to write code or create batch files.

Whenever an action or activity is selected, a dialog appears displaying its properties. Depending on the action/activity being chosen, certain parameters must be entered with valid data in order to properly add the action to the Steps pane. After the action’s properties are set and the proper parameters assigned, the action then becomes a step and its settings are then displayed in the Task Builder's Steps pane.

To create a new task from the Workflow Designer

  1. Drag the task icon from the Available Objects panel of the Workflow Designer to the workspace or double-click the task icon to add a new task to the workspace. A new task named "Unbuilt Task" is added to the workspace.

  2. Rename the task by clicking the provided default name and entering the desired name for the task.

  3. Select the agent that the task should run on (provided under the task name).

  4. Double-click the task or right-click the task and select Edit. The Task Builder window appears.

  5. Drag and drop the available actions on the left side of the Task Builder to the right side. See About Actions for more information.

  6. To test the task, see Testing Tasks and Debugging Tasks Overview.

  7. Click the Update and Close button to save changes and close the Task Builder window.

To create a new task from the Server Management Console

  1. On the Server Management Console's navigation bar, select Repository.

  2. Select the Tasks folder or any subfolder in which you would like to place the task upon creation.
  3. Select NEW.
  4. To enter a custom name for the new task, right-click the task, and then select Rename.

  5. To add steps to the task, select the task, and then select EDIT. The Task Builder opens.

  6. Drag and drop the available actions on the left side of the Task Builder to the Steps panel. For more information, see Editing Task Steps and About Actions.

  7. To test the task, see Testing Tasks Using Run Options and Debugging Tasks.

  8. Select Save & Close.