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Add Reserved Word Dates to File Names in Scheduler

Garrick Guillory
Updated

Use a reserved word to add a dynamic date to an exported file name. This lets the filename show a date such as the last day of the previous month, even when the job runs on a different day.

This example exports a Finished Report as a PDF with the name MonthlySalesReport_08312026.pdf.

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Open the Execution’s Export Options

  1. Open the job in VDM’s Scheduler.
  2. Select the execution you want to update.
  3. On the Job tab, click Edit (Wizard).
  4. Continue to Export options for the Finished Report.

This example uses a Finished Report with PDF selected as the export type.

Configure the Filename and Date

  1. Set the Export Location to the folder where the report should be saved.
  2. Enter the base name in Export Filename.
  3. Choose where the date should appear:
    • Add Date Before places the date before the base name.
    • Add Date After places the date after the base name.
  4. In Date Value, enter the reserved word.
  5. In Date Format, enter the format you want to use.
  6. Select the required export type and review the filename preview below the export buttons.

Use these values to follow the demo:

Setting Demo value
Export Location C:\Demo\Reports
Export Filename MonthlySalesReport
Date placement Add Date After
Date Value @LastDayofLastMonth
Date Format MMddyyyy
Export type PDF

Date Value determines which date to use. Date Format determines how that date appears in the filename.

In this example, the job runs on September 23, 2026. The reserved word resolves to August 31, 2026, and MMddyyyy displays that date as 08312026.

The export settings use the last day of the previous month and show the resulting path and filename in the preview.

Note: Use a reserved word that returns a single date. Ranged reserved words, such as @ThisMonth or @Last7Days, are intended for date filtering and should not be used for filenames.

Save and Verify the Export

  1. Click Next and complete the remaining wizard steps.
  2. Save the job.
  3. Run the job.
  4. Open the folder specified in Export Location.
  5. Confirm that the exported filename contains the expected date.

For the demo, the exported file is:

MonthlySalesReport_08312026.pdf

The PDF filename contains August 31, 2026, while Date modified shows the September 23 run.

The date in your filename will depend on when the job runs and the reserved word you select.

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