This article is for an older version of CCC. You can find the latest version here.
Product: 
ccc5

Adding a task

Tasks can be added in several different ways. To create a new task with default settings, click the + icon in the Tasks table header, or choose New Task from CCC's File menu, or click the New Task button in CCC's toolbar. You can also duplicate an existing task: select the task in the task list, then choose Duplicate from CCC's File menu, or right-click on the task and choose the option to duplicate it.

If you exported tasks from CCC previously (on your current Mac or on another Mac), double-click the task configuration file to import the task(s) into CCC.

Removing a task

To remove a task, click the - button in the Tasks table header, or select the task and choose Delete Task... from CCC's File menu, or right-click on the task and choose the option to delete the task. Deleting a task only removes the task configuration from CCC's database, it has no effect on any data that the task backed up to a destination volume.

Task Sorting

Tasks are sorted alphabetically in ascending order by default. To change the sort order or criteria, click the triangle icon in the header of the Tasks table. Tasks can be sorted by name, last run time, next run time, last run status, or manually in the order that you define. When defining a manual sort order, simply drag and drop tasks to adjust their order.

Task Groups

Click the Add Task Group (folder with a "+") icon in the Tasks table header to create a new task group. Add tasks to the group by dragging a task into the group. If you would like to add a task to multiple groups, hold down the Option key while dragging the task from one group to another. Task groups cannot be modified while the Task Group is running.

In their most basic form, task groups serve to organize your tasks. Each task in the group can be scheduled and configured independently of the other tasks. Task groups can also be used to run the tasks as a collection. You can run all of the tasks within a group by selecting the Task Group and clicking the Clone button at the bottom of the window. CCC will run the tasks sequentially in the order defined in the Upcoming Group and Task Events table.

Task list sort order vs. task group run order

Tasks listed within a group in the Tasks table will be sorted based on the Tasks table sort criteria. If you have chosen to sort the Tasks table manually, then you can order the tasks within the group in the Tasks table however you want. Don't confuse this with the run order for the tasks within the group. The task run order is defined in the Upcoming Group and Task Events table.

Scheduling task groups

Task groups can be scheduled in the same manner as individual tasks; simply click on the Scheduler selector, choose a scheduling basis, then define when the group should run. Tasks will be run sequentially within the group. If a task has its own schedule configuration, that task will also run independently of the task group. If the task is already running when the task group wants to start it, the task group will move on to the next task in the group. If a task is already running via the task group when its own scheduled run time arrives, the task will continue to run, and will not be run an additional time. Individual task runtime conditions will be taken into account when running the task via the task group. For example, if a task is configured to not run on weekends, that task won't run via the group if the task group runs on the weekend. The only exception to this is when you choose to run a task group manually. In that case, runtime conditions are overridden.

When a task group runs, every non-disabled task will be executed regardless of the success/failure of previous tasks in the group. The only exception is when a task is stopped. If you stop a task that was started via a task group, no more tasks in the group will be executed via the task group. 

Exporting tasks and groups

Tasks can be exported individually by right-clicking the task in the Tasks table, then choose the option to export the task. You may also export all of the tasks within a task group by right-clicking the task group and choosing the option to export the group, or by choosing Export Task Group... from CCC's File menu. If you would like to export all of your tasks, choose Export All Tasks... from CCC's File menu.