Ka Firetask

Introduction

Ka Firetask is an easy to use task automation for Windows.
The program can run windows applications, copy files and folders, display message dialogs. The tasks can be triggered via hotkey, or on a regular schedule.

Additionally, Ka Firetask Pro is "Network-aware", that is, enables you to easily manage tasks en masse on your company LAN (from one place, you can automate any task for all the PCs in a network).

Task management

Basics

Task are "jobs" that is: programs, documents or scripts, which can be triggered via hotkey, or on a regular schedule.

They are visible in the "tasks" tab.

• To create a new task, click "new task" button
• To remove, select a task (or tasks) and click "delete"
• To edit a task, select one and click "edit" or double-click choosen task

Editing a task

When you double click a task, you will see a dialog window, divided into 3 parts.
a "Title", a "Trigger" and a "Task" itself.

"Title" is what will be displayed in the list of tasks. Besides, you can toogle the "active" checkbox to completely deactivate/activate the tasks.

The "Trigger" specifies when the task will be executed. It's self-descriptive. Please note that the days of week are valid for every kind of trigger, that is - if the tasks is to be active only on mondays, and triggered by a hotkey, the hotkey will work only on mondays.

The Task part is the task itself. It can be an application or a document file (simple action | open a file) or a message box (simple action | message box) or a Dnm Script. More about Dnm Scripts here: http://www.konradp.com/wiki/index.php/DNM_Script

Database management

A "database" in Ka Firetask is simmply a document (a file) consisting of tasks. You can create new databases (File | New database) and open them at any time.

You can also pass a database location to be open by Firetask as command line argument , for example: Firetask.exe "c:\somefolder\somedatabase.firetaskdoc" Which leads us directly to a more sophisticated usage of the program - in a company network, below:

Using Ka firetask in company network

Sharing the same database across LAN, with an ability to modify tasks from one place, is available only in Ka Firetask Pro.

You can pass a database location to be open by Firetask as command line argument.

The "database" can also exist in a shared location.

Ka Firetask command line arguments:

firetask.exe [database location] [/a] [/r]
You can pass a database location to be open by Firetask, for example:
Firetask.exe "c:\somefolder\somedatabase.firetaskdoc"
or:
Firetask.exe "\\server\sharedfolder\mydatabase.firetaskdoc"

Additional flags:
/r : open the database in readonly mode, which means that the tasks cannot be edited.
/a : auto-reload the database from time to time. Valid only when \r (readonly) is used.

(The two above flags are used when the application is started on "client" computers).

If you want to install Ka Firetask on LAN, the typical scenario would be:

1. Install the software on a shared location, let's say "\\server\shared\firetask"

2. Run the program "normally" on the "server" machine (that is the one from which you want to manage all the tasks), now a new database should be created, e.g.: \\server\shared\firetask\user_data\default_doc.firetaskdoc

3. Add the following to the startup procedure of every "client" computer:
\\server\shared\firetask\firetask.exe "\\server\shared\firetask\user_data\default_doc.firetaskdoc" /r /a
the /r and /a flags mean: readonly and "auto-rereading".

4. That's all. From now on, the program will be executed every time every computer in the network starts up, and you will be able to edit those tasks remotely from the "server" computer, all of them in one place (you simply need to start Firetask without "readonly" or "auto-reread" flags)

Spread the Word: