Scheduler recurrence patterns

You can set up a schedule to run repeatedly by configuring a recurrence pattern. Any recurrence pattern you set begins after the start time you specify.

You have several recurrence pattern options.

  • Pre-defined - A set of common recurrence patterns from which you can select
  • Cron expression - A string composed of 6 or 7 fields separated by white space that represents a set of times
  • Simple custom recurrence pattern - A user interface for creating recurring patterns that is similar to many common meeting schedulers

All of the scheduler recurrence patterns are based on cron expressions. The scheduler provides pre-defined patterns in the user interface for easier creation of these cron expressions. If you write your own custom cron expression, it is a good practice to provide a meaningful description of the recurrence pattern, to make it easier for anyone who is not fluent in reading these expressions to understand the pattern.

Important: All of the recurrence patterns reset at the end of the next longer interval. For example, if you set a custom weekly pattern to run every three weeks, it runs the third week of every month, because the pattern resets at the end of every month. This is a characteristic of all cron expressions. To set a schedule that actually runs on week 3, 6, 9, 12, and so on, you must create separate schedules for each desired execution date.