# Cron Jobs

> Dbmovies runs its maintenance tasks in the background with WP-Cron. This page lists every task and what it does, explains how to change its frequency, turn it off or run it right away, and how to set up a server cron job so tasks run on time.

Source: https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/tools/cron-jobs

---

![Dbmovies › Tools › Cron jobs, with the list of tasks, their frequency, next run and last run](https://cdn.wupdater.com/dbmovies/docs/edf7b772540546f6.webp)

## Overview

Dbmovies keeps your site in shape with tasks that run in the background: it checks your licenses, syncs PayPal subscriptions, expires featured content, cleans up temporary data and more. These tasks use **WP-Cron**, the scheduler built into WordPress.

You manage them in **Dbmovies › Tools › Cron jobs**.

## How WP-Cron works

WP-Cron does not run on a clock. It runs when someone visits your site: on each visit, WordPress checks which tasks are due and runs them.

- **On a busy site**, tasks run almost on time.
- **On a site with few visits**, tasks run late, or only when someone comes by.

That is why we recommend a **server cron job** that calls WordPress every minute, so tasks run on time whether you have visitors or not. See [Setting up a server cron job](#setting-up-a-server-cron-job).

## The task list

Each row shows:

- **The switch**: turns the task on or off.
- **Task**: its name and what it does.
- **Frequency**: how often it runs.
- **Next run**: the time left until it runs again. A disabled task shows a dash.
- **Last run**: how long ago it ran, or **never**.
- **Run**: runs the task right away.

### Change how often a task runs

Choose a value in **Frequency**: **Every 10 min**, **Every 15 min**, **Hourly**, **Twice daily**, **Daily** or **Weekly**. The change is saved right away, and the task is scheduled again from that moment.

### Turn a task off

Turn off its switch. The task stops running until you turn it on again, and its row is dimmed with the name struck through. **Run** still works on a disabled task, so you can run it by hand when you need it.

### Run a task now

Click **Run**. The task runs at that moment and **Last run** is updated. Its schedule does not change. This is useful to see the effect of a task without waiting, for example to sync a PayPal subscription after a payment.

## Tasks

| Task | Default frequency | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| **Auth Client Check** | Hourly | Checks the status of your licenses with the Doothemes server, so a renewal or an expiration shows up on its own. |
| **Auth Cleanup** | Hourly | Deletes expired sign-in and verification codes, and the accounts that were not verified within one hour of signing up. |
| **Most Viewed Cleanup** | Hourly | Deletes the view records older than one day, which feed the most viewed list. |
| **Ratings Cleanup** | Hourly | Deletes temporary rating data that is no longer needed. |
| **Subscriptions Tick Expired** | Twice daily | Marks subscriptions as expired when their end date passes, and emails a reminder to members whose manual subscription ends within 7 days. |
| **PayPal Reconcile** | Hourly | Syncs subscriptions with PayPal (new charges, renewals and cancellations) and removes checkouts that were never approved. |
| **Payment Stats Warmup** | Every 15 min | Prepares the payment charts, so **Dbmovies › Payments** opens fast. |
| **Ad Totals Snapshot** | Every 10 min | Updates the total impressions and clicks of each ad. |
| **Featured Content Expire** | Daily | Removes the featured mark from titles whose 30 days have passed. |
| **Orphan Sources Links Cleanup** | Weekly | Deletes links whose title no longer exists. |

The default frequencies fit most sites. If you change one, a shorter frequency keeps data fresher but adds work to your server.

:::note
Some tasks are better left on:

- **Auth Client Check**: without it, renewals, upgrades and expirations of your licenses are not updated. You can still check a license by hand with **Check now** in **Dbmovies › Updates**.
- **PayPal Reconcile** and **Subscriptions Tick Expired**, if you sell subscriptions: without them, renewals and cancellations made in PayPal do not reach your site, and expired subscriptions stay active.
:::

### Other background tasks

**Automatic episodes** and the automatic **Meta Updater** also run in the background with WP-Cron, but they are not part of this list. Turn them on and set how often they run in their own settings. See [Metaupdater](https://doothemes.com/docs/dbmovies/tools/metaupdater).

### When you deactivate Dbmovies

Deactivating the plugin removes its tasks from WP-Cron. Your frequencies and the tasks you turned off are kept, and the tasks are scheduled again when you activate the plugin.

## Setting up a server cron job

A server cron job calls `wp-cron.php` every minute, so tasks run on time. It takes two steps.

### 1. Turn off the visit-based WP-Cron

Open the `wp-config.php` file of your site and add this line before `/* That's all, stop editing! */`:

```php
define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);
```

From then on, visits no longer run tasks: the server cron job does.

### 2. Create the server cron job

In your hosting panel, open **Cron Jobs** (in cPanel, Plesk and most panels it has that name) and create a job that runs **every minute** with this command. Replace `your-website.com` with your domain:

```bash
wget -q -O - "https://your-website.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron" >/dev/null 2>&1
```

If your server does not have `wget`, use `curl`:

```bash
curl -s "https://your-website.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron" >/dev/null 2>&1
```

With SSH access, you can add it to the crontab as `* * * * *` followed by the command. If your server has WP-CLI, `wp cron event run --due-now --path=/path/to/wordpress` works too.

:::note
Do step 1 only after step 2 works. With `DISABLE_WP_CRON` and no server cron job, no task runs: licenses are not checked, subscriptions do not sync and the background tasks stop.
:::

## Check that tasks run on time

Go to **Tools › Site Health** and open the **Dbmovies** tab.

In **Overview**, the **WP-Cron** row shows:

- **Disabled — a server cron runs the tasks**: the recommended setup.
- **Enabled — tasks run on page visits; a server cron is recommended**: it works, but tasks can run late on a site with few visits.
- **Tasks are … late**: a task is more than 15 minutes overdue. If WP-Cron is disabled, your server cron job is not running: check it in your hosting panel. If it is enabled, your site does not get enough visits: set up a server cron job.

In **Scheduled tasks**, each task shows its frequency, when it runs next and when it ran last. A task marked **Enabled but not scheduled** is not running. Dbmovies schedules missing tasks again on the next page load, so reload the page; if the mark stays, [open a support ticket](https://doothemes.com/account/tickets/new).

![Tools › Site Health › Dbmovies, with the WP-Cron row in Overview and the Scheduled tasks section](https://cdn.wupdater.com/dbmovies/docs/577626f38b771f51.webp)

## Troubleshooting

- **Last run says "never" or is far behind.** WP-Cron is not running. Check the **WP-Cron** row in Site Health and set up a server cron job.
- **The Automatic episodes queue does not move**, and it warns that WP-Cron has not run for more than 5 minutes. Same cause: your site needs visits or a server cron job.