Description
Local Scheduler command line parameters requires 3 quotes rather than the traditional 1 or 2 quotes. This occurs in all versions from 8.7 and prior.
Certain command line parameters need quotes. When such commands are called with local scheduler, they fail unless the correct number of quotes are used. If one or two sets of quotes are added, the command line is cut off at the first space. If a third set of quotes are added, it works. This is the case regardless of whether the command line is built at an actual command line or in the console using the Local Scheduler Script wizard.
Example
The following command line will be used as an example.
wscript.exe "c:\program files\someapp\vbscript.vbs"
To have this run in Local Scheduler, the quotes need to be included in the Local Scheduler command prompt:
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd="C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
Now look at the tasks by executing localsch /tasks |more
wscript.exe C:\Program Files\vbscript.vbs handle : 1001 start : Wed Dec 31 17:00:00 1969 frequency : 86400
Note: This will not work because C:\Program Files\vbscript.vbs needs to be surround in quotes. If it is not surrounded in quotes, then it is passed to wscript.exe as two parameters, where the first parameter is C:\program and the second parameter is Files\vbscript.vbs. This is not correct. It needs to be one single parameter.
Delete that task by executing the following command: localsch.exe /del /taskid=1001
Add quotes inside the quotes in the command line parameters and re-apply the local scheduler task:
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd=""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs"" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
Look at the result by executing localsch /tasks |more
wscript.exe "C:\Program handle : 1001 start : Wed Dec 31 17:00:00 1969 frequency : 86400
Note: Despite the quotes, the line ends after the first space, which obviously fails.
Delete that task by again executing: localsch.exe /del /taskid=1001
Finally, add a third set of quotes and re-apply the local scheduler task:
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd="""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs""" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
Look at the result by again executing localsch /tasks |more
wscript.exe "C:\Program Files\vbscript.vbs" handle : 1001 start : Wed Dec 31 17:00:00 1969 frequency : 86400
Note: This local scheduler task is handled properly.
Cause
The design has to do with the fact that the scheduler is parsing a command line that may contain multiple commands. While the previous example could be parsed with two quotes, like this:
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd=""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs"" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
If the administrator needed to pass two parameters with spaces to local scheduler then the double quotes do not work, for example:
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd=""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs" "C:\documents and settings\allusers\somedata.file"" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
Since this cannot be properly interpreted, the scheduler requires three quotes: one to indicate we are entering and then two to indicate an escaped quote. So the command line with the two parameters appears as follows and can be interpreted:
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd="""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs"" ""C:\documents and settings\allusers\somedata.file""" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
This results is an awkward looking command line when there is only one parameter that has a space in it as shown below:
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd="""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs""" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
Resolution
Use a third set of quotes when passing parameters to the Scheduler.
Single Quoted Parameter
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd="""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs""" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400
Multiple Parameters with quotes
localsch.exe /exe="wscript.exe" /cmd="""C:\Program files\vbscript.vbs"" ""C:\documents and settings\allusers\somedata.file""" /taskid=1001 /freq=86400