AutoSys JIL — date_conditions Default Stalls Jobs

A JIL job definition can contain dozens of attribute statements, each controlling a different aspect of how the job behaves. You don't need to memorise all of them, but you do need to know the commonly used ones by heart and know where to find the rest.

This article covers every attribute you'll encounter in production AutoSys environments, grouped by what they control. Each attribute includes its purpose, valid values, and a note on when it matters.

Identity attributes

These attributes define the basic identity of the job. They are the first things AutoSys reads when processing a job definition. Without a name, type, owner, and machine, the job cannot exist. The permission attribute controls visibility and who can modify or run the job — a practical concern in shared environments where multiple teams manage the same scheduler.

Scheduling attributes

These attributes control when the job runs. The most common mistake is forgetting date_conditions: 1 — without it, start_times, days_of_week, run_calendar are all ignored. The run_window attribute restricts when the job may run (useful for overnight batch windows). Timezone is often overlooked but critical when your agents are in different timezones than your control server.

Dependency and condition attributes

These attributes define what must be true before this job can start. Conditions use built-in functions: success(job), failure(job), done(job), notrunning(job). Multiple conditions can be combined with AND and OR. The box_name attribute links the job to a parent box — the box must be RUNNING for the job to start. Job_load and max_run_alarm provide load and runtime monitoring.

Output and logging attributes

Always set these. Debugging any AutoSys job failure without log files is extremely painful. The std_out_file captures standard output, and std_err_file captures standard error. If std_err_file is not set, error messages are lost. Use the > prefix to append instead of overwrite. You can also redirect to syslog using the \$AUTOUSER variable.

Failure handling and retry attributes

These attributes control what happens when a job doesn't succeed on its first attempt. The n_retrys attribute is often misunderstood — it's the number of retries after the initial failure, so a job with n_retrys: 3 runs up to 4 times total. term_run_time is your safety net against hung jobs; without it, a stuck job can block an entire chain indefinitely. alarm_if_fail sends a WCC alert on final failure. box_terminator and job_terminator let you cascade failures.

Job lifecycle attributes: insert_job, update_job, delete_job

This isn't a JIL attribute but a JIL command that defines how jobs are created and modified. insert_job creates a new job; using the same job name again with insert_job updates the existing job (not an error). update_job changes attributes on an existing job without affecting the schedule. delete_job removes the job definition. One-time overrides can be applied with job_name.start_times etc. in a separate JIL file.

Calendars and global variables

AutoSys allows the use of named calendars to define complex schedules. A calendar is a JIL object that defines a set of dates (e.g., month-end, holidays). Jobs can reference calendars via run_calendar and exclude_calendar attributes. Global variables are defined using \$VAR syntax and can be shared across jobs. They are resolved at runtime by the agent.

Frequently Asked Questions