Event Scheduler

Description

Scheduling specific workflows can be a useful organization tool, so PlaidCloud provides the ability to do just that. Using Event Scheduler, you can schedule a workflow to run by month, day of the month, day of the week, hour and minute — in whatever timezone the schedule should be read in.

A scheduled event names one workflow in one project, plus the schedule it runs on. To run several workflows on the same cadence, add one event for each.

The Events Table lists every event in the workspace with the project and workflow it runs, its UTC offset, the status and start and end time of its last run, and when it is next due.

To view events:

1. Open Analyze
2. Select “Tools”
3. Click “Event Scheduler”

This will open the Events Table showing all the current events configured for the workspace.

Note

If the event is active, the “Active” icon will be displayed.

Define when — by month, day of the month, day of the week, hour and minute, read in the timezone you choose — and the event fires the workflow automatically at each scheduled time.

Creating an Event

To create an event:

1. Open Analyze
2. Select “Tools”
3. Click “Event Scheduler”
4. Click “Add Scheduled Event”
5. Complete the Details, Timezone and schedule fields described below
6. Click “Create”

Details

Name — how the event appears in the Events Table. Required.

Memo — an optional note about what the event is for.

Activate Job and Run on Defined Schedule — ticked by default. Untick it to save the event without letting it run; see Pausing an Event.

Project and Workflow — the workflow this event runs. Choose the project first: the Workflow list is filled from whichever project is selected. Both are required, and both are fixed once the event exists — to move an event to a different workflow, delete it and add a new one.

Timezone

The schedule is read in this timezone, as a UTC offset from UTC -12 to UTC +14. It defaults to UTC +0, so an event left alone runs on UTC rather than on your local time.

Schedule

The schedule is five fields — Months, Hours, Minutes, Days of Month and Days of Week — each a list of tick boxes with an All box at the top. The event runs whenever the current time matches a ticked value in every field at once.

Every field needs something: tick All to match every value, or tick the individual values you want. A field left completely blank stops the event saving, and the message names the field so you can find it.

Some examples:

• Every day at 06:30 — All under Months, Days of Month and Days of Week; 06 under Hours; 30 under Minutes.
• The 1st of every month at midnight — All under Months and Days of Week; 01 under Days of Month; 00 under Hours and Minutes.
• Every weekday at 18:00 — All under Months and Days of Month; Monday to Friday under Days of Week; 18 under Hours; 00 under Minutes.
• Every 15 minutes — All under Months, Days of Month, Days of Week and Hours; 00, 15, 30 and 45 under Minutes.

Note

A new event starts with nothing ticked, so it will not run until you have chosen a schedule.

Editing an Event

To edit an event:

1. Open Analyze
2. Select “Tools”
3. Click “Event Scheduler”
4. Click the edit icon
5. Adjust desired fields
6. Click “Update”

The project and workflow are shown read-only while editing — an event stays attached to the workflow it was created against.

Deleting an Event

To delete an event:

1. Open Analyze
2. Select “Tools”
3. Click “Event Scheduler”
4. Click the delete icon
5. Click delete again

Note

Deleting a workflow also deletes every event scheduled against it. You do not need to remove its events first, and no event is left behind to run a workflow that no longer exists. Events scheduled against other workflows are unaffected.

Pausing an Event

To pause one or more events:

1. Open Analyze
2. Select “Tools”
3. Click “Event Scheduler”
4. Select the event or events
5. Click “Disable Selected”

Click Enable Selected to start them running again. A paused event keeps its schedule and its run history — it simply stops firing until it is re-enabled, and its Active icon clears in the Events Table.

You can also pause a single event while editing it: untick Activate Job and Run on Defined Schedule and click Update.

Running Events on Demand

To run an event immediately:

1. Open Analyze
2. Select “Tools”
3. Click “Event Scheduler”
4. Select the desired event or events
5. Click “Run Selected Events”