Google App Engine Cron PHP

Question

I want to schedule a cron job in Google App Engine.

I have a url that I would like to call, this is the job.

I am not cron job knowledgeable, but the developer of the files I want to run provided the command line I am to run.

I read the Google App Engine PHP cron job documentation, and I understand the scheduling part. From the documentation's example, I would use the path "/backup." However, I don't know how would I write the file to enter the command.

This is a link to the documentation: https://developers.google.com/appengine/docs/php/config/cron

THE SCHEDULING PART (I understand this):

file cron.yaml

cron:
- description: weekly backup
  url: /backup
  schedule: every monday 05:00
  timezone: America/Los_Angeles

The cron command line (if this is what is called) is:

curl -b /tmp/cookies.txt -c /tmp/cookies.txt -L --max-redirs 1000 -v "http://somedomain.com/index.php?option=someoption&view=someview&key=somekey"

Notice I am calling a url, the url is NOT in the GAE

I am using the GAE PHP SDK

Where would I write the cron command?

What is file extension for this code?

Your "developer" doesn't know what app engine is. He wants that curl command to run on some random unix server somewhere; it can't be run directly on app engine. — Wooble

Jimmy Kane Jimmy Kane · Accepted Answer · 2014-02-21T13:56:11

Your Cron will call the backup url at every monday at 5 am

cron:
- description: weekly backup
  url: /backup
  schedule: every monday 05:00
  timezone: America/Los_Angeles

Create a php handler for that, and use the same logic the developer provided inside the backup handler.

So at 5 am the cron runs -> requests /backup -> curls the url you want or whatever

EDIT

I forgot that GAE does not support curl. Use urlfetch if possible. Also look at wrappers and this nice answer about this matter

Google App Engine Cron PHP

1 Answers