# Job Notifications

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Being notified of when a job may be stuck can help users to troubleshoot problems. On DNAnexus, users can set [timeouts](/developer/api/running-analyses/applets-and-entry-points.md#specifying-job-timeouts) to limit the amount of time their jobs can run, or set a threshold on how long a job can take to run before the user is notified. The notification threshold can be specified in the executable at compile time via [`dx`](/user/helpstrings-of-sdk-command-line-utilities.md) or [dxCompiler](/developer/building-and-executing-portable-containers-for-bioinformatics-software/dxcompiler.md).

When the threshold is reached for a [job tree](/user/running-apps-and-workflows/job-lifecycle.md#example-execution-tree), the system sends an email notification to both the user who launched the executable and the org admin.

## Setting Thresholds From the Command Line

For a root execution, the turnaround time is the time between its creation time and the time it reaches the [terminal state](/user/running-apps-and-workflows/job-lifecycle.md) (or the current time if it is not in a terminal state). The terminal states of an execution are done, terminated, and failed. The job tree turnaround time threshold can be set from the `dxapp.json` [app metadata](/developer/apps/app-metadata.md) file using the `treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold` supported field, where the threshold time is set in seconds. When a user runs an executable that has a threshold, the threshold applies only to the resulting root execution. See here for more details on the `treeTurnAroundTimeThreshold` [API](/developer/api/api-directory.md).

Example of including the `treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold` field in `dxapp.json`:

```json
{
  "treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold": {threshold},
  ...
}
```

In the command-line interface (CLI), the [`dx build`](/user/helpstrings-of-sdk-command-line-utilities.md#build) and `dx build --app` commands can accept the `treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold` field from `dxapp.json`, and the resulting app is built with the job tree turnaround time threshold from the JSON file.

To check the `treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold` value of an executable, users can use [`dx describe`](/user/helpstrings-of-sdk-command-line-utilities.md#describe) `{app, applet, workflow or global workflow id} --json command.`

Using the `dx describe {execution_id} --json` command displays the `selectedTreeTurnaroundTimeThreshold`, `selectedTreeTurnaroundTimeThresholdFrom`, and `treeTurnaroundTime` values of root executions.

## WDL Workflows

For WDL workflows and tasks, dxCompiler enables tree turnaround time specification using the [extras](https://github.com/dnanexus/dxCompiler/blob/develop/doc/ExpertOptions.md#extras) JSON file. dxCompiler reads the `treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold` field from the `perWorkflowDxAttributes` and `defaultWorkflowDxAttributes` sections in `extras` and applies this threshold to the generated workflow. To set a job tree turnaround time threshold for an applet using dxCompiler, add the `treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold` field to the `perTaskDxAttributes` and `defaultTaskDxAttributes` sections in the extras JSON file.

Example of including the `treeTurnAroundTimeThreshold` field in `perWorkflowDxAttributes`:

```json
{
  "perWorkflowDxAttributes": {
    {workflow_name}: {
      "treeTurnaroundTimeThreshold": {threshold},
      ...
    },
    ...
  }
}
```


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