Schedule a script to run automatically

Use this guide when you have a script that already works when you run it by hand, such as a backup, report or data download, and you want it to run daily or weekly on its own. Have the full path to the script and to the Python interpreter or shell you use ready.

Step by step

1. Make the script safe to run unattended

   Change every file path in the script to an absolute path, because scheduled tasks often start in a different working folder from the one you use. Make the script write a line to a log file at the start and end of each run, including the date and time, and log any error message before exiting. Run it once by hand from a different folder to prove it no longer depends on where you start it.