To create a task manually, edit an existing task, or use the AT service to schedule a build, follow the instructions below.
Task Scheduler (Windows Vista and later)
| 1. | To start the Task Scheduler, click View Scheduled Tasks from the Visual Build Tools menu (or select Start | All Programs | Administrative Tools | Task Scheduler in Windows). |
| 2. | Click Create Basic Task.... |
| 3. | Type a name for the task and choose when it will be run. |
| 4. | Select an action of Start a program. |
| 5. | Browse to the Visual Build installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\VisBuildPro8) and select VisBuildPro.exe (GUI App) or VisBuildCmd.exe (console app). |
| 6. | In the Add arguments field, enter /s /b "<full path>\<projectfile>.bld". |
| 7. | Optionally, check Open the Properties dialog for this task when I click Finish. |
| 8. | Configure other settings on the task properties dialog as needed. |
| 9. | Visual Build will be started at the scheduled time, build the specified project, and close. The /s flag causes Visual Build to close without prompting even if an error occurs. |
Scheduled Tasks (Windows 2000, XP, 2003)
| 1. | To start Scheduled Tasks, click View Scheduled Tasks from the Visual Build Tools menu (or select Start | Settings | Control Panel from the taskbar and double-click on Scheduled Tasks. |
| 2. | Start the Scheduled Task Wizard by double-clicking on Add Scheduled Task. |
| 3. | Select Visual Build Professional from the list when prompted for the program you wish to run. |
| 4. | Type a name for the task and choose when it will be run. |
| 5. | Enter the username and password that the application should be executed under. |
| 6. | Check Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish. |
| 7. | To use the console app, change VisBuildPro.exe to VisBuildCmd.exe in the Run field. |
| 8. | Edit the Run field and add /s /b "<full path>\<projectfile>.bld" to the field for the GUI App or "<full path>\<projectfile>.bld" for the Console App. |
| 9. | Visual Build will be started at the scheduled time, build the specified project, and close. The /s flag causes Visual Build to close without prompting even if an error occurs. |
AT Service (Windows 2000 and later)
| 2. | Enter an AT command to schedule Visual Build. If the Console App is used, the build will run totally silent (will not display a GUI). For example, to build the RegEdit.bld project at 2:32pm today (the /INTERACTIVE flag is not necessary when using the GUI app): |
AT 14:32 c:\Progra~1\VisBuildPro8\VisBuildCmd.exe \"c:\My Projects\xyz.bld\"
AT 14:32 /INTERACTIVE c:\Progra~1\VisBuildPro8\VisBuildPro.exe /s /b \"c:\My Projects\xyz.bld\"
| 3. | Visual Build will be started at the scheduled time, build the specified project, and close. The /s flag causes Visual Build to close without prompting even if an error occurs. |
Notes:
| • | If Visual Build returns an exit code of 0x3 when called from a scheduled build, the user that the build is running under may not have rights to open and load the project (.bld) file. Ensure that the user has the necessary rights. |
| • | When using the AT service, the path to VisBuildPro.exe or VisBuildCmd.exe must be the short filename (no spaces). Add the /next:<day of month/day of week> flag to schedule a build for a future date, or add the /every:<day of month/day of week> flag to schedule a recurring build. For example, to build the project on the 15th day of the month: |
AT 14:32 /NEXT:15 c:\Progra~1\VisBuildPro8\VisBuildCmd.exe \"c:\My Projects\xyz.bld\"
| • | Some steps (for instance, if a Run Script action calls script which displays a messagebox) or other programs called from Visual Build may themselves require interactive desktop access to build properly. In these cases, the /INTERACTIVE switch will be needed even with the Console app. |
