Launch vbs script in task scheduler using a batch file

Question

unfortunately I couldn't find a solution that worked for me in other threads.

I am trying to run a vb script using task scheduler via a batch file, both the vbs and the bat file work just fine when I start them manually, but not in Task Scheduler. I tried multiple combinations (I also tried to start the vbs directly) but nothing seems to work. Both .bat and .vbs are directly in C:\

VBS file:

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") 
Set Word = CreateObject("Word.Application") 
Set Tasks = Word.Tasks 
For Each Task in Tasks 
  If Task.Visible Then 
    if inStr(Task.name, "(Formal module) - DOORS") then 
      WshShell.AppActivate Task.name 
      WshShell.SendKeys "^s" 
      WScript.Sleep 2000 
      WshShell.SendKeys "%e" 
      WScript.Sleep 200 
      WshShell.SendKeys "e" 
      WScript.Sleep 200 
      WshShell.SendKeys "r" 
      WScript.Sleep 200 
      WshShell.SendKeys "%e" 
      WScript.Sleep 100 
      WshShell.SendKeys "e" 
      WScript.Sleep 100 
      WshShell.SendKeys "r" 
      WScript.Sleep 100 
    Else 
    End If 
  End If 
Next 
Word.Quit 
Set Word = CreateObject("Word.Application") 
Set Tasks = Word.Tasks 
For Each Task in Tasks 
  If Task.Visible Then 
    if inStr(Task.name, "(Formal module) - DOORS") then 
      WshShell.AppActivate Task.name 
      WshShell.SendKeys "^s" 
      WScript.Sleep 2000 
      WshShell.SendKeys "%e" 
      WScript.Sleep 200 
      WshShell.SendKeys "e" 
      WScript.Sleep 200 
      WshShell.SendKeys "r" 
      WScript.Sleep 200 
      WshShell.SendKeys "%e" 
      WScript.Sleep 100 
      WshShell.SendKeys "e" 
      WScript.Sleep 100 
      WshShell.SendKeys "r" 
      WScript.Sleep 100 
    Else 
    End If 
  End If 
Next 
Word.Quit

batch file:

%windir%\SysWoW64\cmd.exe /C "c:\windows\system32\cscript.exe //B //nologo C:\unlock_doors.vbs"

Scheduled Tesk export:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<Task version="1.3" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/windows/2004/02/mit/task">
  <RegistrationInfo>
    <Date>2017-04-04T12:38:00.000</Date>
    <Author>CCANET\tczimmer</Author>
  </RegistrationInfo>
  <Triggers>
    <CalendarTrigger>
      <StartBoundary>2017-04-04T00:00:00</StartBoundary>
      <Enabled>true</Enabled>
      <ScheduleByDay>
        <DaysInterval>1</DaysInterval>
      </ScheduleByDay>
    </CalendarTrigger>
  </Triggers>
  <Principals>
    <Principal id="Author">
      <UserId>CCANET\tczimmer</UserId>
      <LogonType>Password</LogonType>
      <RunLevel>HighestAvailable</RunLevel>
    </Principal>
  </Principals>
  <Settings>
    <MultipleInstancesPolicy>StopExisting</MultipleInstancesPolicy>
    <DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>false</DisallowStartIfOnBatteries>
    <StopIfGoingOnBatteries>false</StopIfGoingOnBatteries>
    <AllowHardTerminate>true</AllowHardTerminate>
    <StartWhenAvailable>false</StartWhenAvailable>
    <RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>false</RunOnlyIfNetworkAvailable>
    <IdleSettings>
      <StopOnIdleEnd>true</StopOnIdleEnd>
      <RestartOnIdle>false</RestartOnIdle>
    </IdleSettings>
    <AllowStartOnDemand>true</AllowStartOnDemand>
    <Enabled>true</Enabled>
    <Hidden>false</Hidden>
    <RunOnlyIfIdle>false</RunOnlyIfIdle>
    <DisallowStartOnRemoteAppSession>false</DisallowStartOnRemoteAppSession>
    <UseUnifiedSchedulingEngine>false</UseUnifiedSchedulingEngine>
    <WakeToRun>false</WakeToRun>
    <ExecutionTimeLimit>PT1H</ExecutionTimeLimit>
    <Priority>7</Priority>
    <RestartOnFailure>
      <Interval>PT5M</Interval>
      <Count>2</Count>
    </RestartOnFailure>
  </Settings>
  <Actions Context="Author">
    <Exec>
      <Command>C:\unlock_doors.bat</Command>
      <WorkingDirectory>C:\</WorkingDirectory>
    </Exec>
  </Actions>
</Task>

You're running the scheduled task in the background? If so I'm pretty certain that SendKeys is not going to work, since it sends the keystrokes to the active (foreground) window. — Ansgar Wiechers

Sean W. Sean W. · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-12T22:32:11

I had a similar problem where the task scheduler just would not execute my vbs. What I did was create a seperate "timer.vbs" file that had an infinite loop checking what time it was when it reached 6:00 AM it would execute my script. So you have a couple of options here, but in your case to make it so that you wouldn't have to re-write any code, you can probably create a timer.vbs file, still in the c:\ root as such

 'timer.vbs
 Set objShell = Wscript.CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")

 Do
      Wscript.Sleep 1000
      If Time() = TimeValue("12:00:01 AM") Then 'Or modify to the time you need
           objShell.Run "c:\windows\system32\cscript.exe /B /nologo C:\unlock_doors.vbs"
      End If
 Loop

As long as this script is running on a turned on host it should execute at the TimeValue specified.

So basically open a cmd prompt and run cscript timer.vbs within that command prompt and minimize that ommand prompt and go about your normal operations with that host.

Launch vbs script in task scheduler using a batch file

1 Answers