Scheduling Issues

If campaigns aren’t starting or ending at the expected times, or recurring campaigns aren’t following their schedule, this guide helps diagnose and resolve scheduling issues.

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Quick Checklist #

• ☐ WordPress timezone is correctly configured
• ☐ WP-Cron or Action Scheduler is functioning
• ☐ Server time matches expected timezone
• ☐ Campaign dates are set correctly
• ☐ Recurring settings are properly configured

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Common Causes #

1. Timezone Misconfiguration #

Symptom: Campaigns activate hours early or late.

Check:

1. Go to Settings → General
2. Look at “Timezone” setting
3. Verify it matches your intended timezone

Solution:

1. Set correct timezone (city-based is best, e.g., “America/New_York”)
2. Save settings
3. Campaign times will use this timezone

Note: UTC offsets don’t handle daylight saving time automatically.

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2. WP-Cron Not Running #

Symptom: Scheduled campaigns don’t activate on time.

Why This Happens:

• WP-Cron triggers on page visits
• Low-traffic sites may not have visits at scheduled times
• Some hosts disable WP-Cron

Check:

1. Go to SC Discounts → Tools
2. Run Health Check
3. Look for WP-Cron status

Solution A: Server-Level Cron (Recommended)

1. Add to server crontab:

   */5 * * * * wget -q -O - https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1

2. Add to wp-config.php:

   define( 'DISABLE_WP_CRON', true );

Solution B: Cron Plugin

• Install a plugin like “WP Crontrol”
• Use external service like UptimeRobot to ping wp-cron.php

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3. Action Scheduler Issues #

Symptom: Scheduled actions are pending but not running.

Check:

1. Go to Tools → Scheduled Actions
2. Look for pending Smart Cycle Discounts actions
3. Check if actions are stuck or failing

Solution:

• Failed actions can be retried manually
• Clear very old pending actions
• Ensure WP-Cron is running (Action Scheduler needs it)

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4. Server Time Mismatch #

Symptom: Timing is off by a consistent amount.

Check:

Add this temporarily to a page to check server time:

<?php echo 'Server time: ' . date('Y-m-d H:i:s'); ?>

Solution:

• Contact hosting provider if server time is wrong
• Server should use NTP for time synchronization

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5. Campaign Dates Set Incorrectly #

Symptom: Campaign activates at unexpected time.

Check:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Go to Schedule step
3. Verify start and end dates/times

Common Mistakes:

• AM/PM confusion (12:00 PM vs 12:00 AM)
• Wrong date (December 15 vs November 15)
• Date format confusion (MM/DD vs DD/MM)

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6. Recurring Schedule Misconfiguration #

Symptom: Recurring campaign runs on wrong days/times.

Check:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Go to Schedule step
3. Read the schedule preview — the plain-English sentence and the next run dates are computed by the same logic the discount engine uses, so they show exactly what will run
4. Review the three schedule questions:
   • Active on: Every day, the selected weekday chips, or the selected month days
   • Time of day: All day, or the From/To window (watch for a “spans midnight” badge on overnight windows)
   • Keep running: Forever, or the chosen end date

Common Issues:

• Wrong weekday chips selected
• Time window From/To reversed unintentionally (creates an overnight window that spans midnight)
• “Until a date” reached — the campaign has expired
• Month day 29/30/31 selected — it is skipped in months without that day (use the “Last day” chip for end-of-month)

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7. Recurring Campaign Paused After Updating to 2.2.0 #

Symptom: After updating to version 2.2.0, a recurring campaign shows Paused and its discount isn’t applying.

Why This Happens: Version 2.2.0 rebuilt the recurrence engine. Recurring campaigns created on earlier versions are deliberately paused during the update, because the old and new engines interpret settings differently. A dashboard notice (“Recurring campaigns were rebuilt”) lists how many were paused.

Solution:

1. Click Review Campaigns in the notice, or filter the campaigns list by Paused
2. Open each paused campaign and go to the Schedule step
3. Set the schedule with the new controls (days, time window, forever/until a date)
4. Save — the campaign resumes on the new engine

One-time campaigns and occurrence campaigns already created by the old Instances mode are not affected.

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Diagnostic Steps #

Step 1: Verify Timezone #

Go to: Settings → General
Check: Timezone setting
Best: Use city-based timezone (e.g., "New York")

Step 2: Check Current Time #

WordPress shows current time at:
Settings → General (below timezone)
Should match your expected local time

Step 3: Review Campaign Schedule #

Edit campaign → Schedule step
Verify:
- Start date and time
- End date and time
- Recurring settings (if enabled)

Step 4: Check Scheduled Actions #

Go to: Tools → Scheduled Actions
Filter by: "scd" or "smart_cycle"
Look for: Pending activation/expiration tasks

Step 5: Test Cron #

Visit: https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php
Or go to: SC Discounts → Tools → Health Check

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Recurring Campaign Scheduling #

Understanding Recurring Schedules #

A recurring campaign’s discount applies only on its scheduled days and times:

Example: Weekend Sale
Active on: Saturday, Sunday
Time of day: All day
Keep running: Forever

Discount applies: Saturday and Sunday, all day
Discount does not apply: Monday → Friday

Why the Discount Seems Inactive #

• The current day or time is outside the schedule
• The campaign’s status stays Active the whole time — the schedule only controls whether the discount applies right now
• This is expected behavior

Verifying the Next Run Dates #

1. Edit the campaign and open the Schedule step
2. The preview shows the plain-English schedule sentence plus the next dates it will run
3. These are computed by the same logic the discount engine uses

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Daylight Saving Time #

DST Transitions #

If using city-based timezone (recommended), DST is handled automatically.

Spring Forward:

• A recurring time window set inside the skipped hour (e.g. 2:30 AM) simply doesn’t fire that day
• It resumes normally the next active day

Fall Back:

• A recurring time window set inside the repeated hour is active through both passes of that hour
• This is expected — the discount just runs slightly longer that night

UTC Offset Issues #

If using UTC offset (e.g., “UTC-5”):

• DST is NOT automatically handled
• You must manually adjust twice per year
• Recommend switching to city-based timezone

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Manual Intervention #

Force Campaign Activation #

If a scheduled campaign should be active now:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Change start date to past date/time
3. Save
4. Campaign should activate immediately

Force Campaign Expiration #

If a campaign should have expired:

1. Edit the campaign
2. Change end date to past date/time
3. Save
4. Campaign will expire

Manually Run Scheduled Tasks #

1. Go to Tools → Scheduled Actions
2. Find the pending task
3. Click “Run” to execute immediately

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Preventing Scheduling Issues #

Best Practices #

1. Use city-based timezone – Handles DST automatically
2. Set up server cron – More reliable than WP-Cron
3. Test before launch – Create test campaigns first
4. Double-check times – Especially AM/PM
5. Monitor scheduled actions – Check for stuck tasks

Scheduling Notifications #

Enable notifications to confirm scheduling works:

• Campaign Start notifications confirm activation
• Campaign Expiration warnings alert before end

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Still Having Issues? #

Enable Debug Mode #

1. Go to SC Discounts → Settings → Advanced
2. Enable Debug Mode
3. Wait for scheduled event to occur
4. Check debug log for scheduling information

Contact Support With #

• System report
• Campaign schedule settings (screenshot)
• WordPress timezone setting
• Current time vs. expected activation time
• Scheduled Actions screenshot if relevant