Registration Trigger Example (XML)

The XML in this example defines a task that starts Notepad when the task is registered.

To register a task that is defined in XML, you can use either the ITaskFolder::RegisterTask function (TaskFolder.RegisterTask for scripting) or the Schtasks.exe command-line tool. If you use the Schtasks.exe tool (located in the C:\Windows\System32 directory), then you can use the following command to register the task: schtasks /create /XML <path to the XML file containing the task definition> /tn <task name>.

To define a task to start Notepad on registration

The following XML example shows how to define a task with a single execution action (starting Notepad), a single registration trigger that starts the task when it is registered, and several other task settings that affect how the task is handled by the Task Scheduler.

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!--
This sample schedules a task to start notepad.exe when
the task is registered.
-->
<Task xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/windows/2004/02/mit/task">
 <RegistrationInfo>
 <Date>2005-10-11T13:21:17-08:00</Date>
 <Author>AuthorName</Author>
 <Version>1.0.0</Version>
 <Description>Task starts after registration.</Description>
 </RegistrationInfo>
 <Triggers>
 <RegistrationTrigger>
 </RegistrationTrigger>
 </Triggers>
 <Principals>
 <Principal>
 <UserId>Administrator</UserId>
 <LogonType>InteractiveToken</LogonType>
 </Principal>
 </Principals>
 <Settings>
 <Enabled>true</Enabled>
 <AllowStartOnDemand>true</AllowStartOnDemand>
 <AllowHardTerminate>true</AllowHardTerminate>
 </Settings>
 <Actions>
 <Exec>
 <Command>notepad.exe</Command>
 </Exec>
 </Actions>
</Task>

TaskScheduler Schema Elements

Here are some important elements to keep in mind when using this example.

• RegistrationInfo: Contains registration information about the task.
• Triggers: Defines the trigger that starts the task.
• RegistrationTrigger: Defines the registration trigger. In this case, only two child elements are used: the start and end boundaries that specify when the trigger is activated and deactivated.
• Principal: Defines the security context that a task runs under.
• Settings: Defines the task settings that the Task Scheduler uses to perform the task.
• Actions: Defines the actions the task performs. In this case, running Notepad.

Related topics

Using the Task Scheduler