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Using Multiple Triggers

PolicyPak Scripts & Triggers Manager and PolicyPak Software Package Manager both support assigning multiple triggers to a single policy. This means one policy can fire on several different events — for example, running a script both at Logon and at Session unlock — without creating separate duplicate policies for each event.

Trigger Mode

The Trigger settings page of the wizard includes two modes, selected via radio buttons at the top:

ModeBehavior
Multiply (recommended)The policy runs once for each matching trigger that fires. If two triggers are configured and both fire during a session, the script runs twice.
Single (old version compatible)The policy runs only once, even if multiple configured triggers fire. Use this mode when you need compatibility with older client-side extension (CSE) versions.

Multiply is the default and recommended mode for new policies.

note

If a script is already running for a policy when another one of its triggers fires, PolicyPak suppresses the duplicate execution rather than queuing or retrying it — this applies per policy, not per trigger, so a second trigger firing while any trigger's script for that policy is still running is skipped.

Available Trigger Types

Click New Item to add a trigger. The following trigger types are available:

TriggerFires when…
LogonA user logs on
LogoffA user logs off
ShutdownThe system shuts down
Session lockedThe user locks the session
Session unlockedThe user unlocks the session
Process startA specified process starts
Process closeA specified process closes
VPN connectA VPN connection is established
VPN disconnectA VPN connection is terminated
ScheduleA configured schedule fires
Event logA specified Windows Event Log event occurs
note

You can add Logoff, Session locked, Session unlocked, and Shutdown only once each per policy, even in Multiply mode. Trigger types not in this list can be added more than once, for example to configure multiple Process start triggers for different processes.

note

Software Package Manager doesn't support the Shutdown trigger. The wizard for Software Package Manager policies doesn't offer it as an option.

Configuring the Schedule Trigger

The Schedule trigger fires a script at a specific date and time rather than in response to a system event. When you add a Schedule trigger, a configuration panel appears in the lower half of the page.

Schedule Type

Choose one of three recurrence options:

OptionBehavior
One timeRuns the script once at the specified date and time.
WeeklyRuns the script on selected days of the week at the specified time.
MonthlyRuns the script on a specified day of each month at the specified time.

Start At

Set the date and time when the trigger should first fire.

Time Zone

Choose how the scheduled time is interpreted on the endpoint:

OptionBehavior
Use time zoneThe trigger fires at the scheduled time in the selected time zone, regardless of the local PC clock. Use this to synchronize script execution across machines in multiple time zones.
Use local PC timeThe trigger fires at the scheduled time according to the local clock of each endpoint.

Run as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed

Check this option to run the script immediately the next time the endpoint is available, if the machine missed the scheduled time, for example because it was powered off or the user wasn't logged on.

When you leave this option unchecked, PolicyPak skips a missed schedule entirely and the script waits for the next scheduled occurrence.

tip

Enable Run as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed for any maintenance or compliance script where it's important that the script runs at least once per cycle, even if the machine was offline at the scheduled time.

note

Run as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed applies to Scripts & Triggers Manager policies only. Software Package Manager Schedule triggers don't offer this option.

Adding Multiple Triggers

To add more than one trigger to a policy:

Step 1 – In the wizard, navigate to the Trigger settings page.

Step 2 – Confirm Multiply (recommended) is selected.

Step 3 – Click New Item and select the first trigger type from the dropdown.

Step 4 – Click New Item again and select the next trigger type. Repeat for each additional trigger you want to add.

Each added trigger appears as a row in the list with a short description of when it fires.

Step 5 – To remove a trigger, select its row and click Delete.

Step 6 – Continue through the wizard to complete the policy configuration.

Example: Run a Script at Logon and Session Unlock

A common scenario is ensuring a drive mapping or printer connection is applied both when a user first logs on and when they return from a locked session. Without multiple triggers, this requires two separate policies with identical scripts. With multiple triggers, a single policy handles both events:

  1. Add trigger: Logon
  2. Add trigger: Session unlocked
  3. Configure the script once in the policy.

In Multiply mode, the script runs at each event independently.

Compatibility Note

note

Multiply mode requires an updated PolicyPak CSE. If your environment includes endpoints running older CSE versions that don't support multiple trigger processing, select Single (old version compatible) to ensure consistent behavior across all machines.