gocron: Go Job Scheduling Library

Always reference these instructions first and fallback to search or bash commands only when you encounter unexpected information that does not match the info here.

Working Effectively

Bootstrap and Build Commands

• Install dependencies: go mod tidy
• Build the library: go build -v ./...
• Install required tools:
  • go install go.uber.org/mock/mockgen@latest
  • export PATH=$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin (add to shell profile)
• Generate mocks: make mocks
• Format code: make fmt

Testing Commands

• Run all tests: make test -- takes 50 seconds. NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 90+ seconds.
• Run CI tests: make test_ci -- takes 50 seconds. NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 90+ seconds.
• Run with coverage: make test_coverage -- takes 50 seconds. NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 90+ seconds.
• Run specific tests: go test -v -race -count=1 ./...

Linting Commands

• Format verification: grep "^func [a-zA-Z]" example_test.go | sort -c
• Full linting: make lint -- MAY FAIL due to golangci-lint config compatibility issues. This is a known issue.
• Alternative basic linting: go vet ./... and gofmt -d .

Validation

Required Validation Steps

• ALWAYS run make test before submitting changes. Tests must pass.
• ALWAYS run make fmt to ensure proper formatting.
• ALWAYS run make mocks if you change interface definitions.
• ALWAYS verify examples still work by running them: cd examples/elector && go run main.go

Manual Testing Scenarios

Since this is a library, not an application, testing involves:

1. Basic Scheduler Creation: Verify you can create a scheduler with gocron.NewScheduler()
2. Job Creation: Verify you can create jobs with various JobDefinition types
3. Scheduler Lifecycle: Verify Start() and Shutdown() work correctly
4. Example Validation: Run examples in examples/ directory to ensure functionality

Example validation script:

package main
import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
    "github.com/go-co-op/gocron/v2"
)
func main() {
    s, err := gocron.NewScheduler()
    if err != nil { panic(err) }
    j, err := s.NewJob(
        gocron.DurationJob(2*time.Second),
        gocron.NewTask(func() { fmt.Println("Working!") }),
    )
    if err != nil { panic(err) }
    fmt.Printf("Job ID: %s\n", j.ID())
    s.Start()
    time.Sleep(6 * time.Second)
    s.Shutdown()
}

CI Requirements

The CI will fail if:

• Tests don't pass (make test_ci)
• Function order in example_test.go is incorrect
• golangci-lint finds issues (though config compatibility varies)

Common Tasks

Repository Structure

.
├── README.md              # Main documentation
├── CONTRIBUTING.md        # Contribution guidelines
├── SECURITY.md           # Security policy
├── Makefile              # Build automation
├── go.mod               # Go module definition
├── .github/             # GitHub workflows and configs
├── .golangci.yaml       # Linting configuration
├── examples/            # Usage examples
│   └── elector/         # Distributed elector example
├── mocks/               # Generated mock files
├── *.go                # Library source files
└── *_test.go           # Test files

Key Source Files

• scheduler.go - Main scheduler implementation
• job.go - Job definitions and scheduling logic
• executor.go - Job execution engine
• logger.go - Logging interfaces and implementations
• distributed.go - Distributed scheduling support
• monitor.go - Job monitoring interfaces
• util.go - Utility functions
• errors.go - Error definitions

Dependencies and Versions

• Requires Go 1.23.0+ (CI matrix pins to stable/oldstable — see .github/workflows/go_test.yml)
• Key dependencies automatically managed via go mod:
  • github.com/google/uuid - UUID generation
  • github.com/jonboulle/clockwork - Time mocking for tests
  • github.com/robfig/cron/v3 - Cron expression parsing
  • github.com/stretchr/testify - Testing utilities
  • go.uber.org/goleak - Goroutine leak detection

Testing Patterns

• Uses table-driven tests following Go best practices
• Extensive use of goroutine leak detection (may be skipped in CI via TEST_ENV)
• Mock-based testing for interfaces
• Race condition detection enabled (-race flag)
• 93.8% test coverage expected

Build and Release

• No application to build - this is a library
• Version managed via Git tags (v2.x.x)
• Distribution via Go module system
• CI tests on Go stable and oldstable (see .github/workflows/go_test.yml)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. mockgen not found: Install with go install go.uber.org/mock/mockgen@latest
2. golangci-lint config errors: Known compatibility issue - use go vet instead
3. Test timeouts: Tests can take 50+ seconds, always set adequate timeouts
4. PATH issues: Ensure $(go env GOPATH)/bin is in PATH
5. Import errors in examples: Run go mod tidy to resolve dependencies

Expected Timings

• make test: ~50 seconds
• make test_coverage: ~50 seconds
• make test_ci: ~50 seconds
• go build: ~5 seconds
• make mocks: ~2 seconds
• make fmt: <1 second

Known Limitations

• golangci-lint configuration may have compatibility issues with certain versions
• Some tests are skipped in CI environments (controlled by TEST_ENV variable)
• Examples directory has no tests but should be manually validated