Automize is a task scheduling and automation application for Windows, macOS and Linux. It runs configured operations such as file transfers, email processing and external commands, either on a timetable or as linked tasks. Result codes and variables let one operation determine what happens next.
Scheduling tasks and sequences
Each task holds the settings for its operation. A copy task, for example, identifies source and destination folders, while a command task identifies the executable and arguments. Automize schedules the saved task rather than requiring those settings to be entered for every run.
Schedules range from seconds to months. Their controls select the applicable hours, days, weeks, dates or months, depending on the interval. Start and end filters restrict eligible runs; they do not directly set the first and last execution times.
The task engine runs in the background and can operate as a service. Tasks can also be invoked through the command-line module, allowing another program to start configured work.
Branching and retrying task sequences
A Task Sequence combines new or existing tasks in an ordered workflow. Steps can be moved, disabled or selected as the starting point. Exit-code conditions can send execution to another step or stop the sequence when a particular result occurs.
Automize distinguishes an ordinary successful run from a monitor whose condition has been met. Errors produce a separate result. These outcomes let a sequence continue after a successful transfer, skip unnecessary processing or rerun a failed step within a chosen maximum attempt count.
The sequence's maximum wait time determines when it treats an unfinished step as failed. Reaching that limit does not terminate the running operation. An external program's termination time is a separate setting in its Command task.
Directory changes and runtime variables
Directory Monitor compares current file modification dates with records saved during its previous run. Filename filters and the option to include subdirectories define the files examined. A detected change can start another task or supply a condition inside a sequence.
The monitor also produces a list of changed filenames. A subsequent copy or transfer task can use that list to process those files. This is a comparison made whenever the monitor runs; the separate Directory Change task polls a single folder.
Variables resolve when a task executes. Supported fields can take dates, usernames, earlier task results or values supplied by external programs. The same saved task can therefore generate a filename for the current run or use a path produced by preceding work.
Copying files and transferring them to servers with Automize
Copy tasks select files through source paths, filename and folder filters, modification dates and optional subdirectory processing. Target paths can include dated folders or filenames, separating successive copies without changing the task definition.
Move removes the originals after a successful copy. Rename changes their names instead of creating a separate copy. Empty source subfolders remain after a move unless the task's empty-folder deletion option is enabled.
FTP and SFTP transfers
FTP tasks use a connection profile and local and remote directory paths. Get downloads files, Put uploads them and Delete removes selected remote files. Filters narrow the transfer, and a modified-file comparison can restrict it to sources newer than their destinations.
A temporary-extension option transfers a file under an intermediate name, then renames it after completion. Programs that watch for its final filename can consequently leave the incomplete transfer alone. Staging similarly completes the transfer before moving the file into its final destination.
Staging and transfer-backup directories place files together without rebuilding their source subdirectory structure. Optional source deletion occurs only after successful transfer. These settings affect both the destination layout and whether the original file remains available.
Enterprise adds SFTP transfers through an SSH connection. The server must provide the SFTP subsystem; an SSH connection alone does not make file transfer available. SFTP tasks also use path filters, temporary filenames and modified-file comparisons.
Processing incoming and outgoing email with Automize
Check Email searches the account's INBOX through POP3 or IMAP. It selects messages by age, sender or subject, with an optional second condition combined through AND or OR. Sender and subject comparisons are case-sensitive.
Matching messages and their attachments are saved to a chosen local folder. Attachment names can include date or time information. The incoming task searches the INBOX, so its selection does not extend to other mailbox folders.
Outgoing Email tasks use a server profile, recipients, subject and message body. Attachments can be specified as file paths or selected through directory and filename filters. Variables can insert current task information into the subject or message, and the body can also be taken from a local text file.
Running commands and database operations
Command tasks launch executables with arguments, a working directory and environment variables. The working directory determines how the launched program resolves relative paths. Shell commands and scripts run through their corresponding shell, retaining the platform behavior of that program.
Automize polls the process to obtain its exit code. A termination-time setting limits how long it may run, while an unrestricted setting waits for completion. The resulting code can then govern later steps in a sequence.
SQL statements and result files
Database tasks send SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE statements through a JDBC connection. Connection settings identify the driver, database address and authorization. Variables can supply values in the statement or the output filename at execution time.
Query results are written to a chosen directory and filename. Date-based naming can retain separate files for repeated queries, while other statements carry out their specified changes in the database. The connection depends on a compatible JDBC driver and access to the target database.
Reviewing results and choosing an edition
Output and individual task logs contain run times, output, errors and exit codes. Activity logs record task runs and engine startup or shutdown, while debug logs provide error-location information. Exit-code email notifications can send a task's result without opening its local log.
Log size controls trim older content when a chosen limit is exceeded. Within a sequence, individual steps send their own notifications only when that option is enabled.
Standard and Enterprise modules
| Function | Standard | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling, task sequences, variables and background engine | Included | Included |
| File operations, FTP, email, commands and SQL tasks | Included | Included |
| SFTP transfers | Not included | Included |
| PGP encryption and decryption | Not included | Included |
| XML loop, monitor and validation module | Not included | Included |
| Embedded scripting module | Not included | Included |
Enterprise's file encryption tasks select files or directory trees and apply a password or public-key profile. Filename, folder and date filters control the input, and encrypted output goes to a chosen destination. Private-key signing can produce signatures alongside this file processing.
Standard can still launch existing scripts through Command tasks. Enterprise's embedded scripting module is a separate capability, allowing automation code within the application. Windows-specific operations, including its Windows command and Office tasks, retain that platform scope.
