# Scheduling & Automation

Flow Master's scheduling system enables unattended automation, allowing your flows to run automatically based on time, events, or conditions.

## Table of Contents
- [Scheduling Overview](#scheduling-overview)
- [Schedule Types](#schedule-types)
- [Creating Schedules](#creating-schedules)
- [Managing Scheduled Flows](#managing-scheduled-flows)
- [Monitoring and Logging](#monitoring-and-logging)
- [Advanced Scheduling](#advanced-scheduling)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)

## Scheduling Overview

### What is Scheduling?
Scheduling allows flows to execute automatically without manual intervention:
- **Time-based**: Run at specific times or intervals
- **Event-based**: Trigger on system events or file changes
- **Condition-based**: Execute when certain conditions are met
- **Recurring**: Repeat on defined schedules

### Benefits of Scheduling
- **Unattended Operation**: Run tasks overnight or during off-hours
- **Consistency**: Execute tasks at exact intervals
- **Efficiency**: Automate repetitive daily/weekly tasks
- **Monitoring**: Track execution history and success rates

### Prerequisites
- Flow Master running with proper permissions
- Flows tested and working correctly in manual mode
- System configured to stay awake during scheduled times
- Network connectivity for cloud-dependent automations

## Schedule Types

### Time-Based Schedules

#### Fixed Time
```
Daily Email Report:
├── Time: 9:00 AM every weekday
├── Timezone: Local system time
├── Duration: Allow 30 minutes to complete
└── Retry: 2 attempts if failed
```

#### Interval-Based
```
System Monitoring:
├── Interval: Every 15 minutes
├── Start: 8:00 AM
├── End: 6:00 PM
├── Days: Monday through Friday
└── Conditions: Only if system active
```

#### Cron Expressions
```
Advanced Scheduling:
├── Cron: "0 */2 * * 1-5"  (Every 2 hours, weekdays)
├── Description: Backup check every 2 hours on weekdays
├── Timezone: UTC or local
└── Next run: Calculated automatically
```

### Event-Based Schedules

#### File System Events
```
Document Processing:
├── Trigger: New file in folder
├── Path: C:\Incoming\Documents
├── Filter: *.pdf, *.docx
├── Delay: Wait 5 seconds after file creation
└── Action: Process document flow
```

#### System Events
```
System Startup Tasks:
├── Trigger: System startup
├── Delay: Wait 2 minutes after login
├── Conditions: Check network connectivity
└── Action: Initialize daily workflows
```

#### Application Events
```
Email Processing:
├── Trigger: New email notification
├── Filter: From specific senders
├── Conditions: During business hours only
└── Action: Auto-categorize and respond
```

### Conditional Schedules

#### Resource-Based
```
Backup Flow:
├── Schedule: Daily at 2:00 AM
├── Conditions:
│   ├── CPU usage < 20%
│   ├── Available disk space > 10GB
│   └── Network connection stable
└── Timeout: Cancel if conditions not met in 1 hour
```

#### State-Based
```
Maintenance Tasks:
├── Schedule: Weekly on Sunday
├── Conditions:
│   ├── No active user sessions
│   ├── System uptime > 24 hours
│   └── No critical processes running
└── Action: System maintenance workflow
```

## Creating Schedules

### Step 1: Select Flow
1. Navigate to **Flows** tab
2. Select the flow you want to schedule
3. Click **"Schedule Flow"** button
4. Review flow compatibility for unattended execution

### Step 2: Choose Schedule Type
1. **One-time**: Single execution at specific time
2. **Recurring**: Repeat based on pattern
3. **Conditional**: Execute when conditions met
4. **Manual**: Trigger via hotkey or API

### Step 3: Configure Timing

#### Simple Scheduling
```
Basic Options:
├── Start Date: When scheduling begins
├── Time: Hour and minute for execution
├── Frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly
├── End Date: When scheduling stops (optional)
└── Timezone: Local or specific timezone
```

#### Advanced Scheduling
```
Complex Patterns:
├── Multiple Times: Run at 9 AM, 1 PM, 5 PM
├── Skip Conditions: Not on holidays
├── Retry Logic: Retry failed executions
├── Dependencies: Wait for other flows
└── Resource Limits: CPU, memory constraints
```

### Step 4: Set Execution Parameters

#### Environment Settings
```
Execution Context:
├── User Account: Run as specific user
├── Working Directory: Set initial path
├── Environment Variables: Custom values
├── Network Settings: Proxy, credentials
└── Display Settings: Virtual or physical screen
```

#### Flow Parameters
```
Runtime Configuration:
├── Input Variables: Pass data to flow
├── Timeout Settings: Maximum execution time
├── Error Handling: Stop, continue, or retry
├── Logging Level: Detail of execution logs
└── Notifications: Alert on success/failure
```

### Step 5: Test and Activate
1. **Test Run**: Execute once to verify settings
2. **Validate Schedule**: Confirm next execution time
3. **Enable Schedule**: Activate automatic execution
4. **Monitor**: Check first few executions

## Managing Scheduled Flows

### Schedule Dashboard

#### Overview Information
```
Schedule Status:
├── Active Schedules: Currently enabled
├── Next Executions: Upcoming scheduled runs
├── Recent Results: Success/failure history
├── Performance Metrics: Execution time trends
└── System Health: Scheduler service status
```

#### Schedule List
```
Scheduled Flow Details:
├── Flow Name: Descriptive identifier
├── Next Run: Date and time of next execution
├── Last Run: Previous execution result
├── Frequency: Schedule pattern summary
├── Status: Enabled, disabled, or error
└── Actions: Edit, disable, delete, run now
```

### Schedule Operations

#### Editing Schedules
1. **Modify Timing**: Change execution times or frequency
2. **Update Parameters**: Adjust flow variables
3. **Change Conditions**: Update execution criteria
4. **Pause/Resume**: Temporarily disable without deleting

#### Bulk Operations
```
Manage Multiple Schedules:
├── Enable/Disable: Bulk status changes
├── Delete Multiple: Remove several schedules
├── Export Settings: Backup schedule configurations
├── Import Schedules: Restore from backup
└── Global Settings: Apply settings to all schedules
```

### Schedule Dependencies

#### Flow Chains
```
Sequential Execution:
├── Flow A: Data collection (runs at 8 AM)
├── Flow B: Data processing (waits for A completion)
├── Flow C: Report generation (waits for B completion)
└── Flow D: Email distribution (waits for C completion)
```

#### Conditional Dependencies
```
Dependent Execution:
├── Condition: Previous flow succeeded
├── Timeout: Maximum wait time for dependency
├── Fallback: Alternative action if dependency fails
└── Notification: Alert on dependency issues
```

## Monitoring and Logging

### Execution Monitoring

#### Real-Time Status
```
Live Monitoring:
├── Currently Running: Active flow executions
├── Queue Status: Pending scheduled executions
├── Resource Usage: CPU, memory, disk usage
├── System Alerts: Warnings or errors
└── Performance: Execution speed metrics
```

#### Historical Tracking
```
Execution History:
├── Execution Log: Complete run history
├── Success Rate: Percentage of successful runs
├── Duration Trends: Execution time patterns
├── Error Analysis: Common failure causes
└── Resource Impact: System performance effects
```

### Logging Configuration

#### Log Levels
```
Logging Detail:
├── Error: Only failures and critical issues
├── Warning: Potential problems and recoveries
├── Info: General execution progress
├── Debug: Detailed step-by-step information
└── Trace: Complete system-level details
```

#### Log Retention
```
Log Management:
├── Retention Period: How long to keep logs
├── File Size Limits: Maximum log file sizes
├── Rotation Policy: When to create new log files
├── Compression: Archive old logs to save space
└── Export Options: Send logs to external systems
```

### Notifications and Alerts

#### Success Notifications
```
Success Alerts:
├── Email: Send completion notifications
├── System Notifications: Desktop alerts
├── Webhooks: HTTP POST to external systems
├── SMS: Text message notifications (premium)
└── Custom Actions: Run additional flows
```

#### Failure Alerts
```
Error Notifications:
├── Immediate: Alert on any failure
├── Threshold: Alert after multiple failures
├── Critical: Alert on system-level issues
├── Escalation: Send to additional recipients
└── Recovery Actions: Automatic remediation flows
```

## Advanced Scheduling

### Dynamic Scheduling

#### Adaptive Timing
```
Smart Scheduling:
├── Load Balancing: Distribute execution load
├── Resource Awareness: Avoid high-usage periods
├── Priority Queuing: Critical flows run first
├── Conflict Resolution: Handle scheduling conflicts
└── Performance Optimization: Adjust based on metrics
```

#### Machine Learning Integration
```
Intelligent Scheduling:
├── Pattern Recognition: Learn optimal execution times
├── Predictive Scaling: Anticipate resource needs
├── Anomaly Detection: Identify unusual behavior
├── Auto-Optimization: Improve schedules over time
└── Recommendation Engine: Suggest schedule improvements
```

### Enterprise Features

#### Multi-User Scheduling
```
Team Coordination:
├── Shared Schedules: Team-accessible schedules
├── Permission Control: Who can edit schedules
├── Resource Allocation: Prevent conflicts
├── Audit Trail: Track schedule changes
└── Approval Workflow: Require approval for changes
```

#### Integration APIs
```
External Integration:
├── REST API: Programmatic schedule management
├── Webhook Support: Trigger from external systems
├── Calendar Integration: Sync with Outlook, Google
├── ITSM Integration: ServiceNow, Jira integration
└── Monitoring Tools: Nagios, Zabbix integration
```

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

#### Schedule Not Running
```
Diagnosis Steps:
1. Check if Flow Master service is running
2. Verify schedule is enabled and not expired
3. Confirm system permissions are correct
4. Check for conflicting schedules
5. Review system resource availability
```

#### Execution Failures
```
Failure Analysis:
├── Component Issues: UI elements not found
├── Timing Problems: Actions too fast/slow
├── Permission Errors: Insufficient access rights
├── Resource Constraints: Low memory, high CPU
└── Environment Changes: App updates, system changes
```

#### Performance Problems
```
Performance Optimization:
├── Schedule Conflicts: Too many concurrent flows
├── Resource Contention: Multiple heavy operations
├── System Load: High CPU/memory usage
├── Network Issues: Slow or unreliable connections
└── Storage Problems: Disk space or I/O issues
```

### Best Practices

#### Schedule Design
- **Conservative Timing**: Allow extra time for completion
- **Resource Planning**: Consider system capacity
- **Error Handling**: Plan for failure scenarios
- **Testing**: Thoroughly test scheduled flows
- **Documentation**: Document schedule purposes and dependencies

#### System Maintenance
```
Regular Maintenance:
├── Weekly: Review execution logs and success rates
├── Monthly: Clean up old logs and optimize performance
├── Quarterly: Review and update schedule patterns
├── Annually: Full system health check and upgrades
└── As Needed: Respond to alerts and issues promptly
```

#### Security Considerations
- **Access Control**: Limit who can create/modify schedules
- **Credential Management**: Secure storage of automation credentials
- **Audit Logging**: Track all schedule-related activities
- **Network Security**: Secure communication for remote flows
- **Data Protection**: Encrypt sensitive automation data