Cron Jobs

All GSM Middleware scheduled tasks run via external cron (server crontab), not WordPress cron. This ensures reliable execution with precise timing.

Overview

The plugin requires the following scheduled tasks:

Task	Frequency	Description
Order Exports	Every 60 min (configurable)	Sync orders from BigCommerce/WooCommerce
Inventory Imports	Every 60 min (configurable)	Sync inventory levels to storefronts
Tracking Imports	Once per 24 hours	Fetch tracking numbers from Business Central
Queue Processor	Dedicated systemd workers (recommended) or every 5 minutes via cron	Process webhook, inventory sync, and dispute queue jobs with atomic lock claims
Email Reports	Per-report schedule	Send configured email reports
Log Cleanup	Daily at 3 AM	Clean old log and history records

Setup

Use the Crontab Generator tool to generate all required cron entries:

1. Navigate to Tools → Crontab Generator
2. Configure the PHP binary path and intervals
3. Click Generate Crontab
4. Copy the output to your server's crontab (crontab -e)
5. Click Mark as Installed

Detailed Guides

• Cron Setup — Initial cron configuration
• Dedicated Queue Runners — systemd worker template for cron/process-queue.php
• Crontab Generator — Centralized cron management tool
• Tracking Sync — Tracking import details
• Inventory Sync — Inventory sync operations
• Reports — Email report schedules
• Log Cleanup — Automated log cleanup

Current Entry Points

The generator now points to these CLI scripts:

• cron/order-sync.php
• cron/inventory-sync.php
• cron/tracking-sync.php
• cron/process-queue.php

Queue Processing Modes

Use one of these queue execution models:

1. Recommended: Dedicated systemd workers using [email protected] and worker_id arguments.
2. Fallback: Crontab entry invoking cron/process-queue.php every 5 minutes.

Dedicated workers are preferred on busy sites because they avoid startup overhead and provide better concurrency control.