Like the scheduler, the MOVEit Automation file notifier requires a task to have a schedule in order to run that task. As with the scheduler, the notifier will run the task only during the scheduled intervals.

However, tasks for which all sources use notifications are run much less frequently than when file notifications are not used. Those tasks will not be run periodically as specified by the task interval (e.g., "every 15 minutes"). Instead, with a few exceptions, the task will be run only when files that match one of that task's sources actually arrive. Also, the "Repeat only until first success" option on a schedule is ignored if all sources are subject to file notifications.

The exceptions are these:

  • In order to catch files that arrived outside the scheduled hours, MOVEit Automation always runs a task at the beginning of each schedule associated with that task, even when no notifications have arrived.
  • At startup, MOVEit Automation runs all tasks that are subject to notifications and whose schedule spans the time that MOVEit Automation is starting. This is to catch files which arrived during the time that MOVEit Automation was not running.
  • If a schedule spans midnight (e.g., 20:00 to 04:00), then the task is always run at midnight.
  • If a schedule is marked "Log failure if no files found during scheduled run" and no files have been found yet during the schedule, the task is run at the end of the schedule, so that it may fail if necessary.
  • Schedules marked Poll for files even though file notifications are also enabled cause the task to run even if notifications are enabled. Note that a task may have multiple schedules, and each has its own Poll for files even though file notifications are also enabled setting.

For example, if a task is scheduled to run every 15 minutes between 08:00 and 17:00, and all of its sources are marked to use notifications, then the "every 15 minutes" portion of the scheduling information is ignored. Instead, the task is run at 08:00 (in order to catch any files that may have arrived overnight), and thereafter the task is run only when a file arrives.

If only some of a task's sources correspond to hosts for which notifications have been enabled, then the task will be run both by the normal scheduler and by the notifier.

The arrival of a given file might cause several tasks to run, if those tasks are all watching the same directory. The notifier respects the Include Subdirectories option.

The simultaneous arrival of multiple files that are being looked for by a task do not necessarily cause that task to be run multiple times. However, if a task is already running when files for that task arrive, the notifier queues a request to run the task again when the task completes.