Cron Jobs

Introduction

This guide provides detailed instructions for developers on setting up and managing cron jobs in OpenCart. Cron jobs are essential for automating recurring tasks such as refreshing currency rates, cache clearing, sitemap generation, sending newsletters, etc.

OpenCart integrates a cron handler that can centralize all reccuring tasks to allow to easily manage all from the admin instead of having to manage them from the host panel, which can be convenient for the end-user.

Set up the OpenCart Cron in your Host Panel

First of all it's necessary to set up your host to call the OpenCart cron handler, this is necessary only once, then all will be handled directly from OpenCart, follow this procedure to set up the cron, here based on cPanel but the same can be done in all host panels.

1. Open Extension > Cron menu

2. Go to your cPanel Cron jobs section (or equivalent in other host panels)

3. Add new cron job

4. copy-paste the command that is displayed into Extension > Cron (e.g.: wget "https://mywebsite.tld/index.php?route=cron/cron" --read-timeout=5400)

5. Set the cron task to run every hour

That's all, now all the cron tasks set into Extension > Cron will run automatically.

How to Create an OpenCart Cron Job

1. Create a cron class: Write your code into the index() method.

2. Register the cron job: Save your cron job using the cron registry.

3. Ensure Accessibility: Ensure the cron is correctly working.

Example

Step 1: Create the Cron Class

Create a PHP class for your extension. For example, place the following code in extension/test_module/catalog/controller/cron.php:

<?php
namespace Opencart\Catalog\Controller\Extension\TestModule;

class Cron extends \Opencart\System\Engine\Controller {
  public function index(): void {
    // Process your customizations here
    $this->log->write('My cron job has successfully started!');
  }
}

Step 2: Register the Startup

Startups are typically registered in the install() method of your extension. For programmatic registration, use the Startup model.

Add the following code to your module’s controller:

<?php
namespace Opencart\Admin\Controller\Extension\TestModule\Module;

class TestModule extends \Opencart\System\Engine\Controller {
    public function install(): void {
    // Load the cron model
    $this->load->model('setting/cron');
    
    // Register the cron job
    $this->model_setting_cron->addCron(
      'my_cron', // code
      'My custom cron', // description
      'day', // cycle (hour, day, week)
      'extension/test_module/cron', // action
      true // status
    );
  }

  public function uninstall(): void {
    // Remove the cron job on uninstall
    $this->load->model('setting/cron');
    $this->model_setting_cron->deleteCronByCode('my_cron');
}

Step 3: Test the Cron Job

• Install your module via the OpenCart admin panel (Extensions > Installer).

• Install your module in Extensions menu (Extensions > Extensions).

• Open Extension > Cron Jobs, you should see your new entry

• Click on the button ▶️ Run Cron Job

• Check the log file (System > Maintenance > Error logs) to verify that your custom log message appears.