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Task Scheduling

Equipment provides a powerful task scheduler build on top of the popular schedule library. It allows you to define recurring tasks at specific intervals or times using a human-readable syntax.

Scheduling Tasks​

All your scheduled tasks should be defined in the run() method of your app/Scheduler.py class.

Common Scheduling Patterns​

class Scheduler(Equipment):
    def run(self) -> None:
        # Run every minute
        self.schedule.every(1).minutes.do(self.my_task)

        # Run every hour at 30 minutes past the hour
        self.schedule.every().hour.at(":30").do(self.my_task)

        # Run daily at a specific time
        self.schedule.every().day.at("10:30").do(self.my_task)

        # Run every Monday
        self.schedule.every().monday.do(self.my_task)

        # Run every 5 to 10 minutes (random range)
        self.schedule.every(5).to(10).minutes.do(self.my_task)

        # Important: call super().run() to start the execution loop
        super().run()

Scheduler & Queue Integration​

A powerful pattern in Equipment is using the scheduler to push tasks into a background queue. This prevents the scheduler from blocking on long-running tasks.

def process_data():
    # Long-running task
    pass

class Scheduler(Equipment):
    def run(self) -> None:
        # Instead of calling process_data directly, we push it to the queue
        self.schedule.every().hour.do(self.queue.push, process_data)

        super().run()

Running the Scheduler​

The scheduler runs in a separate process that stays alive indefinitely.

# Start the scheduler
python scheduler.py

Best Practices​

  1. Keep tasks lightweight: If a task takes more than a few seconds, push it to a queue instead of running it directly in the scheduler.
  2. Use Centralized Logging: Always use self.log within your scheduler tasks to track execution and errors.
  3. Handle Exceptions: The scheduler loop can stop if a task raises an unhandled exception. Wrap your task logic in try...except blocks.
  4. Timezones: Be aware that the schedule library uses the system's local time by default.