Boot Trigger Example (XML)
The XML in this example defines a task that starts Notepad when the system is booted.
To register a task that is defined in XML, you can use either the ITaskFolder::RegisterTask function (TaskFolder.RegisterTask for scripting) or the Schtasks.exe command-line tool. If you use the Schtasks.exe tool (located in the C:\Windows\System32 directory), then you can use the following command to register the task: schtasks /create /XML <path to the XML file containing the task definition> /tn <task name>.
To define a task to start Notepad on system boot
The following XML example shows how to define a task with a single execution action (starting Notepad), a single boot trigger that starts the task when the system is booted, and several other task settings that affect how the task is handled by the Task Scheduler.
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!--
This sample schedules a task to start notepad.exe when
the system is booted.
-->
<Task xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/windows/2004/02/mit/task">
<RegistrationInfo>
<Date>2005-10-11T13:21:17-08:00</Date>
<Author>AuthorName</Author>
<Version>1.0.0</Version>
<Description>Starts Notepad on system boot.</Description>
</RegistrationInfo>
<Triggers>
<BootTrigger>
<StartBoundary>2005-10-11T13:21:17-08:00</StartBoundary>
<EndBoundary>2006-01-01T00:00:00-08:00</EndBoundary>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<ExecutionTimeLimit>PT5M</ExecutionTimeLimit>
</BootTrigger>
</Triggers>
<Principals>
<Principal>
<UserId>Administrator</UserId>
<LogonType>InteractiveToken</LogonType>
</Principal>
</Principals>
<Settings>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<AllowStartOnDemand>true</AllowStartOnDemand>
<AllowHardTerminate>true</AllowHardTerminate>
</Settings>
<Actions>
<Exec>
<Command>notepad.exe</Command>
</Exec>
</Actions>
</Task>
TaskScheduler Schema Elements
Here are some important elements to keep in mind when using this example.
- RegistrationInfo: Contains registration information about the task.
- Triggers: Defines the trigger that starts the task.
- BootTrigger: Defines the boot trigger. In this case only two child elements are used: the start and end boundaries that specify when the trigger is activated and deactivated.
- Principal: Defines the security context that a task runs under.
- Settings: Defines the task settings that the Task Scheduler uses to perform the task.
- Actions: Defines the actions the task performs. In this case, running Notepad.
Related topics