How to Set Up Cron Jobs for Inventory & Product Synchs

Setting the Correct Batch Size for Synch

Xeroom creates batches in order to handle the Xero limitations on processing the no of inventory updates in one go.  As of now ie 2026 the synch can handle up to 1200 products per batch reliably but  we have found that 600 is a good number to start with.  If all the batches run ok then try increasing it to 1000.  If not then reduce it from there if you encounter problems since it is obviously more effecient to update in one larger batch rather than more smaller batches. Xeroom spawns cron jobs to process each batch and they execute at the rate of one/minute.  If Xero hits a problem with a particular product update then it will abort the batch and Xeroom will cycle to the next batch.  This is why it is important to check all the log files when testing the synch as they will indicate a failed batch.  

Generation of Log Files

To test the process use the manual “Synch Now” which will then show the job’s progress and total no of batches.  Log files are generated for each batch and numbered sequentially for each batch along with a time stamp.  To avoid lots of clutter only the last 50 log files are kept.  If this message does not show then the process is not starting and there is an issue with Xeroom in which case please contact support.  If the message hangs and doesn’t move forward then you almost certainly have an issue with the cron process not being setup to run on your server – see below for details.  

This is how the synch works:

• Depending on the number of products to be sent and the batch size, Xeroom will calculate the number of batches that need to be sent.
• Xeroom then spawns executable cron jobs that will send each batch to Xero at the rate of one/minute creating a log file for the updates.
• After all the batches are sent, the process repeats depending on the user schedule selection: 15 minutes, hourly, daily.

Failed Batch Synch – Debug Mode

If a batch fails then the log file should show the product at which it failed.  This product can then be examined to see any obvious reason for failure (eg voided SKU) and can be excluded from the synch by enabling the debug mode and adding the suspect SKUs to the blacklist of products that are excluded from the synch using a comma separator.

Product Level Setting for Account Mapping

The accounts that product data maps into in Xero can be set at an overall level in the Xeroom settings General Tab or for better granularity at the product level can be set in the Product data tab where Xeroom adds a new tab for Xero account mapping settings which has fields for the Xero Tracking Category (if set), Sales Account, Cost of Goods Sold Account and Inventory Asset Account (for inventory values).  These can be bulk populated using a spreadsheet.

Note Brands here is an example of Xero Category Tracking which can be up to two categories which can be used by Xero to tag products with useful labels such as brand, branch, channel etc.

*For detailed info on how to bulk load these settings see separate help article in Help Portal.

Global Product Synchronization – Optimum Batch Size

The batching works exactly the same here as in the Global Inventory Synch but due to the larger quantity of data being pushed across the batch size is much lower.  We recommend starting with 250 and only increasing if to 500 max if it runs ok with no errors or reducing it to 250 if you hit a problem.

Global Product Synchronization – Log Files 

As with the Global Inventory Synch the log filenames describe which way the synch is running plus a batch number suffix added to each one, for each run, so it is easy to check that the synch is happening correctly and for all batches.

The Product Synch log file shows what the new values that have been changed to for each product and also if unchanged will state that:

How Xeroom Runs Batch Jobs Using Cron

Cron Job Troubleshooting

Xeroom enables you to check that the process is working since log files are created, which show under the Xeroom/log files menu item.  If these are not there and the batches are not running or running at weird intervals then check your cron system and if necessary, disable your WordPress cron process and enable a more robust and reliable server-based cron to run ideally every minute (unless you are getting a blockage of jobs being backed up due to repeated requests.)  Xeroom will run one cron job per batch and will not spawn another job until the previous one has completed to avoid a log-jam.

For scheduled synchs running under cron the batches are processed at the same rate as the cron time interval, eg if cron is set to run every 5 mins and synch is hourly with say 3 batches then it will run the first batch each hour, then 5 mins later the next batch and so on.  For more visibility you can install a cron manager or scheduling plugin, there are lots and WP Control is a good one that shows both events and schedules.

For further info please see https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/cron/ and https://www.wpeditorial.com/how-and-why-to-use-the-server-cron-instead-of-wp-cron/.

Q:  Can you send me the cron line to call the function: xeroom_sync_schedule?

A: https://wpspeedmatters.com/external-cron-jobs-in-wordpress/ Gives can find a detailed way to setup and achieve a 3rd party cron job on WordPress. Here is a short resume:

• First, disable define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);
• After that, go to the hosting dashboard cron job, create a new cron that executes every 1 or 2 minutes and add the URL wget -q -O - https://www.yourdomain.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron >/dev/null 2>&1

Some of the better hosts provide WordPress cron management solutions eg Cloudways offer the below.  Ask your host if they offer this if you are not IT competent.