Overview

Scheduling is a Pro feature that lets you automate report generation without manual intervention. There are two modes:

  • Time-based scheduling — generate reports on a recurring basis (daily, weekly, or monthly).
  • Folder watch — automatically generate a report when a new CSV file appears in a monitored folder.
Tip

Scheduling is available during the 14-day Pro trial. After the trial, upgrade to Pro to keep using automated schedules.

Time-based scheduling

Time-based scheduling runs a report automatically at a set time on whatever days you choose.

1
Go to Schedules (Ctrl+4).
2
Click New Schedule (Ctrl+N).
3
Select the mapping you want to automate.
4
Choose a frequency — daily, weekly (select days), or monthly.
5
Set the time of day for generation.
6
Save the schedule.

ReportForge generates the report automatically at the scheduled time, using the latest data from the configured data source.

Folder watch

Folder watch monitors a directory for new CSV files. When a new file appears, ReportForge automatically uses it as the data source and generates a report.

1
Go to Schedules (Ctrl+4).
2
Click New Schedule (Ctrl+N).
3
Select the mapping you want to automate.
4
Choose "Folder Watch" as the trigger type.
5
Select the folder to monitor.
6
Save the schedule.
Tip

Folder watch is useful when an external system exports CSV files to a shared folder on a regular basis.

Output configuration

Each schedule uses the output settings from your configuration. You can customize:

  • Default output folder — set in Settings or per-mapping.
  • Output file naming pattern — using tokens to build dynamic filenames.
  • PDF generation — whether to generate a PDF alongside the Excel file (Pro feature).

The naming pattern supports these tokens:

Token Description
{template_name} The template name
{mapping_name} The mapping name
{date:FORMAT} Current date — e.g., {date:yyyy-MM-dd}
{time:FORMAT} Current time — e.g., {time:HHmmss}
{counter} Daily counter (001, 002, 003…)

Background operation

Schedules only run while ReportForge is open — including when minimized to the system tray. Two settings help ensure schedules run reliably:

  • Minimize to tray on close (Settings → Behavior → On Close) — keeps the app running in the tray when you close the window.
  • Start with Windows (Settings → Behavior) — launches ReportForge automatically when you log in.

When both are enabled, ReportForge starts silently in the tray and runs your schedules without any manual intervention.

Free vs Pro

Feature Free Pro ($19/mo)
Templates 3 active Unlimited
Manual generation ✓ ✓
Time-based scheduling ✗ ✓
Folder watch ✗ ✓
PDF export ✗ ✓
.xlsx output ✓ ✓

Every installation starts with a 14-day Pro trial. All features are unlocked with no credit card required. After the trial, you can continue on the Free tier or upgrade to Pro.