The Schedule Run function allows you to extract data from a website at your convenience, without having to manually click the start button. It is recommended to utilise this feature to regularly gather updated data from a website. For instance, you can use it to monitor your competitors' prices on a daily basis and keep track of your suppliers' capacity.
All Octoparse premium subscriptions (Standard, Professional, and Enterprise) allow you to schedule runs for multiple tasks. However, please note that the number of tasks that can run concurrently is limited and depends on the number of cloud servers included in each plan.
Octoparse Plan | Max. number of concurrent runs for cloud extraction | Max. number of concurrent runs for local extraction |
Free & Basic | 0 | 0 |
Standard | 6 | 1 |
Professional | 20 | 3 |
Enterprise | 40 or more | 5 |
How to set up a schedule run?
Step 1.
Find your target task in the Task List, click on Not Set
Step 2.
Select the frequency at which you would like the task to be performed. There are five different options for scheduling: Minutes/Hourly/Daily/Weekly/Monthly
Step 3.
To initiate the scheduled run and save the schedule settings, click on Schedule ON.
Step 4.
The Task List will show the schedule in the Next Run column, and you can click on it to modify or cancel the schedule.
💡 TIP:
When creating a schedule, you have the option to input a name in the designated box to save the schedule. This schedule can then be used for any of the remaining tasks in the scheduling process.
Schedule run for a group of tasks
To view the Task Group on the Task List, simply click the button located in the upper right corner. When you place your cursor over the group name, you will be able to access the option to schedule the task group.
Schedule run for multiple tasks at once
Choose the tasks you wish to schedule and locate the Schedule Run option in the navigation bar to set up.
FAQ
Q1: Do I need to keep my device on for the scheduled run?
A1: If the run is for Cloud extraction, it is not required to keep your device on. However, if you have scheduled a local run, it is necessary to leave your device on.
Q2: What will happen if my previous scheduled task is not completed, but it is now time for the next scheduled task?
A2: Octoparse will complete the previous run and skip the next scheduled run. For instance, if you have set a 5-minute interval but the first run takes 8 minutes to finish, Octoparse will skip the second interval and run the third one after the first run is completed.
Q3: What will occur if I exceed the maximum number of concurrent cloud runs allowed by my account?
A3: These tasks will be placed in a queue and executed based on the priority that you have set up.
