Schedule

Schedules in Robot Cloud

In Robot Cloud, you can create schedules to automatically run your robots at specific times or in response to certain events. This feature makes it easier to automate repetitive tasks and improve the efficiency of your workflows. Here's how you can create a schedule:

Creating a Time Schedule

A time schedule creates a periodic execution of your robot at set intervals. This is useful for tasks that need to be done regularly, such as daily data backups or weekly report generation.

To create a time schedule:

1. Navigate to the robot's detail page in Robot Cloud.

2. Click on the Execution tab.

3. Click the Execution button.

4. Set the execution type to Scheduled.

5. Select a connected host from the dropdown list.

6. Provide a name for the scheduler to identify it.

7. Choose the timezone that will trigger the job (note: the default timezone in the dropdown is based on the user's account).

8. Specify the desired cron string that defines the schedule for the robot's execution.

9. If your robot has the Robot Inputs feature enabled, you can optionally provide input values for the robot to use during execution.

Your robot will now run automatically at the times you've set.

Schedule Activation and Deactivation

By default, a new schedule is active and will run as specified. However, you can choose to create a schedule in a Waiting For Activation state. This schedule will only start when it's activated, either manually by a user or automatically in response to a variable update.

1. Activation on Variable Update

This trigger is activated when a specified variable in Robot Cloud's storage is updated. This is useful when you want a robot to run in response to changes in data.

To set a variable update activation:

1. In the Create Execution page, choose the On Variable Update option under Schedule Activation.

2. Select the variable that should trigger the schedule.

3. Input a value to the variable.

The schedule will activate whenever the specified variable is updated.

2. Manual Activation

Manual activation allows you to start a schedule whenever you want. This is useful for testing or when you need more control over when the robot runs.

To manually activate a schedule:

1. In the Create Execution page, choose the On Manual Trigger option under Schedule Activation.

When the user clicks the activate button for a job on the job list page, the schedule will be activated, and the job will run according to its predefined time schedule.

Remember, schedules can also be manually deactivated from the schedule's detail page, allowing you to pause the automatic running of robots as needed.