Set Once, Runs Forever

Morning feeding happens every day. Weekly health checks happen every Monday. Monthly weight recording happens first of each month. Creating these tasks manually would be exhausting. Remembering to create "Morning feeding" every single day, "Weekly health check" every single week, "Monthly weight recording" every single month.

Kora's recurring tasks eliminate this tedium. Create a recurring task template once defining what needs doing and how often. From that moment forward, Kora automatically generates task instances according to your schedule. No remembering to create tasks. No manual repetition. Set it once, and it runs forever (or until you deactivate it).

This automatic generation is what makes recurring tasks powerful. The mental load of remembering routine work disappears, replaced by systematic task generation ensuring nothing is forgotten.

How Recurring Tasks Work

Templates and Instances

Understanding recurring tasks requires understanding two concepts:

Template: The master definition of what work needs doing and how often.

Example template:

Title: Morning feeding (All animals)
Description: Distribute feed to all animals. Check feed levels, ensure all
animals eating normally. Refill feed bins if running low.
Recurrence: Daily
Time: 06:00
Category: Daily Care
Assigned To: Farm hand on duty
Status: Active (generating instances)

This template describes the work but is not itself a task you complete. It is the blueprint.

Instance: The actual task generated from the template for a specific date.

Example instances generated from template above:

Instance 1:
Title: Morning feeding (All animals)
Due Date: 2025-03-15 06:00
Status: To Do

Instance 2:
Title: Morning feeding (All animals)
Due Date: 2025-03-16 06:00
Status: To Do

Instance 3:
Title: Morning feeding (All animals)
Due Date: 2025-03-17 06:00
Status: To Do

Each instance is a normal task you complete. Marking March 15's instance Done does not affect March 16's instance. They are separate tasks generated from the same template.

Automatic Generation

Here is what makes recurring tasks magical:

You create the template once: "Morning feeding (Daily at 06:00)"

Kora generates instances automatically: Every day, a new task instance appears for tomorrow's feeding. You do not create it. You do not remember to create it. It just appears automatically.

You complete instances as they appear: Each day, complete that day's instance. Tomorrow, another instance appears automatically.

Generation continues indefinitely: Unless you deactivate the template, instances keep appearing forever. Daily tasks generate daily. Weekly tasks generate weekly. Monthly tasks generate monthly.

Example automatic generation timeline:

March 1: Template created "Weekly health check (Every Monday 08:00)"
March 3 (Monday): Instance appears automatically for March 3
March 10 (Monday): Instance appears automatically for March 10
March 17 (Monday): Instance appears automatically for March 17
March 24 (Monday): Instance appears automatically for March 24
March 31 (Monday): Instance appears automatically for March 31
...continues every Monday indefinitely...

You created one template on March 1. Every Monday thereafter, instances appear automatically. Forever.

Recurrence Frequencies

Recurring task templates support multiple frequency options:

Daily Recurrence

What it means: Task instance generated every day.

When to use: Activities happening every day without exception.

Examples:

• Morning feeding (every day, 06:00)
• Evening feeding (every day, 18:00)
• Daily water checks (every day, 08:00)
• Basic health observations (every day, 09:00)

Example template:

Title: Evening feeding (All animals)
Recurrence: Daily
Time: 18:00
Description: Distribute evening feed ration. Check feed consumption from morning.
Ensure water available. Note any animals not eating.

Result: Every day at 18:00, new task instance appears automatically.

Weekly Recurrence

What it means: Task instance generated once per week on specific day.

When to use: Activities happening weekly on set schedule.

Examples:

• Weekly health checks (every Monday)
• Paddock inspection (every Friday)
• Equipment maintenance (every Wednesday)
• Weight recording for weaners (every Sunday)

Example template:

Title: Weekly health check (All animals)
Recurrence: Weekly (every Monday)
Time: 08:00
Description: Visual health assessment of all animals. Check for injuries, illness
symptoms, unusual behaviour. Document any concerns. Flag for vet follow-up if needed.

Result: Every Monday at 08:00, new task instance appears automatically.

Monthly Recurrence

What it means: Task instance generated once per month on specific date.

When to use: Activities happening monthly.

Examples:

• Monthly weight recording (first of month)
• Facility deep cleaning (15th of month)
• Compliance reporting (last day of month)
• Vaccine inventory check (first Monday of month)

Example template:

Title: Monthly weight recording (Breeding stock)
Recurrence: Monthly (1st of month)
Time: 08:00
Description: Record weights for all breeding stock. Compare to previous month.
Identify animals losing weight. Adjust feeding if needed. Update growth records.

Result: First of every month at 08:00, new task instance appears automatically.

Custom Recurrence

What it means: Task instance generated at custom intervals.

When to use: Activities not fitting daily/weekly/monthly patterns.

Examples:

• Every 3 days: Medication requiring 3-day intervals
• Every 2 weeks: Bi-weekly activities
• Every 10 days: Custom rotation schedules
• Specific day patterns: Every Tuesday and Thursday

Example template:

Title: Pasture rotation (North Pasture mob)
Recurrence: Every 10 days
Description: Rotate cattle to fresh subdivision. Assess pasture recovery in
previous subdivision. Document grazing patterns.

Result: Every 10 days, new task instance appears automatically.

Common Recurring Scenarios

Feeding Routines

Daily feeding is the most common recurring task:

Morning feeding example:

Title: Morning feeding (All animals)
Recurrence: Daily, 06:00
Category: Daily Care
Priority: High (essential daily care)
Description: Distribute morning rations. Check all feed bins. Ensure clean water
available. Note any animals not eating. Refill feed storage if running low.

Evening feeding example:

Title: Evening feeding (All animals)
Recurrence: Daily, 18:00
Category: Daily Care
Priority: High (essential daily care)
Description: Distribute evening rations. Check feed consumption from morning.
Top up water troughs. Final visual check of all animals before dark.

Set these templates once. Every day at 06:00 and 18:00, feeding tasks appear automatically. Complete each day's instances. Tomorrow's appear automatically.

Health Checks

Daily quarantine checks (when animals quarantined):

Title: Quarantine health check (Isolated animals)
Recurrence: Daily, 09:00
Category: Health & Treatment
Link To: Specific quarantined animals
Description: Visual health assessment of all quarantined animals. Check for
disease symptoms. Record temperature if abnormalities suspected. Document
observations. Report concerns to veterinarian immediately.

Weekly herd health checks:

Title: Weekly health check (All animals)
Recurrence: Weekly (Monday), 08:00
Category: Health & Treatment
Description: Comprehensive health assessment. Check for injuries, illness, unusual
behaviour, body condition changes. Document findings. Flag issues for follow-up.

Facility Maintenance

Weekly cleaning:

Title: Clean water troughs (All locations)
Recurrence: Weekly (Friday), 10:00
Category: Daily Care
Description: Drain and clean all water troughs. Scrub algae and debris. Refill
with fresh water. Check water lines for leaks. Ensure all automatic waterers
functioning properly.

Monthly facility checks:

Title: Facility inspection (All paddocks)
Recurrence: Monthly (15th of month), 09:00
Category: Management
Description: Inspect all fencing for damage. Check gates and latches. Assess
shelter structures. Identify maintenance needs. Create repair tasks for issues found.

Weight Recording

Monthly weight tracking:

Title: Monthly weight recording (Growth stock)
Recurrence: Monthly (1st of month), 08:00
Category: Management
Link To: Specific mobs requiring weight tracking
Description: Weigh all animals in growth stock mobs. Record weights in system.
Calculate average daily gain. Identify underperformers. Adjust feeding if needed.
Compare to previous month's weights.

Medication Schedules

Treatment requiring multiple doses:

Title: Administer antibiotics (Bull #A123)
Recurrence: Daily (morning and evening - two templates needed)
Time: 08:00 and 18:00
Duration: 7 days (limit instances to 14 total - 2 per day × 7 days)
Category: Health & Treatment
Link To: Bull #A123
Description: Administer prescribed antibiotic dose. Check injection site for
reaction. Monitor general health. Document administration time and dose.
21-day withdrawal period applies.

This creates 14 task instances automatically (morning and evening for 7 days) ensuring precise treatment schedule compliance.

Creating Recurring Task Templates

Creating recurring templates is straightforward:

Step 1: Navigate to Tasks Go to task management section, select "Create Recurring Task Template" (distinct from regular task creation).

Step 2: Define Base Task Enter task details like regular task creation:

• Title: "Weekly health check (All animals)"
• Description: Detailed instructions
• Priority: Medium
• Category: Health & Treatment

Step 3: Set Recurrence Pattern Choose frequency and timing:

• Recurrence: Weekly
• Day: Monday
• Time: 08:00

Step 4: Optional Linking Link to animals, mobs, or locations if relevant:

• Link to: All animals (general template)
• Or link to specific mob: "Spring Lambs 2025"

Step 5: Optional Assignment Assign recurring instances to specific team member:

• Assign to: Sarah (Farm Manager)

Step 6: Activate Template Save and activate template. Starting immediately, Kora begins generating instances according to schedule.

Time required: 2-3 minutes to create recurring template. Instances then generate automatically forever.

Managing Recurring Templates

Templates can be managed after creation:

Viewing Active Templates

View all active recurring templates seeing:

• Template name and description
• Recurrence pattern (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Custom)
• Last instance generated
• Next instance scheduled
• Total instances generated
• Template status (Active or Inactive)

Example template list:

Active Recurring Templates:

1. Morning feeding (All animals)
   Recurrence: Daily, 06:00
   Last Generated: Today
   Next Instance: Tomorrow 06:00
   Total Instances: 487
   Status: Active

2. Weekly health check (All animals)
   Recurrence: Weekly (Monday), 08:00
   Last Generated: Monday March 10
   Next Instance: Monday March 17, 08:00
   Total Instances: 52
   Status: Active

3. Monthly weight recording (Breeding stock)
   Recurrence: Monthly (1st of month), 08:00
   Last Generated: March 1
   Next Instance: April 1, 08:00
   Total Instances: 12
   Status: Active

Deactivating Templates

When recurring work is no longer needed:

Example deactivation scenario:

Template: "Quarantine health check (Bull #A123)"
Reason for deactivation: Bull #A123 released from quarantine
Action: Deactivate template
Result: No new instances generated, but existing instances remain (can still
complete today's check before deactivation takes effect)

Deactivation stops future instance generation but does not delete the template. Can be reactivated later if needed.

Reactivating Templates

Deactivated templates can be reactivated:

Example reactivation scenario:

Template: "Quarantine health check (Isolated animals)"
Previous Status: Inactive (no animals quarantined)
Situation: New animal enters quarantine
Action: Reactivate template
Result: Instance generation resumes immediately for quarantined animal

Reactivation picks up where it left off, generating instances from reactivation date forward.

Modifying Templates

Templates can be modified while active:

Example modification:

Template: "Weekly health check (All animals)"
Original: Every Monday, 08:00
Modification: Change to Every Monday, 09:00 (schedule shift)
Result: Future instances generated at 09:00 instead of 08:00.
         Already-generated instances for this week remain at 08:00.

Modification best practice: Changes affect future instances, not already-generated instances. If changing recurrence pattern significantly, consider deactivating old template and creating new one for clarity.

Limiting Instance Generation

Some recurring tasks should run for limited time:

Example: Treatment protocol:

Title: Administer antibiotics (Bull #A123)
Recurrence: Daily (twice daily - 08:00 and 18:00)
Instance Limit: 14 instances (7 days treatment)
Result: 14 task instances generated automatically over 7 days, then template
automatically deactivates. No manual tracking of "have I given all 7 days yet?"

Example: Seasonal task:

Title: Daily calf checks (Calving season)
Recurrence: Daily, 06:00
Start Date: September 1
End Date: November 30
Result: Instances generated daily during calving season only, then template
automatically deactivates until next season.

Instance limits prevent recurring tasks from continuing inappropriately.