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Logon Trigger Example (XML)

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The XML in this example defines a task that starts Notepad when a user logs on.

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 system boot

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

Note

Set the value of the UserId element to a user name on the computer on which the task is registered.

 

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!--
This sample schedules a task to start notepad.exe when a user logs on.
-->
<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>Starts Notepad when a specified user logs on.</Description>
    </RegistrationInfo>
    <Triggers>
        <LogonTrigger>
            <StartBoundary>2005-10-11T13:21:17-08:00</StartBoundary>
            <EndBoundary>2006-01-01T00:00:00-08:00</EndBoundary>
            <Enabled>true</Enabled>
            <UserId>DOMAIN_NAME\UserName</UserId>
        </LogonTrigger>
    </Triggers>
    <Principals>
        <Principal>
            <GroupId>Builtin\Administrators</GroupId>
        </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

The following 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.
  • LogonTrigger: Defines the logon trigger. In this case, three child elements are used: the start and end boundaries that specify when the trigger is activated and deactivated, and the UserId element that identifier of the user. The task is started when this user logs on to the computer..
  • 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.

Using the Task Scheduler