Chapter 12: Scheduler

The WS_FTP Pro Scheduler lets you create FTP tasks or "jobs"
for transfers that you need to perform repeatedly or manually at a particular time. Each task can consist of any number of uploads and downloads of files and folders.

This chapter gives an overview of the Scheduler and some examples of how you might use it. For detailed instructions on using the Scheduler, start the Scheduler and use its online Help.

Using the Scheduler

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To access the Scheduler window, do one of the following:

• Select WS_FTP Scheduler from the Tools menu in the WS_FTP Pro Classic interface.
• Click the Windows Start button and select Programs -> WS_FTP Pro -> WS_FTP Pro Scheduler.

Once you are in the Scheduler window, you are ready to set up a file transfer task. You can:

• Add a pre-existing script to run at a particular time. (For more information on creating scripts, see "Chapter 11: Scripting".)
• Drag and drop a file from the WS_FTP Pro Classic or Explorer Interface to the Scheduler window to create an upload task.
• Create a new transfer/custom task.
• Modify or delete tasks.

The WS_FTP Pro Scheduler will run the task at the time you schedule it to run, or you can make the task run on demand by using the Run Now option.

Examples

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The following are examples of how you might use the WS_FTP Scheduler.

Adding a Script to the Scheduler

To add a script to the scheduler:

1. From the File menu, select New > Custom.

   A Schedule Item Properties dialog appears.

2. In the Start Date and End Date boxes, set the dates for when you want this recurring task to begin and when you want it to end.
3. In the Start Time box, enter the time of day you want the task to be run.
4. In the Executable box, enter the full path to the ftpscript.exe application.
5. In the Command box, enter -f followed by the full path to the script you want WS_FTP Scheduler to run. If the path contains spaces, put quotation marks around the path.
6. If you are on an NT or Windows 2000 or XP workstation, you must enter your NT/2000 user login and password in the boxes provided.

Note: If you are on a domain, include the domain name in the User Login box. Example: IPSWITCH_D\userid

7. Select the frequency of the recurring transfer in the Schedule Frequency area.
8. Click OK to add this task to the scheduler.

Updating a Web Site on a Nightly Basis

If you have a Web site you would like to update every night, without having to manually upload all of the files you have recently changed, you can set up a scheduled task to have it run as frequently as you like.

Scheduling items:

1. Select the files in WS_FTP Pro and select Send to Scheduler from the right-mouse menu.

   You can select multiple files or folders by holding the Ctrl key and clicking the name.

   The Schedule Item Properties dialog appears.

2. In the Start Date and End Date boxes, set the dates for when you want this recurring task to begin and when you want it to end.
3. In the Start Time box, enter the time of day you want the task to be run.
4. The Executable, Command, and Task Name boxes are filled in for you. (Note that in the Command box, there is a .tmp file identified. This file tells the application which files to download and where to transfer them to and from.)
5. If you are on an NT, Windows 2000 or XP workstation, you must enter your NT, 2000, XP user login and password in the boxes provided.
6. Select the frequency of the recurring transfer in the Schedule Frequency area.
7. Click OK to add this task to the scheduler.

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