Daily Trigger Example (XML)
The XML in this example defines a task that starts Notepad at 8:00 AM every day. The example also shows how to set a repetition pattern for the trigger to repeat the task.
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 every day at 8:00 AM
The following XML example shows how to define a task with a single execution action (starting Notepad), a single calendar trigger (starts the task every day at 8:00 AM), and several other task settings that affect how the task is handled by Task Scheduler.
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!--
This sample schedules a task to start on a daily basis.
-->
<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>Notepad starts every day.</Description>
</RegistrationInfo>
<Triggers>
<CalendarTrigger>
<StartBoundary>2005-10-11T13:21:17-08:00</StartBoundary>
<EndBoundary>2006-01-01T00:00:00-08:00</EndBoundary>
<Repetition>
<Interval>PT1M</Interval>
<Duration>PT4M</Duration>
</Repetition>
<ScheduleByDay>
<DaysInterval>1</DaysInterval>
</ScheduleByDay>
</CalendarTrigger>
</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.
-
Contains registration information about the task.
-
Defines the trigger that starts the task.
-
Defines the daily calendar trigger. In this case, four child elements are used: the start and end boundaries that specify when the trigger is activated and deactivated, the daily schedule, and the repetition pattern for the task. The StartBoundary element is a required element for calendar triggers.
-
Defines the daily schedule. In this case, the interval is set to perform the task every day.
Principal: Defines the security context that a task runs under.
-
Defines the task settings that Task Scheduler uses to perform the task.
-
Defines the actions the task performs (in this case, running Notepad).
Related topics