[Closed] Custom post expiry date and email notifications of expiry

[Author]

Posts

[nickH-5]

I have used this solution to expire posts to pending review status based on a user entered date in a form https://toolset.com/forums/topic/set-the-post-expiration-date-within-a-form/

I have used this code

add_action('cred_save_data', 'set_expiry_date', 10, 2);

function set_expiry_date($post_id, $form_data){

	// if a specific form - create package or edit package

	if ($form_data['id']==193702 OR $form_data['id']==193801)

	{

		if (isset($_POST['expiry']['datepicker']))

		{

			// add it to saved post meta

			
			
            
           
			
			$new_status_arr = array( 'post_status' => 'pending', 'custom_actions' => array() );
            update_post_meta($post_id, '_cred_post_expiration_action', $new_status_arr);
			
			
                    
			
			update_post_meta($post_id, '_cred_post_expiration_time', $_POST['expiry']['datepicker']);
			

		}

	}

}

It works well, but I have also set up a notification in the form to alert the post author by email when the post status changes to pending review. The email is not sent for some reason.

[Waqar]

Hi,

Thank you for contacting us and I'd be happy to assist.

To troubleshoot this, I'll need to see how this form and the notification are set up in the admin area.

Can you please share temporary admin login details, along with the link to the form page?

Note: Your next reply will be private and making a complete backup copy is recommended before sharing the access details.

regards,
Waqar

[Waqar]

Thank you for sharing these details, but I'm getting the error 'The username or password you entered is incorrect'.

Can you please check them again?

Note: I'm setting your next reply as private.

[Waqar]

Thank you for sharing the access details.

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still working on this and will be able to share an update, within the next few hours.

Thank you for your patience.

[Waqar]

Thank you for waiting.

I've been running some tests with the same custom code and the form and notification settings, on a couple of different testing servers and everything worked as expected.

The post status was changed as per the expiry date field and the form notification was sent too.

I've now added a couple of test package posts through that form, on your website and will wait for the notification to fire after midnight today.
( For the test admin user you've provided, I've updated my email address so that I can receive the notification, as the post author )

I'll keep you updated with those packages and the notifications accordingly.

[Waqar]

Thank you for waiting.

After several tests with the notifications on my test website and yours, I can confirm that the issue is specific to your specific website.

Do we have your permission to download the clone/snapshot of your website to investigate this further on a different server? This will allow us to debug this, without affecting the actual website.

[nickH-5]

Yes. Thanks for being so thorough on this. You have my permission to take a clone of the site

[Waqar]

Thank you for the permission and I have downloaded the website's clone.

I'll be running some tests on this clone and will share the findings, as soon as this testing completes.

[Waqar]

Just wanted to update you that I'm still working on this.

I'll share the results as soon as some existing tests are completed.

[nickH-5]

Thanks a lot for keeping me up to date

[Waqar]

Thank you for waiting, as I was able to narrow down the conflict on your website.

On your website's clone, I noticed that there were many custom time intervals registered, for the forms to check for the post-expiration date/time.

This option is available at WP Admin -> Toolset -> Settings -> Forms, under the section 'Post expiration'.

I couldn't find any custom code that was being used to register these custom intervals, so these intervals must be coming from some existing or past third-party plugins.

Here are the steps, that I'll recommend:

1. You can register a custom interval that checks for the post-expirations, every 12 hours, using the following code:
( it can be included in the active child theme's 'functions.php' file )

add_filter ('cred_post_expiration_cron_schedules', 'custom_function_12hours_interval', 10,1);
  
function custom_function_12hours_interval ($schedules) {
    $schedules['twelve'] = array( 'interval' => 720 * MINUTE_IN_SECONDS, 'display' => __( 'Every 12 hours' ) );
    return $schedules;
}

2. Next, from WP Admin -> Toolset -> Settings -> Forms, under the section 'Post expiration', select this newly registered time interval 'Every 12 hours'.

3. Using the form 'Create package', add 3 new package posts, with the expiration date set to tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the two days after tomorrow, respectively.

Important note: When we select a date through the date field, the time for the selected date is set to 12 at midnight of the selected date. And since we've set the form to check every 12 hours, you can expect the post-expiration code to work for those posts, around and after midday of the selected dates.

Please run this test and you'll see that the expiration code and notification will be working as scheduled.

[nickH-5]

Thanks; I will test this and report back. I really appreciate all your help.

[Waqar]

Glad I could help and I'll wait to hear back from you.

[nickH-5]

The test worked well for the 1 day later expiry date.

Following that, I amended slightly the content of the message being sent by the form but made not other changes. The 2 day out and 3 day out notifications did not send/ Can you think why this might be? Thanks.

[Nigel]

Hi Nick

Waqar is off this week, let me step in here.

I logged in to your site to check the setup.

The code you shared at the outset applies to 2 forms, Create package, and Edit package.

Only the Create package form adds a notification, a single notification for when the post status changes to Pending.

Your code takes a date field from the form and sets the post to expire (change status to pending) at that date.

So only one notification can ever be sent.

Hence, I don't understand your last update: "the 2 day out and 3 day out notifications did not send".

What 2 day out and 3 day out notifications?

One notification should be sent, when the post expires (is changed to pending).