VisualCron
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VisualCron is a
job scheduler A job scheduler is a computer application for controlling unattended background program execution of jobs. This is commonly called batch scheduling, as execution of non-interactive jobs is often called batch processing, though traditional ''job' ...
and automation tool for Windows.


Overview

VisualCron is a replacement for the
Windows Task Scheduler Task Scheduler (formerly Scheduled Tasks) is a job scheduler in Microsoft Windows that launches computer programs or scripts at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. Microsoft introduced this component in the Microsoft Plus! for W ...
and a similar
cron The cron command-line utility is a job scheduler on Unix-like operating systems. Users who set up and maintain software environments use cron to schedule jobs (commands or shell scripts), also known as cron jobs, to run periodically at fixed ti ...
job scheduler in
Unix-like A Unix-like (sometimes referred to as UN*X or *nix) operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, although not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. A Unix-li ...
operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ef ...
s. The software is split into
client Client(s) or The Client may refer to: * Client (business) * Client (computing), hardware or software that accesses a remote service on another computer * Customer or client, a recipient of goods or services in return for monetary or other valuabl ...
and
server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
parts, with the former being invoked by the user on demand and the latter always running as a
process A process is a series or set of activities that interact to produce a result; it may occur once-only or be recurrent or periodic. Things called a process include: Business and management *Business process, activities that produce a specific se ...
in the background. Due to the client-server architecture of the program, the administrator can use a single client to manage several servers over the network. The client side of VisualCron is a graphical program that allows the administrator to manage jobs and view logs of the software's activities. The log viewer also allows searching for events based on queries, defining event type, time of execution, message content and other parameters.


Jobs

A VisualCron job consists of six elements: triggers, tasks, notifications, time exceptions, conditions, and timeouts. Like the Windows Task Scheduler, VisualCron allows user to bind several options for each job. The program provides the set of triggers and task types that the administrator can choose among; after the job is run, the user-configured notification is issued. The built-in tasks include file operations, SQL queries, system restart, and executing user-defined macros.


Reception

Reviewing the program, Joshua Hoskins of
TechRepublic TechRepublic is an online trade publication and social community for IT professionals, providing advice on best practices and tools for the needs of IT decision-makers. It was founded in 1997 in Louisville, Kentucky, by Tom Cottingham and Kim S ...
praised the flexibility of the program while noting the difficulties of setting up the jobs: "The setup of the VisualCron monitors was slightly more difficult that expected. This was understandable though due to the massive power difference I was using. It was very quickly apparent that this tool was magnitude of power greater than the solution I was currently using." Codrut Nistor of
Softpedia Softpedia is a software and tech news website based in Romania. It indexes, reviews and hosts various downloadable software and reports news on technology and science topics. Website Softpedia hosts reviews written by its staff—each review in ...
also noted the high quality of the program's documentation, though he said that "Beginners may not find this program useful and easy to learn, while people who don't need to enable advanced scheduled tasks may find the 47price tag a bit high."


See also

*
AutoIt AutoIt is a freeware programming language for Microsoft Windows. In its earliest release, it was primarily intended to create automation scripts (sometimes called Macro (computer science), macros) for Microsoft Windows programs but has since grow ...
*
AutoKey AutoKey is a free, open-source scripting application for Linux. AutoKey allows the user to define hotkeys and trigger phrases which expand to predefined text, automating frequent or repetitive tasks such as correcting typographical errors or co ...
(for Linux) *
AutoHotkey AutoHotkey is a free and open-source custom scripting language for Microsoft Windows, initially aimed at providing easy keyboard shortcuts or hotkeys, fast macro-creation and software automation that allows users of most levels of computer skil ...
* Automator (for Macintosh) *
Automise Automise is a commercial task automation tool for Windows. Developed by VSoft Technologies, Automise offers a graphical user interface for automating repetitive tasks through the creation of Automise projects. Automise includes a library of 390 bu ...
*
Keyboard Maestro Keyboard Maestro is a closed-source commercial macOS-based application that allows automation of routine functions, such as navigating running applications, opening documents, typing text, expanding abbreviations, and controlling web application ...
(for Macintosh)


References


External links

*
Change log
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visualcron Job scheduling Windows administration Windows services