The CTI Event Scheduler is an autonomous application that allows you to schedule events for unattended launching in a Microsoft Windows NT/W2K or Windows 95/98 environment. The basic unit of the Event Scheduler is the event, which is a command that can be configured to launch automatically at a specified time. In addition to launching a command, events can be configured to change the current working directory, suspend the Event Scheduler from launching other events, and delete themselves after launching. Events can be scheduled to launch at a specific time and date, they can be scheduled to launch cyclically at a specified interval, they can be scheduled to fire on only certain days of the week, and they can be configured with a grace period, allowing them to launch even if the computer or Event Scheduler was busy or not running at the time the event was scheduled to launch.

The extreme flexibility of the Event Scheduler provides the capability to configure virtually any type of event to occur at virtually any time. Some examples are listed below:

• A computer operator can reduce long distance telephone charges by scheduling a file transfer program to transmit a large file to a remote location after 11 PM
• A computer operator can schedule a tape backup program to launch at 2 AM every morning and a virus scanner to launch as soon as the backup program is done
• A school can schedule a file transfer package to forward its attendance records to the Board of Education at 10 AM every weekday
• An investor can schedule a stock price monitoring package to check stock prices at 11 AM, 2 PM and 5PM every weekday

Events

Events have multiple properties that define how they work. These properties fall into two categories: operational properties and chronological properties. Operational properties determine what the event does and are described below. Chronological properties determine when the event launches and are described in the section Launch Dates and Times.

The following operational properties can be entered from the Event Editor window:

Event Name

This is the name of the event as it will appear in the Main Window. You must assign a name to each event. It is recommended that you make the name unique, although this is not a requirement.

Enable Unattended Launch

This is a checkbox that, when checked, enables the event to launch unattended at the appointed hour. Usually you will want to leave this box checked.

Suspend Launcher While Running

This is another checkbox. If this box is checked when the event launches, the Event Scheduler will be prevented from launching any other events until this event terminates. This is useful for events that require full use of system resources and for series of events, where one event must finish its task before the next one can run.

Application Command Line

This is the command line that is executed when the event launches. The command line should usually include the full path name of the application program unless you are sure the program is located in the system path. The command line can also contain the name of any document files or command line options required to perform the desired operation. NOTE: you must enclose every file name and path name that includes space characters in quotation marks. For example, to open a document called "my document.doc" with Microsoft Windows 95 WordPad, the application command line would read:

Working Directory

If the event must be launched from a specific directory, enter the full path name of that directory here. The Event Scheduler will make that directory current just prior to launching the application. This option can be left blank if the event has no working directory requirements.

The Activity Log

The Activity Log is a part of the Main Window that displays the history of all launcher activity since this Event Scheduler session was started. Like all other parts of the Main Window, it is updated once a minute.

The Activity Log is listed in chronological order with the most recent activity shown at the top. The following type of activity is recorded in the Activity Log:

Event <event name> terminated

The named event terminated and returned control to the Event Scheduler. This message is only displayed if the event is configured to suspend the launcher while running (see Events).

Launched <event name>

The named event was successfully launched.

Start

Shows the time and date this Event Scheduler session was started.

Unable to launch <event name>

The launcher tried to launch the named event but was unable to. This is often the result of an error in the event's Application Command Line property (see Events).

Interactive Error Handling

Occasionally an error will occur in the system that requires human intervention. When this happens, an error dialog box similar to that shown below will appear:

The error dialog box will always display an error number (in its title bar) and a description of the error. In addition, the dialog box may display any of the following command buttons:

	Retries the operation that caused the error in the first place. This is usually the best place to start, especially if you are able to take action to correct the error (e.g. put a printer on line, insert a floppy disk, etc)..
	Ignores the error and proceeds as if it never happened. This can often lead to additional errors. Click this button only if Retry and Cancel do not work or are unavailable.
	Cancels the operation that caused the error.
	Acknowledges the error and continues processing as best as possible.
	Quits the application entirely. Use this option only as an absolute last resort!
	Displays the error details screen with additional information about the error.
	Displays this help screen.

Error Details Screen

The Error Details screen displays detailed information about the source of an error. Most of the information displayed on this screen will be meaningful only to the application's programmers. Your vendor may ask you for this information if you are experiencing a recurrent unexplained error. The Details and Description fields, however, may provide information that can help you track down the source of the error yourself. These fields are described below. If the data in any one of these fields "overflows" the text area, you can click in the field and use the keyboard arrow keys to scroll through the remainder of the message. 

The Description field provides a description of the error. The description displayed here is the same as in the main error dialog box or error log.

The Details field provides additional information about some errors. The information provided depends on the type of error that occurred. For example, a file access error may report the name of the file in this field. Many errors do not report details, in such cases this field will be blank.

The Error Details screen can be printed or saved to disk by first copying it into a word processor or graphics program. Since all versions of Microsoft Windows ship with at least one such program, you can do this even if you do not have your own word processor or graphics program. Refer to Saving and Printing Error Details for more information.

When you are done viewing the information in the Error Details screen, click Close to close the screen and return to where you were before.

Saving and Printing Error Details

The contents of the Error Details screen can be copied to a word processor or graphics application. This allows you to print the screen or save it to disk. Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 both come with a word processor program called WordPad that allows you to do this. Microsoft Windows 3.1x comes with a graphics program called Paintbrush that allows you to do this.

The general procedure for saving or printing the Error Details screen is to first copy it to the system Clipboard (by pressing the keyboard PrintScreen, or PrtScr key), then paste it into the word processor or graphics program. From there it can be saved to disk or printed.

For specific instructions on saving and printing the Error Details screen via Microsoft WordPad, refer to Using WordPad to Save the Error Details Screen. For instructions on saving and printing the Error Details screen via Microsoft Paintbrush, refer to Using Paintbrush to Save the Error Details Screen.

Using WordPad to Save the Error Details Screen

1. Open the Error Details screen.

2. Position the Error Details screen so it is entirely visible by dragging its title bar.

3. Press the keyboard Print Screen or PrtScr key.

4. Open the Windows 95 Start menu (press Ctrl-ESC if the Start button is not visible) and select Programs · Accessories · WordPad.

5. From the WordPad Edit menu, select Paste.

6. From the WordPad File menu, select Save to save the screen, or Print to print the screen.

7. Exit WordPad

Using Paintbrush to Save the Error Details Screen

1. Open the Error Details screen.

2. Position the Error Details screen so it is entirely visible by dragging its title bar.

3. Press the keyboard Print Screen or PrtScr key.

4. Return to the Windows Program Manager (press Alt-Tab, if necessary, until it is selected).

5. Double-click the Accessories group if it is not already open.

6. Double-click Paintbrush.

7. From the Paintbrush Edit menu, select Paste.

8. From the Paintbrush File menu, select Save to save the screen, or Print to print the screen.

9. Exit Paintbrush.

10. Return to the Error Details screen and close it (use Alt-Tab if necessary).

---

Automating Host File Transfers

For information on automating Host-to-PC and PC-to-Host file tansfers, click here.  Remember to use your BACK key to return to this page.