Scheduling Events with Windows Task Scheduler
mupi2k
Posts: 40
The built-in calendar object is neat, and it's great for events that occur regularly at predetermined times. However, it is not so great for events where the time or date of the event changes, becuase every time there is a change to the calendar, you have to recompile and reload the show. If the calendar doesn't change much, this isn't much of a problem, but if it does, you wind up spending quite a bit of time loading the design file. In addition, it really isn't something you want end users having the ability to do, becuase once they have that level of access to the design file, they can create all sorts of mischief.
The DI messaging tool is great, becuase you can send arbitrary 3rd Party Control messages, and trigger logic sources or mutes, or pretty much anything, but you can't use it from the windows task scheduler to trigger things at an arbitrary time.
So, I wrote a pretty quick-and-dirty command line tool to inject an arbitrary 3rd party protocol command into the Soundweb network. It's suitable for executing from a batch file or a vbs file, and it allows the end user to schedule events into windows task scheduler. By using it to trigger a logic source you can effectively replace a calendar object, and allow an end user to change the calendar, without having to allow them design rights. Because it allows pretty much any 3rd party control string to be used, it could be used to trigger parameter presets, mutes, pretty much anything you can do with the 3rd party protocol. (although I didn't put in any mechanism for receiving data, so subscribing to meters, for example, is pointless, because it will shut down the connection before it gets any data. )
In combination with the ability to run arbitrary commands from a logic end, this could allow for some more sophisticated logic than allowed by LA although it WILL break the 100ms logic clock (a response from the PC may not come back within the 100ms; however, for situations where near-instant response isn't necessary, it might save some CPU) and it makes the soundweb system depend on the PC, which may be undesirable.
In any event, I thought if I found it useful enough to write, there might be others who find it useful as well, so I would like to make it available to people. It does depend on .net 3, so you'll need to be sure you have that available.
The DI messaging tool is great, becuase you can send arbitrary 3rd Party Control messages, and trigger logic sources or mutes, or pretty much anything, but you can't use it from the windows task scheduler to trigger things at an arbitrary time.
So, I wrote a pretty quick-and-dirty command line tool to inject an arbitrary 3rd party protocol command into the Soundweb network. It's suitable for executing from a batch file or a vbs file, and it allows the end user to schedule events into windows task scheduler. By using it to trigger a logic source you can effectively replace a calendar object, and allow an end user to change the calendar, without having to allow them design rights. Because it allows pretty much any 3rd party control string to be used, it could be used to trigger parameter presets, mutes, pretty much anything you can do with the 3rd party protocol. (although I didn't put in any mechanism for receiving data, so subscribing to meters, for example, is pointless, because it will shut down the connection before it gets any data. )
In combination with the ability to run arbitrary commands from a logic end, this could allow for some more sophisticated logic than allowed by LA although it WILL break the 100ms logic clock (a response from the PC may not come back within the 100ms; however, for situations where near-instant response isn't necessary, it might save some CPU) and it makes the soundweb system depend on the PC, which may be undesirable.
In any event, I thought if I found it useful enough to write, there might be others who find it useful as well, so I would like to make it available to people. It does depend on .net 3, so you'll need to be sure you have that available.
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I would like to see and put this tool to use on my next project.
Can you email me the program or a link to it?
Thanks.