cron_jobs.xml Reference Documentation

• Introduction
• File Location and Structure
• File Components
  • 1. config Root Element
  • 2. group Element
  • 3. job Element
  • 4. schedule Element
• Example
• Conclusion

Introduction

This reference documentation provides an in-depth explanation of the cron_jobs.xml file in Magento 2. Cron jobs are scheduled tasks that are executed at predefined intervals. The cron_jobs.xml file allows you to configure and manage these cron jobs in Magento 2.

File Location and Structure

The cron_jobs.xml file is located in the app/code/*Vendor*/*Module*/etc folder of your Magento installation. It follows the XML file format and defines the configuration for cron jobs.

Here is an example of the file structure:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:module:Magento_Cron:etc/crontab.xsd">
    <group id="default">
        <job name="job_name" instance="*Vendor*\*Module*\Cron\*CronClass*" method="execute">
            <schedule>*schedule_expression*</schedule>
        </job>
    </group>
</config>

File Components

The cron_jobs.xml file consists of the following components:

1. config Root Element

The config root element encloses the entire XML configuration. It includes the xmlns:xsi attribute, which specifies the XML namespace for the xsi prefix, and the xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation attribute, which points to the cron jobs XSD schema location.

2. group Element

The group element groups related cron jobs together. It has a required id attribute that identifies the group.

3. job Element

The job element defines a single cron job within a group. It has the following attributes:

• name: Specifies the unique name of the cron job.
• instance: Specifies the fully qualified class name of the cron job's implementation class.
• method: Specifies the method of the cron job's implementation class that should be executed.

4. schedule Element

The schedule element specifies the cron expression or schedule for the job. It defines when the cron job should be executed. The *schedule_expression* should follow the cron syntax.

Example

Let's consider an example to illustrate the usage of the cron_jobs.xml file. Assume we have a module named Vendor_Module with a cron job that needs to run every hour.

1. Create the cron_jobs.xml file in the module's etc folder with the following content:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:module:Magento_Cron:etc/crontab.xsd">
    <group id="default">
        <job name="vendor_module_cron" instance="Vendor\Module\Cron\MyCronClass" method="execute">
            <schedule>0 * * * *</schedule>
        </job>
    </group>
</config>

2. In the above example, the group element has an id attribute set to default. The job element has a name attribute set to vendor_module_cron, an instance attribute set to Vendor\Module\Cron\MyCronClass, and a method attribute set to execute. The schedule element specifies that the cron job should run every hour at the 0th minute.

3. In your PHP code, create the implementation class MyCronClass under Vendor\Module\Cron:

<?php
namespace Vendor\Module\Cron;
 
class MyCronClass
{
    public function execute()
    {
        // Perform the required cron job tasks here
    }
}

4. With the above configuration and code, the execute() method of the MyCronClass class will be executed every hour.

Conclusion

The cron_jobs.xml file allows you to configure and manage cron jobs in Magento 2. By following the structure and syntax described in this documentation, you can define cron jobs and specify their schedules. Remember to provide the necessary implementation class and method for each cron job.