Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
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Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Hi all,
I'm not sure where to start with this. My client has satellite stores that attach to their file server for various functions. There is a report that the stores need to pick up every morning so it can be referred to throughout the day. It can't be emailed as they do not have email access at the store sites. The client wants me to automatically generate this BR report each night (overnight hours) and send it to a PDF file in a specified folder that the stores have access to. Then it will be up to the store personnel to open that file and keep it handy to refer to during the day.
I'm pretty much okay with generating the report to PDF, but how can I automate this (unattended) when they aren't even logged into their workstations overmight? The workstations are running Win7 and the server is running Win 2003 Server, but we are NOT using the Client Server version of Business Rules.
Do I schedule a Windows task? Is it done at a particular workstation or on the server? And how do I answer the various prompts such as login name and password and then launch the BR program too? Do I use something like AutoIt for this?
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you!
-- Susan
I'm not sure where to start with this. My client has satellite stores that attach to their file server for various functions. There is a report that the stores need to pick up every morning so it can be referred to throughout the day. It can't be emailed as they do not have email access at the store sites. The client wants me to automatically generate this BR report each night (overnight hours) and send it to a PDF file in a specified folder that the stores have access to. Then it will be up to the store personnel to open that file and keep it handy to refer to during the day.
I'm pretty much okay with generating the report to PDF, but how can I automate this (unattended) when they aren't even logged into their workstations overmight? The workstations are running Win7 and the server is running Win 2003 Server, but we are NOT using the Client Server version of Business Rules.
Do I schedule a Windows task? Is it done at a particular workstation or on the server? And how do I answer the various prompts such as login name and password and then launch the BR program too? Do I use something like AutoIt for this?
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you!
-- Susan
-
- Posts: 717
- Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:24 am
- Location: Southern California
[BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Erisa does this type of stuff with Windows tasks. I think it makes more sense to put the task on the server, but you can also run the task on some particular machine.
From: br_forum-bounces@ads.net [mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net] On Behalf Of Susan Smith
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:24 AM
To: br_forum@ads.net
Subject: [BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Hi all,
I'm not sure where to start with this. My client has satellite stores that attach to their file server for various functions. There is a report that the stores need to pick up every morning so it can be referred to throughout the day. It can't be emailed as they do not have email access at the store sites. The client wants me to automatically generate this BR report each night (overnight hours) and send it to a PDF file in a specified folder that the stores have access to. Then it will be up to the store personnel to open that file and keep it handy to refer to during the day.
I'm pretty much okay with generating the report to PDF, but how can I automate this (unattended) when they aren't even logged into their workstations overmight? The workstations are running Win7 and the server is running Win 2003 Server, but we are NOT using the Client Server version of Business Rules.
Do I schedule a Windows task? Is it done at a particular workstation or on the server? And how do I answer the various prompts such as login name and password and then launch the BR program too? Do I use something like AutoIt for this?
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you!
-- Susan
From: br_forum-bounces@ads.net [mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net] On Behalf Of Susan Smith
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:24 AM
To: br_forum@ads.net
Subject: [BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Hi all,
I'm not sure where to start with this. My client has satellite stores that attach to their file server for various functions. There is a report that the stores need to pick up every morning so it can be referred to throughout the day. It can't be emailed as they do not have email access at the store sites. The client wants me to automatically generate this BR report each night (overnight hours) and send it to a PDF file in a specified folder that the stores have access to. Then it will be up to the store personnel to open that file and keep it handy to refer to during the day.
I'm pretty much okay with generating the report to PDF, but how can I automate this (unattended) when they aren't even logged into their workstations overmight? The workstations are running Win7 and the server is running Win 2003 Server, but we are NOT using the Client Server version of Business Rules.
Do I schedule a Windows task? Is it done at a particular workstation or on the server? And how do I answer the various prompts such as login name and password and then launch the BR program too? Do I use something like AutoIt for this?
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you!
-- Susan
-
- Posts: 717
- Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:24 am
- Location: Southern California
I attached a portion of our documentation explaining how to Schedule a task in Windows 7.
My general advices is to create a "Batch File" using a "cmd" or "bat" file.
@ECHO OFF
CD [WBWIN] Folder
SET WBStart=[Something That lets you know what to do]
wb32.exe RUN [Startup Program]
Of course you will need to fill in the appropriate values, and certainly your program needs to run unattended, but once the program works from a "Batch File", you can simple add the batch file to the Scheduler, and it should work very nicely.
My general advices is to create a "Batch File" using a "cmd" or "bat" file.
@ECHO OFF
CD [WBWIN] Folder
SET WBStart=[Something That lets you know what to do]
wb32.exe RUN [Startup Program]
Of course you will need to fill in the appropriate values, and certainly your program needs to run unattended, but once the program works from a "Batch File", you can simple add the batch file to the Scheduler, and it should work very nicely.
- Attachments
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- Schedule a Task in Windows 7.pdf
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Susan:
I do this every night. At 2:00AM each morning my workstation runs a scheduled task that opens BR and runs a BR program that polls individual timesheet entries for each employee, posts the entries to my work-in-process files for billing later, runs a report of the days activites, clears the time sheets for the next day and exits. The timesheet reports re printed to archived history file so I can go back and review any day that I want.
The Windows task is set with a username and password (run as) so the user does not need to be logged on, only the computer needs to be on. So just pick a computer, including the server, and schedule a task. As long as your BR program does not ask for user input the task will run fine in either unattended or attended mode. The difference is that unattended mode will exit if you ask for user input, the attended mode will sit there waiting for an answer. If you use a timeout on any input requests and provide a default answer normal attended mode works as well as unattended and may be preferable while you are testing. You can always switch to unattended later by changing your BRCONFIG.sys.
FNGeorge
I do this every night. At 2:00AM each morning my workstation runs a scheduled task that opens BR and runs a BR program that polls individual timesheet entries for each employee, posts the entries to my work-in-process files for billing later, runs a report of the days activites, clears the time sheets for the next day and exits. The timesheet reports re printed to archived history file so I can go back and review any day that I want.
The Windows task is set with a username and password (run as) so the user does not need to be logged on, only the computer needs to be on. So just pick a computer, including the server, and schedule a task. As long as your BR program does not ask for user input the task will run fine in either unattended or attended mode. The difference is that unattended mode will exit if you ask for user input, the attended mode will sit there waiting for an answer. If you use a timeout on any input requests and provide a default answer normal attended mode works as well as unattended and may be preferable while you are testing. You can always switch to unattended later by changing your BRCONFIG.sys.
FNGeorge
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[BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Does each location needing the report have a computer? Each time BR is started the satellite can see if there is a report to be picked up. Your email says the store is responsible for picking the file.
From: br_forum-bounces@ads.net [mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net] On Behalf Of Mikhail Zheleznov
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 2:29 AM
To: 'Business Rules Forum'
Subject: Re: [BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Erisa does this type of stuff with Windows tasks. I think it makes more sense to put the task on the server, but you can also run the task on some particular machine.
From: br_forum-bounces@ads.net (br_forum-bounces@ads.net) [mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net] ([email][mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net][/email]) On Behalf Of Susan Smith
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:24 AM
To: br_forum@ads.net (br_forum@ads.net)
Subject: [BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Hi all,
I'm not sure where to start with this. My client has satellite stores that attach to their file server for various functions. There is a report that the stores need to pick up every morning so it can be referred to throughout the day. It can't be emailed as they do not have email access at the store sites. The client wants me to automatically generate this BR report each night (overnight hours) and send it to a PDF file in a specified folder that the stores have access to. Then it will be up to the store personnel to open that file and keep it handy to refer to during the day.
I'm pretty much okay with generating the report to PDF, but how can I automate this (unattended) when they aren't even logged into their workstations overmight? The workstations are running Win7 and the server is running Win 2003 Server, but we are NOT using the Client Server version of Business Rules.
Do I schedule a Windows task? Is it done at a particular workstation or on the server? And how do I answer the various prompts such as login name and password and then launch the BR program too? Do I use something like AutoIt for this?
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you!
-- Susan
From: br_forum-bounces@ads.net [mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net] On Behalf Of Mikhail Zheleznov
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 2:29 AM
To: 'Business Rules Forum'
Subject: Re: [BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Erisa does this type of stuff with Windows tasks. I think it makes more sense to put the task on the server, but you can also run the task on some particular machine.
From: br_forum-bounces@ads.net (br_forum-bounces@ads.net) [mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net] ([email][mailto:br_forum-bounces@ads.net][/email]) On Behalf Of Susan Smith
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:24 AM
To: br_forum@ads.net (br_forum@ads.net)
Subject: [BR_forum] Scheduling Windows task to print a BR report?
Hi all,
I'm not sure where to start with this. My client has satellite stores that attach to their file server for various functions. There is a report that the stores need to pick up every morning so it can be referred to throughout the day. It can't be emailed as they do not have email access at the store sites. The client wants me to automatically generate this BR report each night (overnight hours) and send it to a PDF file in a specified folder that the stores have access to. Then it will be up to the store personnel to open that file and keep it handy to refer to during the day.
I'm pretty much okay with generating the report to PDF, but how can I automate this (unattended) when they aren't even logged into their workstations overmight? The workstations are running Win7 and the server is running Win 2003 Server, but we are NOT using the Client Server version of Business Rules.
Do I schedule a Windows task? Is it done at a particular workstation or on the server? And how do I answer the various prompts such as login name and password and then launch the BR program too? Do I use something like AutoIt for this?
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you!
-- Susan
-
- Posts: 717
- Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:24 am
- Location: Southern California