Running script/runner in production environment

Problem
Following from a previous post about email scheduling with runner and cron, it turns out that the runner default behaviour is to run in the development environment.

Solution
Although by reading the help for the script/runner, there is a suggestion to run it with the -e production added to the end, it doesn’t seem to be working.

The solution to make it running in the production environment was to delete the first line (shebang) from step 3 on this post

#!/usr/bin/env /path_to_your_app/script/runner

and then use the following in the cron setup:

RAILS_ENV=production /path/to/your_ror_project/script/runner /path/to/your_ror_project/lib/email_scheduler.rb

Have a look on paragraph Alternative Usage here

Ruby on Rails email scheduling using runner and cron

Problem
You want to send emails from a Ruby on Rails application, when there is a specific condition on a database table. If the database table gets modified by another application outside Rails you cannot use an observer model.

Solution
We already assume that:

  • You are using a database
  • You have a model named voicemail (id, number_id, audio, created_at, updated_at)
  • You have a model named number (id, voicemail_email_set, voicemail_email, ….)
  • A mail server to use (smtp in our case)
  • Another application (voice application) populates the voicemail table but with empty updated_at values

So the steps we have to follow are:

  1. Change the settings in your config/environment.rb file to use the settings for your mail server, and make sure you restart your application after the changes:
    ActionMailer::Base.smtp_settings = {
      :address        => "yourmailserver.com",
      :port           =>  25,
      :domain         => "your.domain.com",
      :authentication => :login,
      :user_name      => "your_smtp_username",
      :password       => "your_smtp_password",
      :raise_delivery_errors  => true}
  2. Create your mailer model (ie voicemail_mailer.rb), in app/models:
    class VoicemailMailer < ActionMailer::Base
       # We need the open-uri to be able to open url *** if the file to attach is in an http location ***
      require 'open-uri'
     
      def sent(email_to,email_from,email_subject,email_body,voicemail_to_send)
        # Check to see if we have a file for the email body message
        @subject    = email_subject
        @body       = email_body
        @recipients = email_to
        @from       = email_from
        @sent_on    = Time.now
        
        # Split the file in directory and filename
        file_path = File.split(voicemail_to_send)
        file_dir  = file_path[0]
        file_name = file_path[1]
        
        # Get the file
        tmp_file = open(voicemail_to_send).read
        
        part( :content_type => "application/wav", 
              :disposition => "attachment; filename=#{file_name}", 
              :transfer_encoding => "base64") do |attachment|
                attachment.body = tmp_file
        end
      end
    end
    
  3. Create your email scheduler in file lib/email_scheduler.rb:
    #!/usr/bin/env /path_to_your_app/script/runner
    
    # get all the voicemails that have not been sent yet 
    voicemails_to_email = VoiceMail.find(:all, :conditions => 'updated_at is null')
    
    # For all the voicemails we have, send them and update the field date_sent
    for vm2email in voicemails_to_email do
      # Get the number for the voicemail
      number = Number.find(vm2email.number_id)
      
      # check to see if the send to email is set for the number
      if number.voicemail_email_set
        # Get number details (email_to,email_from etc)
        email_to          = number.voicemail_email
        voicemail_to_send = vm2email.audio
        # Set other details
        email_from      = 'Service@yourdomain.com'
        email_subject   = 'Please find attached your voicemail message'
        email_body      = "Received on: #{Time.now} \n for number: #{number.phone_no}"
    
        # Now send the email
        VoicemailMailer.deliver_sent(email_to,email_from,email_subject,email_body,voicemail_to_send)
    
        # And update the record's date_sent field
        vm2email.updated_at = Time.now
        vm2email.save
      end
    end
    
  4. Create a task in your crontab that runs the scheduler (every five minutes):
    0,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55 * * * * path_to_your_ror_app/lib/email_scheduler.rb