# Scheduled Tasks

### Accessing the Schedule System

1. Log into your **Revitalize Hosting Control Panel**.
2. Select your **server**.
3. Click the **“Schedules”** tab in the left sidebar.
4. You’ll see a list of all existing schedules, their status, and when they last ran.

From here, you can **create new schedules**, **edit existing ones**, or **disable** them entirely.

***

### Creating a New Schedule

Click **Create Schedule** to start.\
You’ll see several configuration fields that determine how and when your schedule runs.

| Field                                         | Description                                                                                             |
| --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Schedule Name**                             | A readable name to identify your schedule (e.g., `Nightly Restart`, `Daily Backup`, `Morning Message`). |
| **Minute / Hour / Day / Month / Day of Week** | These fields use **Cron syntax** to define when your schedule runs (explained below).                   |
| **Only When Server Is Online**                | Runs the schedule only when your server is running. Recommended for live tasks.                         |
| **Schedule Enabled**                          | Must be checked for the schedule to actually execute automatically.                                     |

Once your schedule is saved, you can start adding **tasks** to it.

***

### Adding Tasks to a Schedule

Each schedule can contain **one or multiple tasks**, which execute in order.

1. Click your **newly created schedule**.
2. Click **New Task**.
3. Choose the **Action Type**:
   * **Send Command** – Runs any console command automatically.\
     Example:

     ```
     say Server restarting in 5 minutes!
     restart
     ```
   * **Create Backup** – Automatically saves a backup (see the Automatic Backups page for details).
   * **Power Action** – Automatically restart, stop, or start the server.
4. Optionally set a **Delay (in seconds)** if you want one task to run after another.\
   Example:
   * Task 1: Send warning message
   * Task 2: Restart server after a 60-second delay
5. Click **Create Task** to finalize.

***

### Understanding Cron Syntax 

Cron lets you define exactly when tasks run.\
The schedule fields look like this:

{% hint style="info" %}
Reminder that the game server is on Central Time. Apply accordingly.
{% endhint %}

| Field            | Example | Description                       |
| ---------------- | ------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Minute**       | `0`     | Minute of the hour (0–59)         |
| **Hour**         | `3`     | Hour of the day (0–23)            |
| **Day of Month** | `*`     | Day of the month (1–31)           |
| **Month**        | `*`     | Month of the year (1–12)          |
| **Day of Week**  | `*`     | Day of the week (0–6, Sunday = 0) |

#### Common Examples

| Goal                     | Cron Settings  | Description               |
| ------------------------ | -------------- | ------------------------- |
| Every 6 hours            | `0 */6 * * *`  | Run 4 times per day       |
| Every night at 3 AM      | `0 3 * * *`    | Perfect for nightly tasks |
| Every Sunday at midnight | `0 0 * * 0`    | Once a week               |
| Every 30 minutes         | `*/30 * * * *` | Frequent maintenance      |
| Once a month             | `0 0 1 * *`    | 1st of each month         |

You can also click **Show Cheatsheet** in-panel to view more examples.

***

### Example Uses

Here are a few practical uses for Scheduled Tasks:

| Example                | Action(s)                                                      | Timing              |
| ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------- |
| **Nightly Restart**    | <p>1. Send message “Restarting soon!”<br>2. Restart server</p> | Every day at 3 AM   |
| **Daily Backup**       | 1. Create Backup                                               | Every night at 2 AM |
| **Announcement Timer** | 1. Send command `say Welcome to Revitalize Hosting!`           | Every hour          |
| **Auto Save**          | 1. Send command `save-all`                                     | Every 15 minutes    |

You can combine multiple tasks under one schedule to automate complex routines.\
\
Heres an example of a Automatic Restart & Backup task that runs every 3 days. The options are endless.

<figure><img src="https://2985259178-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FxV3QImLciqYqoCKUGFxq%2Fuploads%2FXHOc8CMIjoBklsF6CSAz%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=dac538c8-ae1d-4a22-90bb-3431f9c9de3a" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

### Best Practices

* Name schedules clearly (e.g., “Nightly Restart” vs “Schedule #1”).
* Avoid overlapping heavy tasks (e.g., don’t run backups and restarts simultaneously).
* Test commands manually first to ensure they behave as expected.
* Keep the **Schedule Enabled** box checked, or it won’t run automatically.
* Always monitor storage if using automated backups frequently.

***

You can use **delays** to chain tasks safely:

* `say Server restarting in 30 seconds!`
* Wait **30 seconds**
* `restart`

This ensures players are warned before downtime. Or if you are doing a backup task, you prevent the server from booting up to soon, etc.

***

### Summary

| Feature            | Description                                         |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **Schedules**      | Define when actions should run automatically        |
| **Tasks**          | The actual actions — commands, backups, or restarts |
| **Cron Timing**    | Flexible time control for automation                |
| **Delays**         | Add waiting time between multiple actions           |
| **Enabled Toggle** | Ensures your schedule runs automatically            |