Tasks

Some jobs take a while — downloads, syncing a knowledge base, running a script, an agent's scheduled work. Alphie runs them in the background so they don't block the chat. The Task page in the left sidebar is where you watch these background tasks.

What is the Task page for?

Click Task in the left sidebar. Tasks are grouped by state, e.g. Running, Queued, Paused, Scheduled and Finished. Each row is one task, showing what it is, when it started, how long it has been running, and its current status or progress; rows under Scheduled have small pause, run-now and delete buttons on the right. Chat is "what we say to each other"; the Task page is "the work Alphie is doing for you".

How do I check whether my task has finished?

1. Click Task in the left sidebar.
2. The filter at the top-right shows one kind at a time: All, Running, Scheduled, Completed, Failed; the Time filter next to it narrows by time.
3. The right side of each row shows progress or the result, e.g. queued, a percentage, or failed.
4. Click a row to open Task Output below, with what the task printed and its result.

You can also just ask Alphie in chat, "Has that task finished?". When Alphie starts a background task it usually tells you it's running in the background.

A task failed, or I want to stop it — what do I do?

Open the task's Task Output; it has these buttons:

• Retry: run it again.
• Kill: stop a running task.
• Delete: remove the task from the list (you're asked to confirm).
• Close: collapse the output.

For a failed task the output usually says why; you can send that to Alphie and ask it to take a look.

Why is a task on my computer stuck waiting?

If a task runs on a computer where the desktop client is installed, a confirmation dialog pops up on that computer first, and the task waits until you agree. Go to that computer and approve it. See "Devices and the desktop client".

What's the difference between the Task page and the Agenda in chat?

• Task page: individual background jobs, with progress and results.
• Agenda: the checklist-shaped button at the top-right of the chat area. Things Alphie has lined up for you in order, or scheduled for a certain time, appear there, grouped into Needs your attention, In progress, Upcoming and Recent Activities.

Can Alphie do something automatically every day?

You can ask Alphie to do something at a particular time; it goes on the Agenda and runs once at that time. Chat currently has no way for you to set up a "repeat every day" schedule yourself; for daily jobs, tell Alphie each day, or ask whether an existing agent can do it.