Tasks¶
Tasks are checks that operators complete in the Operator Interface, such as start-up checklists or quality inspections. Tasks are grouped into Task lists. The list decides when its Tasks come due, which stations see them and how they are grouped for the operator. Go to Admin > Tasks and Admin > Task List.
For how Tasks come due, are completed or are missed, see Tasks. For the record of every Task, see Task History.
Info
Tasks and Task lists are stored in the account manifest.
Turning Tasks on
Output Industries turns Tasks on for your account (the Enable Tasks flag). When it is off, the Tasks and Task List admin pages, Task History and the Tasks screen in the Operator Interface are hidden. Nothing about existing Tasks or their station assignments changes, and turning it back on restores everything.
Task lists¶
The Task List Management page lists every Task list with its code, name, description and trigger. The trigger shows as Each Schedule, On Demand or Timer followed by its cron pattern, for example Timer: 0 9 * * *. The Trigger column of the Task table uses the same wording.
| Setting | Values | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Letters, numbers, - and _, up to 32 characters |
None (required) | The list's permanent identifier. You can't change it after you create the list. |
| Name | Up to 128 characters | None (required) | The name operators see. |
| Description | Up to 300 characters | Empty | What the list is for. |
| Trigger | Each Schedule, Timer, On Demand | None (required) | When every Task in the list comes due. All the Tasks in a list share its trigger. |
| Cron Pattern | A 5-field cron pattern, for example 0 8 * * 1 |
None. Required with Timer | When a Timer list is due, in the plant's timezone. Each time it fires is the deadline. |
| Available Before Deadline | A choice of durations | None. Required with Timer | How long before the deadline the Tasks appear in the Operator Interface. |
Trigger options¶
- Each Schedule. The Tasks are due once for each production schedule. See Gantt & Schedules.
- Timer. The Tasks are due each time the cron pattern fires.
- On Demand. The Tasks have no deadline. The operator starts the list when it is needed, for example during a breakdown.
The Available Before Deadline options are always shorter than the shortest gap between fires, in any of the account's plant timezones. So a Task can never be available for two periods at once. When you change the cron pattern, the choice is cleared so that you choose again for the new pattern.
For exactly when Tasks become pending and when they are missed under each trigger, see Tasks.
Deleting a list¶
You can always delete a list. It is removed from every Task in it and from every level that included it, in one step.
Warning
A Task that is left in no list disappears from every station until you add it to another list.
Task settings¶
| Setting | Values | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Letters, numbers, - and _, up to 32 characters, stored in upper case |
None (required) | The Task's permanent identifier. |
| Title | Up to 128 characters | None (required) | What operators see in the Operator Interface. |
| Description | Up to 300 characters | Empty | Explains the check. |
| Task Lists | One or more Task lists | None (at least one required) | The lists the Task belongs to. A Task gets its trigger and its stations from its lists. |
| Order | A number above 0, up to 100, decimals allowed | The next whole number in the list | The Task's position in each list. |
| Require Notes | On, Off | Off | The operator must enter a note before completing the Task. |
Tasks created before these limits existed keep working, but must meet them the next time they are saved.
Task Lists and Order¶
A Task must be in at least one Task list, and can be in several. A Task in no list appears nowhere.
Under Order, each list you choose gets a number box. When you add a Task to a list, the box is filled with the next whole number for that list. The number sets where the Task sits in that list in the Operator Interface and in the Task table. Use decimals to put a Task between two others, for example 1.5 between 1 and 2.
Every chosen list must have an order when you save. A cleared box is flagged, not filled in again. A Task created before ordering existed asks for an order the first time you edit it.
A list that already uses 100 keeps offering 100 as the next number, so two Tasks can share it. They keep their current order, and you can separate them with a decimal. Orders above 100 from before the limit existed keep working until the Task is next saved.
A Task in two lists must be completed separately in each. Use this only for a check that really belongs in both. See Tasks.
Require Notes¶
Use it for readings and measurements that a tick can't capture. The note is saved with the completion and shown in Task History. It is set on each Task, not on the list.
The Task table¶
The Task Management table has a Filter by List dropdown. The default is All. Choose a list to see only its Tasks, in that list's order. The Task Lists, Trigger and Order columns line up, so a Task in two lists reads across as "Daily Checks · Breakdown Checklist", "Timer: 0 9 * * * · On Demand" and "3 · 1". The dropdown shows No Lists and can't be used when the account has no Task lists.
A Task can't be deleted while a SKU still refers to it.
Which stations get a Task¶
You choose which stations get each Task list. Use the Task Lists panel on the Account, Plant, Station Group and Station forms. It works the same way as reason availability: each level has an include list and an exclude list. A Task reaches a station when one of its lists is included for that station.
Nothing is included by default
Unlike reasons, no Task list is available until it is included at some level. A new list reaches no station until you include it on the Account, Plant, Station Group or Station form. This stops a new Task from appearing at every station by accident.
See Reasons and the include/exclude cascade.
The Task List Management page has an Availability column. It shows how many stations each list reaches: "All stations", "8 of 12 stations" or "No stations". The count is out of every station in the account except archived, Scheduling Only and Meter Only stations. Hover over the count to see which Account, Plant, Station Group or Station lists mention it, each marked Included or Excluded. The list's edit form shows the same details, with the full path of every mention, in a read-only Availability panel at the bottom. A list that nothing mentions shows "No stations".