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# Using the King Task Centre User Interface

The main interface for the King Task Centre application is opened when King Task Centre is first started.

It consists of the item listed below through which all King Task Centre features and settings may be configured and run.

About the Toolbar

The King Task Centre toolbar displays a number of icons which provide shortcuts to various King Task Centre functions as detailed in the table below.

Icon | Function
--- | ---
| Creates a new folder under the selected folder.
| Opens the Task dialog to create a new task in the selected folder.
| Opens the New User Properties dialog to create a new user.
| Opens the default dialog for the selected item.
| Opens the Folder Properties dialog for the selected folder.
| Runs the selected task immediately.
| Terminates the running of the task selected in the Active Tasks window.
| Opens the King Task Centre Event Log.
| Used to specify the order of folder items in the Task Manager tree structure.
| Cuts the selected task folder or task for moving to a new location.
| Copies the selected task folder or task for pasting into a new location.
| Pastes the copied task folder or task into a new location.
| Deletes the selected Task Folder and all its contents, a User selected in the Items List or a Task.
| Allows a selected task folder or task to be renamed.
| Opens the Move To Folder dialog displaying the Task folder tree structure to enable the selected folder to be moved to a new location in the tree.
| Opens the Import dialog to enable a file containing task objects to be imported.
| Opens the Select Objects to Export dialog to enable Task objects to be selected for exporting.
| Creates a shortcut for a selected step type, user, task folder or task in the Shortcut Bar.
| Opens the King Task Centre website in Internet Explorer.
| Opens King Task Centre Help.

About the Task Search Toolbar

The Task Search Toolbar provides users with the ability to search for Tasks based on specific criteria. The search is carried out on the Tasks available in the folder or sub-folder selected in the Task Manager. A list of Tasks matching the search criteria will be displayed in the Items List showing the Name and Location for each one in two columns. The display of the toolbar may be toggled on or off through the View menu option.

The toolbar contains the following for defining and executing a search:

|  | Look for — Search text may be manually entered.

|  | Search in — Provides a list of Task parameters on which to search as follows:

|  | Step Name

|  | Step Description

|  | Task Name

|  | Task Description

|  | Task ID

|  | Task Owner

|  | Search Options — Provides the following options for filtering the search:

|  | Search sub folders — All sub folder of the folder selected in the Task Manager are included in the search.

|  | Exact match — Only Tasks that contain an exact match for the search text will be included.

About the Shortcut Bar

The Shortcut Bar is used to organise shortcuts to any item, including tasks, users and tools.

Shortcut Groups

Initially the Shortcut Bar contains one default group called 'Shortcuts' into which any new shortcuts created are added.

Right-clicking anywhere in the Shortcut Bar displays a drop down menu containing the following options:

|  | Add New Group — Creates a new Group which is highlighted for renaming. Once created, clicking on the Group moves it to the top of the screen and displays any shortcuts that have been added to the Group.

|  | Remove Group — Removes the Group and any shortcuts it contains.

|  | Rename Group — Highlights the Group name for editing.

|  | Hide Shortcut Bar — Closes the Shortcut Bar to provide more screen space for the Task Manager and Items List. The Shortcut Bar may be restored by selecting 'Shortcut Bar' from the View menu option.

Adding Shortcuts to Groups

Adding a shortcut to a Group is a quick and very simple process. Each Icon type displayed in both the Task Manager and Items List have an 'Add To Shortcut Bar' option available from a right-click drop down menu. The Group is first selected and then the shortcut added through the 'Add To Shortcut Bar' option. Alternatively, an icon may be dragged and dropped into the Shortcut Bar.

Shortcut Properties

The properties of shortcuts vary depending on whether they are added from the Task Manager or from the Items List:

|  | Open — Opens the item's contents to the Items List

|  | Locate — Highlights the item in the Task Manager

|  | Remove Shortcut — Removes that item from the Shortcut Bar

|  | Rename Shortcut — Renames the shortcut item

|  | Properties — If available, displays the properties of that item

About the Task Manager

The Task Manager is used to organize Tasks, Users, User Groups, Repositories and Tools into a structured and manageable hierarchy. This hierarchy is displayed in a tree format with expandable and collapsible nodes, similar to Windows Explorer, defined by icons. Properties for each node are listed below. The King Task Centre node is displayed at the top of the tree and is visible to all Users. The following nodes are displayed below the King Task Centre node: System — This node is only available to System Administrator-level users
|  | Users
|  | User Groups
|  | Variables
|  | Formulas
|  | Functions
|  | Tools
|  | Memory Providers
|  | Agents
Task Folders — All created tasks are "stored" in this node |

About the Items List

The Items List shows the contents of the selected Task Manager item. In the example above, the contents are from the Data Connectors tool branch.

About Active Tasks

The Active Tasks pane is divided into two separate panes as described below and provides an indication of the status of Tasks and their individual Steps as they are being processed in real time. Only active Tasks and Steps are displayed.

The Active Tasks pane is enabled by default. To display the pane if you have previously closed it, select View on the Menu Bar and then select the Active Tasks option from the drop down menu. The mobile pane that is displayed may be snapped into the bottom of the Items List window by dragging the pane into the bottom right corner.

Top Pane

The top pane displays a list of Tasks currently being run by the server. Each row displayed represents a Task thread within the processor with the currently running Task being shown as the top row. A number of Tasks can be run in parallel by the use of multi-threading technology. When all threads are in use any following Task will be queued.

NOTE:

The number of Task threads available is customizable by the server or system administrator. The maximum number of Task threads is governed by the choice of product. Due consideration should be given to the amount of resource being used when making adjustments to this setting.

A Task that is currently running can be terminated by right clicking and selecting Terminate Task.

Each rows displays the following for each Task:

|  | Status icon — The following icons are displayed as the Task is processed:

— Processing

— Complete

— Terminating or Terminated

|  | Name — Displays the Task Name

|  | Status — Displays the Task status

|  | Started — Displays the date and time that the server started to run the Task

|  | Finished — Displays the date and time that the server finished running the Task

Bottom Pane

The bottom pane displays the associated Steps for a selected Task as they are being processed. The following information is displayed for each Step:

|  | Status icon — The following icons are displayed as the Step is processed:

— Processing

— Complete

— Terminating or Terminated

|  | Step — Displays the Step Name

|  | Progress — Displays the Step progress

|  | Status — Displays the Step status

|  | Started — Displays the date and time that the server started to run the Step

|  | Finished — Displays the date and time that the server finished running the Step

Status Bar

The Status Bar displays the status for the current King Task Centre session, including the server time and the local time for the machine on which the session is being run.

If Maintenance is being run then status information, including an indication that maintenance has completed, is displayed in the left pane. You will not see this information if you have manually started the maintenance yourself, only if an automated maintenance or a manual maintenance is started by another user.

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