Building a scheduled task
The builder has three parts: the canvas in the middle, the Steps panel beside it, and the Assistant panel, which builds steps from a description.
Create a scheduled task
- Open Tasks in the sidebar and click New Scheduled Task.
- Type a name in the field at the top. You cannot save or run a scheduled task without a name.
- The canvas starts with one step, Start, which is a manual trigger. Keep it for a scheduled task you run by hand. For a schedule or a webhook, see Setting a schedule.
Add steps
Drag a step from the Steps panel onto the canvas. Use Search steps... to find a step by name or description.
| Category | Steps |
|---|---|
| Triggers | Manual Trigger, Scheduled, and Webhook. |
| Metrics | Metric Trigger starts the scheduled task from a metric's latest value. Metric Value reads a metric's latest value partway through. |
| Data Collection | Research Agent researches a topic on the web. Web Scraper extracts the data you describe from a web page. REST API, RSS Feed, and HTTP Request fetch data from other services. |
| Processing | Transform filters, maps, aggregates, sorts, limits, or flattens data. Condition splits the scheduled task into two branches. Set Fields sets, renames, or drops fields. Remove Duplicates keeps the first item for each key. |
| Flow Control | Switch routes data to the first matching case. Merge joins branches. Loop runs steps once per item. Delay waits up to 300 seconds. |
| Actions | Save to Dataset stores the result as a dataset. Create Insight adds it to the Insights page. Webhook sends it to another app. Send Alert emails it to the addresses you list. |
Create Insight needs a plan that includes Insights. On other plans it is greyed out.
Use one trigger per scheduled task.
Connect steps
Each step has a dot at the bottom for its output, and every step except a trigger has a dot at the top for its input. Drag from one step's bottom dot to the next step's top dot. Steps run in the order of these connections, starting from the trigger.
- A trigger takes no input. An action has no output, so it ends its branch.
- Condition has two outputs, True and False. Only the matching branch runs, and the steps on the other branch are skipped.
- Switch has one output for each case and one for the fallback.
- Connections cannot loop back to an earlier step.
To remove a step or a connection, select it and press Backspace.
Configure a step
Most steps have three buttons along the bottom:
- The arrow opens quick settings next to the step. Click Save there to apply them.
- The pencil opens the settings panel on the side. It has a Label field for renaming the step, and more fields for some steps, such as the schedule of a Scheduled trigger. Click Close when you finish.
- The red button deletes the step.
Switch, Merge, Loop, Set Fields, Remove Duplicates, HTTP Request, and Delay show only a delete button on the canvas. Use the Assistant to set them up.
Your changes are stored only when you click Save at the top of the builder.
Build with the Assistant
While the builder is open, the Assistant panel holds a chat for this scheduled task. On a small screen, open it with the Assistant button above the canvas, and open the step list with Steps.
Describe what the scheduled task should do, for example: "Every morning, research news about our three main competitors and email a summary to [email protected]." The Assistant creates and connects the steps, places them on the canvas, and saves the scheduled task. It reads the current steps, so you can also ask it to change an existing scheduled task. Each result replaces what is on the canvas, so review the steps before you run or activate the scheduled task.
Save and test
- Click Save to store the scheduled task. A new scheduled task is saved as a Draft. If the Scheduled trigger's cron expression or timezone is not valid, Qubit shows an error and does not save.
- Click Run to test it. Run saves the scheduled task before it starts, and it becomes available after the first save.
- During the run, a panel shows progress, each step on the canvas shows its status and output, and the lines between steps change color as steps finish, fail, or are skipped. Click Stop to end the run early.
- When you open a saved scheduled task, a status button next to Run shows its status. Choose Draft, Active, or Paused from it, then click Save.
Every run is recorded in the execution history.