Automating Tasks on Android with Tasker

1. Introduction to Task Automation

While Tasker is able to automate some Kodi tasks, the importance of its capabilities is a flight of fantasy. The Tasker app is flexible, in-depth, and is a great companion for any Android device. It can control settings, start and stop apps, save and restore data, send SMS, perform location-based actions, and much more. Furthermore, it can also be controlled by third-party interfaces that can communicate directly from within Kodi using Kodi interfaces with Tasker. In such ways, we can automate the way Kodi works. Control everything from volume to XBMC boxes to playlist control and more. Over the next few publications, we will delve into the functionality of Kodi automation available in Tasker and explore some of the options available.

Automating tasks with respect to technology can drastically improve the way we live and work. By replacing repetitive tasks with an automated process, we can free time to focus on more important activities. This also applies to the smart devices we use. There are apps and services that help automate tasks on smartphones, tablets, and other IoT devices. There are also apps available specifically for the Android operating system that can automate some of the tasks they perform. This series focuses on one of the most comprehensive apps available for automating tasks on Android: Tasker. Furthermore, we will consider the extremely popular Kodi media center and how to control it from Tasker.

2. Getting Started with Tasker

There should be a "V" icon at the bottom right corner of the page, next to a "Perform task" heading. The "V" icon represents a task that has been assigned to a profile. To make sure that the task is working, go to the home screen of your device and then perform the action that you should assign to your profile's entry condition. If everything has been set up correctly, you should notice a pop-up message displaying the text you selected in the third procedure above.

4. Enter a text in the text box that should appear on the screen to the left and tap "Back" to get to the home page of Tasker. Your first task should now have been created. It should be available on the home page of Tasker until you reboot your device. If you would like to see the task, you should swipe the screen diagonally from the top-right corner to the bottom-left corner. A green "V" mark should appear at the bottom right corner of the task, showing you that the task is assigned to the profile.

3. To get started, go to the "Alert" category and press the "Flash" option. This should cause a configuration screen to pop up, allowing you to customize the text and behavior of the Flash action.

2. Enter a descriptive name for the task and tap "OK." After doing this, you should be taken to a screen with options that allow you to insert different actions, such as settings, audio, app, and alert into the task that you are creating.

1. To start building your first task, open Tasker and press the plus-shaped 'plus' icon located at the bottom-right corner of the screen. This will create a new project and prompt you to enter a name for your task on the pop-up window that should appear.

To create tasks with Tasker, you will have to start by creating your first task. Here are the steps that you should follow to create your first task.

3. Creating Tasker Profiles and Tasks

Remember to properly name and structure your profiles so that you know what they cover. Tasker allows you to import and export your tasks and profiles, so if you have a different device with Tasker installed, you do not need to replicate your tasks from scratch. Simply export them from your current device and import them on the new one. One important consideration in external Tasker apps is that not all of them support full functionality from their parent app. In general, Tasker should support most and all external Android apps, but the same cannot be said in the opposite direction. Always test out your requirements and see if an app doesn't work as expected and file a bug with the developer or if it isn't documented as such.

In Tasker, profiles are collections of contexts (or conditions). A profile by itself doesn't do anything. It needs to be paired with a Tasker task; tasks are sets of actions built on its own. Tasker profiles by default only trigger if all the contexts are true inside of it. Generally, to prevent conflicts between contexts or actions, we tend to insert "abort, task" and other built-in Tasker functions to prevent conflicts. When we set multiple profiles up based on multiple conditions, you can end up with a fully automated system operating when required.

4. Advanced Tasker Features

Then tap on the '+' icon to add an action you want Tasker to carry out. As you can see, there are many actions which you can add. Play around with it and find out the many things Tasker is capable of doing. This is a very powerful yet intuitive way to create rules. Should you wish to create rules of extreme complexity, you can set up a task of some sort which of course would refer to another rule you've created. This allows you to chain tasks or triggers together providing for insanely complex conditions you may wish to work with. And there's only one more thing to do to activate the entire rule.

Lots more can be done with Tasker other than automating simple tasks. This is why I considered Tasker to be the most important app to buy from the Google Play Store. I’m going to show you some cool advanced features, which you can experiment on by yourself. All it takes is a couple of clicks to get Tasker to carry out certain tasks. First, tap on the 'Tasks' option on the main screen of Tasker. Then tap on the '+' icon and give the task a name, just like we've done it here. After you're done, tap on the check icon.

5. Tips and Best Practices for Tasker Automation

Complex tasks: Tasks in Tasker can become fairly complex as they can generate a variety of inputs, execute actions in response to received information, show scenes, or access and update any information or field that the Tasker plugin can access. In general, use common sense when creating tasks, stick to basic instructions, and avoid multitasking functions that can compromise your smartphone resources. Keep in mind that a smartphone is a limited resource that must be handled carefully to avoid adverse effects.

Using global variables: Global variables in Tasker are like containers where you can store and retrieve data anywhere in your various Tasker profiles to improve automation and create advanced actions. These are settings that can be used to minimize the number of profiles and tasks that you create. If you want to have a similar setting to affect different profiles and tasks, then you can use a global variable and write a function that determines what needs to be performed based on the value of the global variables. This will let you use the same global variable in many different profiles and use a single task in Plan to change its value.

Restricting profiles and tasks: Tasker can become very busy, constantly monitoring various system states or event triggers. Consequently, you need to be careful to restrict the scope of each Tasker profile to minimize resource usage. Generally, it’s good practice to activate profiles using a time or state context when possible rather than leaving a profile in a permanently active state.