Board Broadcasting as scheduled task

LATTALI AHMED

Hello Community,

 

I set up the Broadcast functionality of Board to one of our clients and now we would like to schedule it to run every day. So, I create a bat file using the BoardWinClient.exe syntax. The script works find it sends emails with excel files attached. The problem is when I set it as a scheduled task in windows server it doesn’t work.

 

I can see the BoardMailer running in task manager, but I don’t receive emails.

 

Does anyone encounter this problem before? or have similar experience?

 

I would like to hear from you guys,

 

 

Thanks

Ahmed Lattali

Domenico Panetta

Hi Ahmed,

which Windows User are you using to run this scheduled task ("When running the task, use the following user account").

If you are using a System user or a user without an active desktop (user with active desktop = connected user) you can experience this behavior because the Board Windows Client needs interaction with desktop in order to open screens, execute reports and extract them into files to be sent through Board Mailer.

 

So please check the user which runs the task and keep its desktop active during this task.

 

Let me know

Domenico

LATTALI AHMED

Hi Domenico,

Thanks for your response, yes I use a user that I can connect with using RDP. Could you please tell me what do you mean by active desktop ? is it a feature in windows server ?

Domenico Panetta

Hi Ahmed,

when I say "active desktop" I mean that this user should never logoff. Its desktop should be always "on", even if you are not physically connected through RDP.

Domenico

LATTALI AHMED

Okay, but even if i connect with RDP and launch the task manually (from the task scheduler) it doesn't work.

what confuse me is that if i launch the .bat file that i use in the task scheduler it works fine.

Thnx

Björn Reuber

hi,

if you're starting the batch file, it can run in Your windows userspace (using your standardoutput  [i,e,monitor] etc). If you're running it in task scheduler you need to choose "Run only when user is logged on" [and you shouldnt log off the user], cause otherwise the batch cant interact with an graphical standard output (i.e. monitor) and so it cant export for example files to MS Excel.

 

Regards

Björn

LATTALI AHMED

Hi,

Thanks Björn, when I check “Run only when user is connected” the scheduled task works,

but is there a way to keep the user logged in all the time ?

Domenico Panetta

I've found that you can logoff from your session not by closing RDP or logging off (both will logoff the user) but through a simple .bat on desktop with this code:

 

tscon %sessionname% /dest:console

 

It works for me

Let us know

Domenico

Unknown

Could the Board Procedure Launcher be used to run this procedure instead, also as a scheduled task?

Domenico Panetta

Hi Jonathan,

Broadcast can be executed only through the Board Windows Client command line method (see Opening a Capsule from a Command Line).

 

Board Procedure Launcher is recommended for all database procedures that do contain only server side actions (no Broadcast, Refresh Office File, Interactive Selections and so on - please refer to BOARD Procedure Launcher).

 

Domenico

LATTALI AHMED

Thanks Domenico,

 

The scheduled task works, even if I disconnect from the RDP using the red x the user still logged in

You and Björn Reuber both helped me I really appreciate it    but I don’t know which answer should I mark as correct

Peter DeGregorio

We use Board Procedure Launcher to run email broadcast from Windows Task Scheduler. It was set up for us by Board consulting and works well. We run it 8 times per day. 

Federico Cazzalini

hello Peter DeGregorio,

are you sure?

with Board Procedure Launcher Only database procedure can be called with this utility and must contain only "server-side" actions.

And the Broadcast procedure action is a "capsule only" action (it uses a screen, which is a capsule-component).

 

could you paste here the instructions inserted in the .bat launched by the windows task scheduler?

 

regards,

federico

Peter DeGregorio

Yes I'm quite sure. The Windows Task Scheduler runs broadcast1.bat   (there are 4 of them which run twice a day). 

The .bat files contain the following

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Board\Board Client\BoardWinClient.exe" /host "localhost:9700" /username "x" /password "x" /Capsule "FolderX\CapsuleX.cpsx" /Screen "onopen-x" /unattended

That screen runs a procedure on open which does the email.

I have found that it is best when testing to not run the .bat file directly (because it opens the Win client) but rather run the .bat file from the Task Scheduler on demand. 

Hope this helps

Pete

LATTALI AHMED

Hi Peter DeGregorio, 

This is not the Board Procedure Launcher syntax, it is the old one, as Federico Cazzalini mentioned above : Only database procedure can be called with this utility and must contain only "server-side" actions. but in the case of Broadcasting this is the syntax that should be used

 

Best regards,

Ahmed Lattali

Peter DeGregorio

Yes. My mistake. It may be the old one but it is the only one that works not signed on as far as I know.

LATTALI AHMED

Do you mean in the scheduled task you didn't have to check "run only when user is logged in" ?

I used the same syntax as yours in my bat file

Peter DeGregorio

Yes ... on the task "Run whether user is logged on or not" is selected. 

In case it is useful:

The OS is Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard. 

The task is run by a domain user named "board'. This user is a "developer-visitor" in Board security.

The bat file calls Board win client with user "broadcaster". This user is a Lite in Board security and is a password-authenticated user.

LATTALI AHMED

Thanks for the info Peter DeGregorio I will try to do the same

Selvet Yonsel

Dear Domenico Panetta,

 

How can I capture the return code after running  the "Board Procedure Launcher" called by Windows Task Scheduler?

Do you have any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

Selvet.

Domenico Panetta

Hi Selvet,

you can catch Board Procedure Launcher return codes through the Command Prompt functionalities STDERR/STDOUT.

 

Just extend the batch file (.bat) with following commands:

 

• For the Standard Output:
  "C:\Program Files\Board\Board Server\Tools\BoardProcedureLauncher.exe" /host "localhost:9700" /username "myuser" /password "mypassword" /Procedure "myprocedure" /DataBase "mydatabase" 1> myprocedure_regular.log

 

• For the Standard Error:
  "C:\Program Files\Board\Board Server\Tools\BoardProcedureLauncher.exe" /host "localhost:9700" /username "myuser" /password "mypassword" /Procedure "myprocedure" /DataBase "mydatabase" 2> myprocedure_error.log

 

• For both
  "C:\Program Files\Board\Board Server\Tools\BoardProcedureLauncher.exe" /host "localhost:9700" /username "myuser" /password "mypassword" /Procedure "myprocedure" /DataBase "mydatabase" 1> myprocedure_full_execution.log 2>&1

 

If you do not give a specific path for the log file (notice: it could be also .txt, .msg...), this will be put in the same path of the batch file.

 

You can find more details in the original Microsoft KB article:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/110930/redirecting-error-messages-from-command-prompt-stderr-stdout

 

Hope this helps you
Regards

Domenico