WooPlugin .pro
Get Started
Documentation

Scheduled Updates

Automatically regenerate feeds on a schedule to keep data fresh.

Overview

Scheduled updates automatically regenerate your product feeds at regular intervals. This ensures platforms like Google Merchant Center always have up-to-date pricing, availability, and product information.

Why Schedule Updates?

Product data changes frequently:

  • Prices update during sales
  • Stock levels change as orders come in
  • New products get added
  • Product details get updated

Platforms fetch your feed on their own schedule, but they can only get current data if your feed is current.

Setting Up Schedules

Per-Feed Schedule

Each feed can have its own update schedule:

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Product Feeds Pro
  2. Click on a feed to edit it
  3. Find Update Schedule
  4. Choose a frequency
  5. Save the feed

Available Frequencies

FrequencyBest For
Every 15 minutesHigh-volume stores, flash sales
HourlyActive stores, frequent inventory changes
Every 6 hoursStandard stores, moderate changes
DailyStable inventory, few changes
WeeklyCatalog sites, rarely changing products
Manual onlyTesting, one-time exports

How Scheduled Updates Work

WordPress Cron

Updates run via WordPress’s built-in scheduling system (WP-Cron):

  1. A scheduled task is registered for each feed
  2. When due, WordPress triggers the regeneration
  3. The feed file is recreated with current data
  4. Platforms fetch the updated file

Background Processing

Large catalogs use background processing:

  • Feed generation runs in chunks
  • Won’t timeout on large stores
  • Doesn’t block admin operations
  • Progress shown in dashboard

Timing Considerations

When to Update

Consider when your data changes most:

  • After daily inventory syncs
  • Before peak shopping hours
  • After automated price updates

Coordinating with Platform Fetches

Platforms fetch feeds on their own schedule. For best results:

  1. Check platform fetch times in their dashboards
  2. Schedule your updates to complete before fetches
  3. Allow buffer time for generation

Example: Google fetches at 6 AM → Schedule update for 5 AM

Server Resources

Feed generation uses server resources. Consider:

Shared Hosting

  • Use longer intervals (6 hours or daily)
  • Avoid peak traffic times
  • Monitor for timeout issues

VPS/Dedicated

  • Shorter intervals are fine
  • Background processing handles load well
  • Can run during any time

Memory Usage

Large catalogs need more memory:

// In wp-config.php if needed
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

Manual Regeneration

You can regenerate feeds manually anytime:

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Product Feeds Pro
  2. Find your feed
  3. Click Regenerate
  4. Wait for completion

This doesn’t affect the automatic schedule.

Monitoring Updates

Last Update Time

Each feed shows:

  • Last successful update
  • Next scheduled update
  • Generation status

Update History

View recent update history:

  1. Click on a feed
  2. Go to History tab
  3. See past regenerations with timestamps

Error Notifications

If updates fail, you’ll see:

  • Error status on the feed
  • Details in the History tab
  • Admin notice for critical failures

Troubleshooting Schedules

Updates Not Running

Check these common issues:

  1. WP-Cron disabled: Some hosts disable WP-Cron. Set up a real cron job:

    */15 * * * * wget -q -O - https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php > /dev/null 2>&1

  2. Caching issues: Aggressive caching can interfere. Exclude cron from cache.

  3. Memory limits: Increase PHP memory if generation times out.

Updates Taking Too Long

For large catalogs:

  • The plugin processes feeds efficiently in the background
  • Consider filtering unnecessary products from feeds
  • Increase PHP memory limits if needed

Feeds Outdated Despite Schedule

  • Verify the schedule is set correctly
  • Check WP-Cron is running (install Health Check plugin)
  • Look for PHP errors in logs
  • Ensure sufficient memory/time limits

Best Practices

Match Update Frequency to Changes

  • Flash sale starting? Update every 15 minutes during the sale
  • Normal day? Hourly or 6-hour updates are fine
  • Nothing changing? Daily is sufficient

Monitor Feed Health

Regularly check:

  • Feed URL accessibility
  • Platform diagnostics for data issues
  • Update history for failures

Large Catalogs

For stores with 500+ products:

  • Feed generation runs efficiently in the background
  • Consider filtering to only include products you’re advertising
  • Ensure adequate PHP memory (256MB recommended)