Rules scheduler for expire role and sending reminder email fire all at the same time

Question

I have 3 rules which make up my "membership".

Assign role when product X gets purchased (This one works!)
Send a reminder email after 2 minutes.
Remove role after 4 minutes.

Please note the 2 and 4 minutes are only there for testing purposes, they will become 350 and 365 days.

While both 2. or 3. work, I have two issues:

Rules n2 and n3 fire at the same time, so at 2 mins mark not only the email is sent, but also the role is removed.
Let's say user MARK purchase product X, and a minute after, JOE does the same. After 2 minutes that MARK purchased the product X, MARK gets the reminder email, his role is removed but also JOE gets the reminder email, and his role is removed.

It seems as soon something triggers, all do.

As you can see from the exports, I made one rule trigger from x minutes of the commerce order completed, and the other from the role assigned, thinking that relating to 2 different events, I would solve the issue. It didn't work.

Here are the exports of my rules:

Rule "Send a reminder" component:

{ "rules_sends_email_to_pipps_reminder_1_week_prior_expiry" : {
"LABEL" : "Sends Email to PIPPS Reminder 1 week prior expiry",
"PLUGIN" : "rule set",
"OWNER" : "rules",
"REQUIRES" : [ "rules" ],
"USES VARIABLES" : { "user_argument" : { "label" : "User {argument}", "type" : "user" } },
"RULES" : [
  { "RULE" : {
      "DO" : [
        { "mail" : {
            "to" : "[commerce-order:mail]",
            "subject" : "Heads up!",
            "message" : "Yo! Heads up!",
            "from" : "pipps@siteemail.com",
            "language" : [ "site:current-cart-order:state" ]
          }
        }
      ],
      "LABEL" : "Send email reminder to PIPPS"
    }
  }
]

} }

Rule "Send a reminder" trigger:

{ "rules_send_reminder_email_to_pipps_role_trigger_rule_" : {
"LABEL" : "Send reminder email to PIPPS Role {trigger rule}",
"PLUGIN" : "reaction rule",
"OWNER" : "rules",
"REQUIRES" : [ "commerce_order", "rules", "rules_scheduler", "commerce_checkout" ],
"ON" : { "commerce_checkout_complete" : [] },
"IF" : [
  { "commerce_order_contains_product" : {
      "commerce_order" : [ "commerce_order" ],
      "product_id" : "PIPPS",
      "operator" : "=",
      "value" : "1"
    }
  }
],
"DO" : [
  { "schedule" : {
      "component" : "rules_sends_email_to_pipps_reminder_1_week_prior_expiry",
      "date" : {
        "select" : "site:current-cart-order:created",
        "date_offset" : { "value" : 120 }
      },
      "identifier" : "Reminder email to [account:uid]",
      "param_user_argument" : [ "commerce-order:owner" ]
    }
  }
]

} }

Rule "Role Expire" component:

{ "rules_expire_pipps_role_rule_set_" : {
"LABEL" : "Expire PIPPS Role {rule_set}",
"PLUGIN" : "rule set",
"OWNER" : "rules",
"REQUIRES" : [ "rules" ],
"USES VARIABLES" : { "user_argument" : { "label" : "User {argument}", "type" : "user" } },
"RULES" : [
  { "RULE" : {
      "DO" : [
        { "user_remove_role" : {
            "account" : [ "user_argument" ],
            "roles" : { "value" : { "13" : "13" } }
          }
        }
      ],
      "LABEL" : "Expire action {rule}"
    }
  }
]

} }

Rule "Expire Role" trigger:

{ "rules_remove_pipps_role_trigger_rule_" : {
"LABEL" : "Remove PIPPS Role {trigger rule}",
"PLUGIN" : "reaction rule",
"OWNER" : "rules",
"REQUIRES" : [ "rules", "rules_scheduler" ],
"ON" : { "user_update" : [] },
"IF" : [
  { "user_has_role" : { "account" : [ "account" ], "roles" : { "value" : { "13" : "13" } } } }
],
"DO" : [
  { "schedule" : {
      "component" : "rules_expire_pipps_role_rule_set_",
      "date" : {
        "select" : "site:current-cart-order:created",
        "date_offset" : { "value" : 240 }
      },
      "identifier" : "Remove User role [account:uid]",
      "param_user_argument" : [ "account" ]
    }
  }
]

} }

Any suggestion is very appreciated! Thanks.

Remember that rules scheduler is calling when cron is run. When you call your cron to work, all schedulers that are not did, should be call. — lamp5, Jan 19 '18 at 15:35
Hi @lamp5 Thank you for your suggestion. My understanding is that when I have a date offset (like i do on those triggers) cron check if that date offset is met and then fires those rules. So you are telling me that no matter the date offset value it, it will get called anyhow?Thanks — Marameo, Jan 23 '18 at 02:22

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 02 '18 at 11:03

Your Rules (and Rules Components), seem to "work as implemented" ... You 'issue' appears to be that you should be more patient during your testing ... Read on for more details ...

Understanding what is happening

After a rule is scheduled (using the Rules Scheduler submodule), it will only actually execute next time cron runs.

Example:

schedule a 1st Rules Component to execute at timestamp X1.
if the next time that cron runs is at Y mins after timestamp X1, then the execution of this 1st Rules Component will only happen then (= at Y mins after timestamp X1).
schedule a 2nd Rules Component to execute at timestamp X2.
if the next time that cron runs is at Y mins after timestamp X2, then the execution of this 2nd Rules Component will only happen then (= at Y mins after timestamp X2).

Because of what is described in the scenario of your question, it seems that timestamp X2 is happening BEFORE Y mins after timestamp X1. That would also explain why BOTH Rules Components actually execute (more or less) at the same time.

Remedy to make it work as you really want

Assuming that your cron jobs are running every hour, a straight forward (minor) fix to your Rules Components that is scheduled after 4 minutes, would be to schedule them after (e.g) 2 hours instead. So that you are sure that both Rules Component are not actually executed during the very same cron job.

Rules scheduler for expire role and sending reminder email fire all at the same time

1 Answers1

Understanding what is happening

Remedy to make it work as you really want