What is the Scheduled Tasks View?
The ADHQ Scheduled Tasks View is used for creating, modifying, and running ADHQ scheduled tasks. ADHQ Scheduled Tasks are very similar to scheduled tasks that you might see in Microsoft's Task Scheduler. They contain a name, an execution schedule, and a description, in addition to a list of actions to perform. In ADHQ Scheduled Tasks, actions include things like running an ADHQ Tool, sending emails, or running an external program.
Task View Layout
General
The Scheduled Task view provides an easy way to view and modify ADHQ Scheduled Tasks. The interface is divided into three main sections, described in detail below.
- The Ribbon
- The ribbon is positioned across the top of the interface, and has buttons to create new tasks or modify the currently open one.
- Task List
- The Task List is shown on the left side of the interface. It contains any previously created ADHQ Scheduled Tasks.
- Task Settings
- The Task Settings pane is shown on the right side of the interface. It is used to modify the currently selected task in the Task List.
The Ribbon
The ribbon in ADHQ's Task View provides two primary functions:
- Modifying the task list by adding new tasks, or copying/editing/removing existing ones
- Toggling the state of the currently open task between Enabled and Disabled
Click on the New button to create a new task. ADHQ will prompt you for a name for the task, then open the task, allowing you to add actions, or modify the execution schedule.
The Delete and Make a Copy buttons will remove or make a copy of the selected task, respectively. The remaining buttons on the ribbon act on the currently open task. The Enable and Disable buttons will toggle the state of the task. Enabled tasks will run automatically on the schedule defined in their Schedule setting, whereas Disabled tasks will require you to run them manually by clicking the Run Now. The Save button will commit any changes made to the currently open task. Lastly, the Refresh button will reload the currently open task from the disk to update the Status and Last Run On fields.
Task List
The Task List contains all previously created ADHQ Scheduled Tasks. Selecting a task from this list will open the task, loading it into the Task Settings pane to the right. Tasks in the task list are divided into Enabled and Disabled categories. Use the Enable/Disable buttons in the ribbon to move a task between these two categories.
Task Settings
The Task Settings pane is divided into two main components, the Task Settings fields above and the Action List below.
The Task Settings fields define basic properties for the task, such as its name and current status, in addition to the schedule and output settings for the task. The task's schedule defines the times the task will run. Click the 
button to modify the schedule via the Schedule Wizard. Likewise, the Logon As and Output settings can be modified by clicking the button at the end of the corresponding fields.
The Action List is the list of actions the task will perform. ADHQ tasks can contain five main types of actions: running a tool, running a report, running security tool, running a search & replace tool, or executing a single operation such as sending an email or running an external program.
The task list is modified with the toolbar buttons in the top right corner of the field. Below is a description of the Action List buttons:
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| New Tool Action | Add an action to the task that will launch an ADHQ tool. This button will launch the Tool Action Wizard. |
| New Report Action | Add an action to the task that will launch an ADHQ report. This button will launch the Report Action Wizard. |
| New Security Tool Action | Add an action to the task that will launch an ADHQ security tool. This button will launch the Security Tool Action Wizard. |
| New Search Tool Action | Add an action to the task that will launch an ADHQ Search & Replace tool. This button will launch the Search & Replace Action Wizard. |
| New Other Task Action | Add an action to the task. This button will launch the Task Action Dialog, which will allow you to choose an action and specify its settings. Available actions include sending an email, running an external program, and more. |
| Edit Item | Depending on which item in the Action List is selected, this button will launch either the Tool Action Wizard, the Report Action Wizard, or the Task Action Dialog to allow you to change the settings of the currently selected task action. |
| Delete | Removes the currently selected Task Action from the Action List. |
| Move Up | Moves the selected item up. |
| Move Down | Moves the selected item down. |
Tool Action Wizard
The Tool Action Wizard is used to create or modify a "Run a Tool" task action. To access the Tool Action Wizard, click the New Tool Action button in the header of the Action List. The following sections of this document will explain each of the Tool Action Wizard pages.
Select a Tool Page
The Select a Tool page allows you to choose a tool to run during your task and optionally override its default settings. Click the button to launch the Select a Tool dialog, which will allow you to pick a tool from either the default workspace, or your custom tools. If you want to use the tool exactly as it is designed, just click Next to continue to the next page of the wizard. Otherwise, click the Tool Settings button to launch the Tool Editor and modify any tool settings you'd like. For example, you may wish to override the output settings for the tool. To do this, select the tool in the Operations Tree (it's the top line) in the Tool Editor and modify the output settings in the property pane below. When you have set up the values for every field, click Save to confirm the tool settings and continue to the next page.
Scope Pages
The scope page of the wizard is different depending on the type of tool selected on the Select a Tool page. If you've chosen a Modify or Delete tool, this page will allow you to specify a collection to run your tool against. If you've chosen an Import tool, this page will allow you to set up an import file.
Case 1: Modify or Delete Tools
The Scope page for Modify or Delete Tools allows you to specify a collection of objects on which to run the selected tool. Choose an existing collection by clicking the button. Or, choose Manually select objects from Active Directory and use the grid and filter fields to specify a scope for the tool. The Select button is used to add locations to the grid. You can add either individual objects OR containers. Adding a container to the grid will run the tool on each object within the container, as far down as the Scope Level indicates. Finally, the filter field can be used to limit the objects in the location list on which to run the tool. In the image above, the tool will run on the following users:
| # | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering Container | The tool will run on all users in the Engineering OU that match the Inactive Users filter. |
| 2 | Sales Container | The tool will run on all users in the Sales OU that match the Inactive Users filter. Also, any users in child OUs of the Sales OU that match the filter. |
| 3 | Hugh Jackman | The tool will run on Hugh Jackman, if he matches the Inactive Users filter. |
When you have finished setting up the scope for the tool, click Finish to save changes to the Tool Action and return to the Task View.
Case 2: Import Tools
Import Tools, unlike Modify or Delete Tools, run on objects specified in a file rather than a collection of objects. So, this page is used to tell the tool about your import file. Click the Settings button to launch the Import Wizard. A description of each page in the Import Wizard follows:
Import Wizard Pages
| Page | Description |
|---|---|
| File Name and Delimiter | Select a CSV file to use as your import file with the button, or choose a previously imported file from the drop list. Choose your column separator from the combobox. View the preview pane to make sure your columns are being interpreted correctly. |
| Identifier Columns | Choose which columns to use to identify the objects in your file. Typically, you will want to use a unique name field (like Distinguished Name) as an identifying column, but any set of columns that will uniquely identify the object within your domain will work.
This page is not shown for Import New tools, as the objects do not currently exist. |
| Skip Columns | Check any columns whose data you do not want to import. These columns will be ignored when the tool is run. You may not skip any columns used to identify the object.
This page is not shown for Import Deletions tools, as non-identifying columns are automatically skipped for these tools. |
| Column Mappings | Tell ADHQ what attribute each of your columns maps to. Skipped columns do not need to be mapped to an attribute. |
When you have finished setting up an import file for the tool, click Finish to save changes to the Tool Action and return to the Task View.
Tool Output Page
The Tool Output page allows you to configure output settings for the tool. Check the Use global output settings box at the top of the page to have the tool use the corresponding settings from the Options dialog, or uncheck the box and fill out the rest of the page if you want the tool to do something special. Use the settings in the upper box to have ADHQ automatically save the output from the tool to a file, and the bottom box to have ADHQ send an email upon completion of the tool. If you choose to create an output file, you'll have the option to attach the file to the email.
When you have finished customizing the output settings, click Finish to save changes to the Tool Action and return to the Task View.
Report Action Wizard
The Report Action Wizard is used to create or modify a "Run a Report" task action. To access the Report Action Wizard, click the New Report Action button in the header of the Action List.
Select a Report Page
The Select a Report page allows you to choose a report to run during your task. Click the Browse button to access the Select a Report dialog. All ADHQ Active Directory Reports are shown in the list, sorted into categories as they are in the Reports tab of the ribbon. Select the report you wish to run from this list, then click OK to return to the Report Action Wizard.
Remaining Pages
The remaining pages of the Report Action Wizard are similar to the corresponding pages of the New Report Wizard, which you can read about on the Reports page. The settings from the report you selected on the Select a Report Page will be loaded into these pages, and you'll be given the opportunity to make any changes your task requires. If the report is already configured to your needs, you can quickly click through each page and return to the Task View.
Security Tool Action Wizard
The Security Tool Action Wizard is used to create or modify a "Run a Security Tool" task action. To access the Security Tool Action Wizard, click the New Security Tool Action button in the header of the Action List. The following sections of this document will explain each of the Security Tool Wizard pages.
Select a Security Tool Page
The Select a Security Tool page allows you to choose a security tool to run during your task. Select one of the four security tools available from the security tab page to run from this list, then click Next to set up the settings for the tool.
Security Tool Settings Page
The tools settings page allows you to modify the tool settings associated with either Search and Replace or Analyze and Clean security tools. Click here for more information on the various settings available for security tools.
Security Tool Scope Page
The security tool scope page contains a list of locations for the tool to run. If you have chosen a AD ACL tool, use the Select button to add a container to the grid. If you are running a File ACL tool, you may select any number of files, shares, or directories. You can adjust the scope level of each container you add to the scope by selecting the item and using the Scope Level button to switch between the options explained below.
| Scope Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Entire Subtree | All objects in the container's sub-tree will be added to the scope. |
| This Object and Its Children | This object and its immediate children will be added to the scope. |
| This Object Only | This object will be added to the scope. |
| This Object and x levels of Children | This object and up to x levels of child objects will be added to the scope. Note: This option is only available in File ACL tools. |
Security Tool Output Page
The tool output page shows the current output settings saved for the tool action. The output settings page allows you to either use the global tool output settings, or define custom tool output settings. Tool output is comprised of two main sections, screen output, and email output. The first set of options is related to saving the screen output. The screen output shows either the AD or File ACLs that matched the settings defined in the settings page. The second group of settings allows you to send an email after the tool is ran. To attach the output files you may have created above, select the Attach: Output File option. Click the Options... button to specify other email settings such as an subject and message.
When you have finished customizing the output settings, click Finish to save changes to the Security Tool Action and return to the Task View.
Search & Replace Action Wizard
The Search & Replace Action Wizard is used to create or modify a "Run a Search & Replace Tool" task action. To access the Search & Replace Action Wizard, click the New Search Tool Action button in the header of the Action List. The following sections of this document will explain each of the Search & Replace Tool Wizard pages.
S&R Tool Settings Page
The Tool Settings page allows you to configure the Search & Replace options for the task action. Select the type of object and attribute you wish to modify in the top parts of the interface. The next groupbox, Search Criteria, will change according to the attribute chosen above to allow you to enter a value of the corresponding type. The final section of the page, Advanced Options, requires a bit more explanation. The following table contains a list of the settings available there, and what affect they'll have on your S&R action:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Replace Always | Set the attribute to the value of Replace With regardless of whether it currently matches the value specified in Find What. |
| Replace if attribute is empty | Set the attribute to the value of Replace With if and only if the attribute is currently empty. |
| Replace if attribute is not empty | Set the attribute to the value of Replace With if and only if the attribute has a value. |
| Remove the attribute | Remove the attribute if it currently matches the value specified in Find What. |
| Case sensitive | Consider the Find What value a match only if the case matches. When checked, "Javelina" will NOT match "javelina". |
| Match whole string | Consider the Find What value a match only if the entire value matches. When checked, "Javelina" will NOT match "Javelina Software". |
S&R Tool Scope Page
The security tool scope page contains a list of locations for the tool to run. Use the Select button to either individual objects or containers to the grid. Also available from the Select button is an option to import a list of objects to search through. You can adjust the scope level of each container you add to the grid by selecting the item and using the Level button to switch between the options explained below.
| Scope Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Entire Subtree | All objects in the container's sub-tree will be added to the scope. |
| This Object and Its Children | This object and its immediate children will be added to the scope. |
| This Object Only | This object will be added to the scope. |
| This Object and x levels of Children | This object and up to x levels of child objects will be added to the scope. Note: This option is only available in File ACL tools. |
The bottom half the scope page contains a filter used to further limit the objects on which the tool will run. Only objects in the Locations grid that match the filter will be considered. For more information about creating a filter, see Is it possible to limit which objects appear on my report?
S&R Tool Output Page
The tool output page shows the current output settings saved for the tool action. The output settings page allows you to either use the global tool output settings, or define custom tool output settings. Tool output is comprised of two main sections, screen output, and email output. The first set of options is related to saving the screen output. The screen output shows the matches found and replacements made on the objects in the tool scope. The second group of settings allows you to send an email after the tool is ran. If you chose to create an output file, you can attach it to the email by selecting the Output File checkbox. Click the Options... button to specify other email settings such as an subject and body for the message.
When you have finished customizing the output settings, click Finish to save changes to the Security Tool Action and return to the Task View.
Task Action Dialog
The Task Action Dialog is used to create or modify task actions. To access the Task Action Dialog, click the New Other Action button in the header of the Action List, or edit an existing task action.
The available task actions are listed in the list on the left side of the dialog. Select an action from this list, and complete the associated settings in the right pane. The example above is from our Send Password Reminders task. The Send an Email action is selected and configured to send a notification email to our low-level administrator. When you have finished setting up your action, click OK to save your settings and return to the Task View.