Main Screen
This is the first screen shown when you startup Tasker. It allows you
to organize and configure Tasker's four main 'building blocks':
Profiles, Tasks, Scenes and Variables.
Main Tabs
Displayed in the action bar on most devices.
- Click on a tab to view a list of the relevant things
- Click on an already selected tab to get options for it
Profiles
Each item in the list represents a profile. The profile links contexts (conditions) on
the left to tasks which should be run on the right. The profile name is green if
the profile is active. There are three main parts to each profile.
1. Title Bar
This shows the profile name (or description if it has no name) and a
switch on the right shows whether the profile is enabled or not.
- Click on the name to expand / collapse the profile. When expanded, the contexts and tasks (described below), are visible.
- Long-click on the profile name to get profile options
- Click on the switch to control whether the profile is enabled or not.
- Click-and-drag the area at the right side of the title bar to
drag it around. Note that the enable switch can also be used for dragging.
Important: the switch being set to on does not mean the profile is active
(will run its tasks), it means that the profile can become active
if its conditions are met.
2. Contexts
On the left hand side of the profile are an icon and text for each context in the
profile. The contexts dictate when the profile should become active. When all contexts
are active then the profile will be active.
- Click on the context to edit it
- Long-click to show management options, such as editing or adding a new context
You can configure what clicks and long-clicks on contexts do in Menu / Prefs / UI.
3. Tasks
On the right hand side of the profile are one or two tasks to
carry out based on its activation status.
- Click on the task to edit it
- Long-click to show management options.
A task indicated with a green, right-pointing arrow is an
entry task, executed when the profile first becomes active.
A task indicated with a red, left-pointing arrow is an
exit task, executed when the profile becomes inactive again.
Exception: a profile containing an event context or a repeating
or non-ranged time context has two green
arrows, to denote that both tasks are executed immediately because
the profile activation and deactivation is instantaneous.
Tasks
The task list shows the named tasks which have been created.
- Click on a task to edit it
- Long-click for options
- Click-and-drag at the right hand side to drag the task (e.g. to the trash bin)
Note that a profile can be assigned an anonymous task (one without
a name) which is not accessible in the task list, only via the
relevent profile in the profile list.
Scenes
The scene list shows the scenes which have been created.
- Click on a scene to edit it
- Long-click for options
- Click-and-drag at the right hand side to drag the scene (e.g. to the trash bin)
Scenes with a green name have been created but may be invisible (hidden).
Variables
The Variables tab is not shown if Menu / Prefs / UI / Beginner Mode is enabled.
By default, all global user-variables that Tasker knows about are listed, which includes any that have a value set or are mentioned somewhere in a profile, task or scene.
- Click on a variable to edit it
- Long-click for options
Note that variables whose names are all lower-case are local variables and not shown because they are only valid within the task that refers to them.
At the bottom of the variable list are some filter controls to limit which variables
are displayed.
- Indexed (button)
includes variables whose names end in a number e.g. %LOC3, otherwise they are excluded.
- Empty (button)
includes variables which have currently have no value assigned, deselect to show only variables that have a value.
- Referenced (button,home project only)
includes variables which are referenced in profiles, tasks or scenes.
Deselect to show only 'orphan' variables.
- Filter (textbox)
excludes variables which don't contain the specified text somewhere in their name (case-sensitive)
In a user-created project, only variables referenced by that project are shown.
Unlike most screens in Tasker, changes made in the variable list cannot be cancelled.
Action Bar
Tasker Icon
- Long-click to enable or disable Tasker.
When Tasker is disabled, the icon is greyed-out.
Cancel Button
Discard all changes to user data that have been made
since starting the Tasker UI.
Overflow Button
Click to access menu options if no menu hard-key is available on the device.
On/Off Toggle
Tasker does not do anything when you leave the user inteface, unless
this button is set to On (green light showing). When you set
it to off, Tasker's event monitor is immediately stopped if it was
previously running.
Menus
Menu Item: Browse Examples
Links to websites with projects, profiles etc offering solutions for common
problems. Important: once downloaded you need to import the file into
your active user data. For example, profiles are imported by long-clicking
the profile tab and selecting Import.
Menu Items: Data
Clear
Removes all data that has been created to that point. Does
not remove preferences (use Menu / Preferences and click Defaults for
that) or variables (long-click on the Variables tab for that).
Backup
Saves the existing user data to a backup file on external storage.
Restore
Options for restoring backups of various types.
Projects
Tasker allows organisation of profiles, tasks, scenes and variables
into groups called Projects, each with a separate Project Tab.
The projects tabs are shown and hidden by long-clicking any button at the
bottom of the screen, but only when Menu / More / UI / Beginner Mode is
disabled.
- Click-and-drag from the right side of a profile, task or scene to a project
tab to move it to that project
- Click on a project tab to switch to viewing only
things in that project
- Long-click on a project tab for options, including
adding a new tab. Options can also be accessed by a single click on the
selected project tab.
The first tab has a slightly special status, it cannot be removed
and anything which is not a member of another project is placed there.