Prerequisites

• EventON Reminders Addon installed and activated (compatible with RSVP and Tickets addons).
• Access to your server’s control panel (e.g., cPanel) or SSH for cron setup.
• WordPress installed and configured with EventON settings.

Why Use Server-Level Cron?

WP-Cron depends on site visits, which can delay reminders if your site has low traffic. A server-level cron job runs independently, checking and sending reminders at set intervals (e.g., every 5 minutes), ensuring reliability.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Disable WP-Cron (Optional but Recommended)

To rely solely on server cron:

• Open your WordPress site’s wp-config.php file (usually in the root directory).
• Add this line before the /* That’s all, stop editing! */ comment:
  define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);
• Save the file. This prevents WP-Cron from running on page loads, avoiding overlap with your server cron.

2. Configure the Reminders in EventON

• Go to EventON Settings > Reminders in your WordPress admin panel.
• Enable up to 2 pre-event and 2 post-event reminders.
• Set the timing (e.g., “60 minutes before event start”) and customize email content.
• For each event, edit the event page and enable reminders in the Reminders meta box. This schedules a one-time cron job (e.g., evorm_reminder_<event_id>_<type>).

3. Set Up the Server Cron Job

The cron job triggers wp-cron.php to process all scheduled tasks, including reminders.

Using cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel and find Cron Jobs.
2. Under “Add New Cron Job”:
   • Common Settings: Select “Every 5 Minutes” (*/5 * * * *) for frequent checks.
   • Command: Enter: curl -s "https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron" > /dev/null 2>&1
     • Replace https://yoursite.com with your actual site URL.
     • -s silences output, > /dev/null 2>&1 discards logs.
3. Click Add New Cron Job to save.

Using SSH

1. Access your server via SSH (e.g., ssh user@yourserver.com).
2. Open the crontab file: crontab -e
3. Add this line:
   */5 * * * * curl -s "https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron" > /dev/null 2>&1
4. Save and exit (e.g., :wq in vi).

Alternative with wget

If curl isn’t available, use:

*/5 * * * * wget -q -O /dev/null "https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron"

4. Verify the Setup

• Install a plugin like WP Crontrol or Advanced Cron Manager.
• Check the Cron Events tab for events like evorm_reminder_<event_id>_<type> (e.g., evorm_reminder_93_evorm_pre_1-rs).
• Ensure the “Next Run” time updates after each cron execution (every 5 minutes).
• Test by scheduling a reminder for a near-future event and confirming the email is sent.

Notes

• Frequency: Every 5 minutes (*/5 * * * *) is recommended for timely reminders. Adjust to hourly (0 * * * *) if less precision is needed.
• Security: Ensure wp-cron.php is accessible (file permissions typically 644).
• Troubleshooting: Check server cron logs (e.g., /var/log/cron) or enable WordPress debug logging (define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true);) to trace issues.
• Dynamic Events: Each enabled reminder creates a unique cron job tied to the event ID and type (e.g., pre/post), managed by EVORM_Cron->perform_cron().

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