Scheduled Tasks
Scheduled Tasks allow you to automatically trigger API calls at regular intervals, without any manual action. Perfect for automation, monitoring, and recurring data capture.
Plan Requirement
Scheduled Tasks are available only on the Scale plan. Upgrade your account via the Subscription / Dashboard section to unlock this feature.
Managing Scheduled Tasks
You can manage scheduled tasks directly from your Dashboard:
- Create new tasks
- Edit existing ones
- Delete tasks
- Pause or resume individual tasks
Configuration Parameters
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name of the scheduled task. |
| Service | Which API to call: screenshot, screencast, pdf, or scrape. |
| Querystring | The query string to send with the API call (must be URL-encoded). |
| Frequency | How often the task runs: Every minute - Every hour - Every day - Every month - Custom: use standard cron syntax (* * * * *). |
| Timezone | Choose the timezone in which the task will be scheduled. Default to UTC. |
| Enabled | Toggle to pause/resume the scheduled task without deleting it. |
If your access_key is rotated, all scheduled tasks are automatically updated to use the new key.
If your account has signed request mode enabled, each scheduled request will be automatically signed with your secret_key.
Frequency Options
- Every minutes: Runs every minute
- Every hours: Runs every hour
- Every days: Runs every day at the same time
- Every months: Runs every month on the same day
- Custom: Runs at a custom interval. You can specify the exact time and frequency using standard cron syntax. For example,
0 0 * * *runs every day at midnight, while*/5 * * * *runs every 5 minutes. Use Unix Cron Format.
Timezone Options
Select the timezone in which the task will be scheduled. This is important for tasks that need to run at specific times, such as daily reports or hourly checks. The value must correspond to the timezone abbreviation used in the tz database. The default timezone is UTC.
Under the Hood
Each scheduled task is equivalent to a standard API request. When it runs, it:
- Calls the corresponding API with your configured query parameters
- Triggers your webhook if one is set
- Appears in your Request Logs for tracking and debugging
Example Use Cases
- Capture a daily screenshot of your homepage
- Run a scrape job every hour to monitor price changes
- Generate a PDF of a report every Monday at 6am
- Monitor the availability of a service in a specific timezone
Need help? Contact us at support@screenshotmax.com