Job Classes in TA

Job classes are used to organize and group jobs into categories. Job classes can be used in a queue’s filter to ensure that only jobs belonging to that class will run in that queue. This lets you control how jobs of a certain class run.

For example, if you had a set of payroll jobs and a set of manufacturing jobs, you could categorize those jobs (and job groups) into a Payroll job class and a Manufacturing job class. Define two queues: one that only accepts jobs in the Payroll job class and one that only accepts jobs in the Manufacturing job class.

If the Manufacturing jobs have a higher priority than the payroll jobs, you can set the manufacturing queue’s Queue Priority to a higher value than the Payroll queue.

Note: If you assign a job class to a job group, all child jobs within that job group without an assigned job class are automatically assigned the group’s job class.

You can also associate job events to a designated job class so that those job events will apply to all members of the job class. The sequential order of these job events that are assigned to the job class can also be managed. The timing of the job events for the job class can divided into those job events that occur before and after the job’s individual job events. The sequence of these job class events that occur before and after can also be arranged in the order needed.

Job classes cannot be owned by any particular user or workgroup and do not have a Public option since they are intrinsically public; that is, available to all TA users. Anyone can use job classes unless their security policy expressly prohibits it.

TA does not provide any pre-defined or default job classes.

Job Classes Interface

Click Definitions > Job Classes on the Navigation pane to display the Job Classes pane.

Buttons

Add Job Class – Displays the Job Class Definition dialog to add a new job class.

Edit Job Class – Displays the Job Class Definition dialog to edit an existing job class definition.

Copy Job Class – Creates a copy of the selected job class with the same information as the selected job class, except for the name.
Delete Job Class – Removes the selected job class definition from the TA database.

Print – Displays the Reports pane to view and print your job class definitions. For more information, see Monitoring Production.
Refresh – Updates the data in the current pane.

Search Field

Enter text that you want to search for within the columns displayed into this field.

Note: This field at the top right of the grids will only search text columns that are not grayed out and are string-based.

Columns

Name – The name of the job class.

Description – The description of the job class. Since the Description field of the Job Class Definition dialog is optional, this column may remain blank.
Modified – The last time the job class definition was modified.

Job Classes Preferences Dialog

If you select Preferences from the View main menu while viewing the Job Classes pane, the Job Classes Preferences dialog displays. From this dialog, you can select which columns are displayed in the Job Classes pane and in what order they appear.

A checkmark to the left of a column title indicates that it will be displayed in the pane. No checkmark indicates that it will not be displayed.
To rearrange the order in which the columns are displayed, select the column and click the up or down arrow.

Navigation Context Menu

When you right-click in the Navigation pane while viewing the Job Classes pane, the Navigation context menu displays.

The Job Classes Navigation context menu contains these elements:

Add Job Class – Displays the Job Class Definition dialog to add a new job class. Has the same function as the Add Job Class button.
Preferences – Displays the Preferences dialog for the Job Classes pane.

Print – Displays the Reports pane to view and print your job class definitions. Has the same function as the Print button on the toolbar. For more information, see Monitoring Production.
Export – Saves the data in the current pane as an ASCII text file. You can then use the file data in other applications.

Refresh – Updates the data in the current pane.

Job Classes Pane Context Menu

When you right-click in the Job Classes pane, the Job Classes pane context menu displays.

The Job Classes pane context menu contains these options:

Add Job Class – Displays the Job Class Definition dialog to add a new job class.

Edit Job Class – Displays the Job Class Definition dialog to edit an existing job class.

Delete Class – Deletes the selected job class definition.

Print – Displays the Reports pane to view and print your job class definitions. For more information, see Monitoring Production.

Job Class Definition Dialog

The Job Class Definition dialog displays when you add or edit a job class.

This dialog contains these elements:

Job Class Name – The name of the job class (up to 60 characters). The name must be unique.

Job Events tab – See Job Class Definition – Job Events Tab.

Images tab – See Job Class Definition – Images Tab.

Before tab – Lists the job events that must occur before the job instance’s own job events. You arrange the order of the job events listed here to specify the sequence that the job events should follow.
After tab – Lists the job events that must occur after the job instance’s own job events. You arrange the order of the job events listed here to specify the sequence that the job events should follow.

These fields are available on the tabs:

Event Name column – The name assigned to the job event.

Event Trigger column – The condition that triggers the associated job event.

Insert – This button displays the Select Job Event dialog where you can select one or more predefined job events to assign to the job class. Job events are created from the Job Events pane.
Edit – This button displays the Job Event Definition dialog to modify the selected job event.

Delete – This button removes the selected job event from the list.

Clear – This button deletes all of the defined job events clearing the field.

Move Up – This button moves the selected job event up in the sequence of job events.

Move Down – This button moves the selected job event down in the sequence of job events.

Description – This tab is used to enter a description of the job class and its purpose.

Job Class Definition – Job Events Tab

The Job Events tab displays by adding or editing a job class in the Job Class pane and allows you to assign job events to the job class. This dialog has a Job Events page for assigning job events to the job class and a Description page.

Job Class Name – The name of the job class (up to 60 characters). The name must be unique.

Before page – Lists the job events that must occur before the job instance’s own job events. You arrange the order of the job events listed here to specify the sequence that the job events should follow.

After page – Lists the job events that must occur after the job instance’s own job events. You arrange the order of the job events listed here to specify the sequence that the job events should follow.
Event Name – This column lists the name assigned to the job event.

Event Trigger – This column lists the condition that triggers the associated job event.

Insert – Clicking this button displays the Select Job Event dialog where you can select one or more predefined job events to assign to the job class. Job events are created in the Job Events pane.
Edit – Clicking this button displays the Job Event Definition dialog to modify the selected job event.

Delete – Clicking this button removes the selected item from the list.

Clear – Clicking this button deletes all of the defined job events clearing the text field.
Move Up – Clicking this button moves the selected job event up in the sequence of job events.

Move Down – Clicking this button moves the selected job event down in the sequence of job events.

Job Class Definition – Images Tab

The Images tab of the Job Class Definition dialog allows for the selection of an alternative icon for a job class.

This page contains these elements:

Select – Click to assign the selected image.

Clear – Click to clear the assigned image.

Name – Name of the image.

Type – Image type, such as .gif, .jpg etc.

Size – Size of the image.

Context menu – You can add a new image or rename, delete and replace a selected image from this menu.

Job Classes Procedures

Adding Job Classes

To add a job class:

Click Definitions > Job Classes on the Navigation pane to display the Job Classes pane.

Right-click and select Add Job Class from the context menu or click Add on the TA toolbar to display the Job Class Definition dialog.

Type a name for your job class in the Job Class field. This is the name that you refer to when assigning a job class in the Job Definition or Job Group Definition dialog.
Associate job events with a job class by clicking Insert on the Job Events tab to display the Select Job Event dialog and the defined job events. You can designate that these job events run before or after the job’s own job events. Use the Move Up or Move Down buttons to arrange the sequence that the job events should run.
Type a description of the job class in the Description field (optional).

Deleting a Job Class

You cannot delete a job class that is presently in use by a job.

To delete a job class:

Click Definitions > Job Classes on the Navigation pane to display the Job Classes pane.

Right-click the job class and select Delete Job Class from the context menu or select the job class to delete and click Delete on the TA toolbar.

Editing a Job Class

To edit a job class:

Click Definitions > Job Classes on the Navigation pane to display the Job Classes pane.

Double-click the job class whose properties you want to view, or select the job class and click Edit or right-click the job class and select Edit Job Class from the context menu to display the Job Class Definition dialog.

Note: In the Job Class field, you can edit the name of the job class. This is the name that you refer to when assigning a job class in the Job Definition or Job Group Definition dialog.
Edit the description of the job class in the Description field (optional).

Viewing the Properties of a Job Class

To view the properties of a job class:

Click Definitions > Job Classes on the Navigation pane to display the Job Classes pane.

Double-click the job class whose properties you want to view, or select the job class and click Edit or right-click the job class and select Edit Job Class from the context menu.

Viewing Job Classes

Job classes are displayed in the Job Classes pane using a three-column table in alphabetical order. Job classes can also be viewed from the Job or Job Group Definition dialogs when assigning a job class to a job or job group.

Click Definitions > Job Classes on the Navigation pane to display the Job Classes pane.