EPG Refresh Scheduler

Schedule M3U playlist and EPG data refreshes with cron expressions. Example "0 3 * * *" to run everyday at 3am.

Quick setup

1. Disable Built-in Refresh Intervals
2. Update your timezone to you preferred timezone
3. Enable individual M3U/EPG's that you want to configure for a schedule
4. Add schedule to each M3U/EPG using a cron format (e.g "0 2 * * *" = 2am)
5. Click Save Settings
6. Click Sync Schedules
7. Click View Active Schedules to validate the schedule is correct

Changelog

v1.8.3 (Latest)

Add feature to retry failed updates

v1.7.0

More TZ fixes

v1.6.0

Fixed some TZ issues

v1.4.0

🗑️ Remove All Schedules action

⏸️ Disable Built-in Refresh Intervals action

Confirmation prompts for destructive actions

v1.3.0

Fixed slash notation (0/X → */X)

Auto-normalization of cron expressions

Updated description

Features

• 📡 M3U Account Scheduling - Automatically refresh M3U playlists on schedule
• 📺 EPG Source Scheduling - Automatically refresh EPG data on schedule
• 🌍 Timezone Support - Set schedules in your timezone (33 timezones supported)
• ⏰ Flexible Scheduling - Use standard cron expressions
• 🔄 Auto-normalization - Converts 0/X to */X format automatically
• 🎯 Individual Schedules - Different schedule for each M3U/EPG source
• 📊 Schedule Management - View and sync active schedules

Installation

1. Download epg_refresh_scheduler.zip
2. Go to Dispatcharr → Settings → Plugins
3. Click "Upload Plugin"
4. Select the ZIP file
5. Enable the plugin
6. Restart Dispatcharr: docker restart dispatcharr

Configuration

1. Select Timezone

Choose your timezone from the dropdown (default: UTC). All schedule times will be converted to UTC automatically.

Example timezones:

• US/Central (CST/CDT) - Chicago
• US/Eastern (EST/EDT) - New York
• US/Pacific (PST/PDT) - Los Angeles
• Europe/London (GMT/BST)
• Asia/Tokyo (JST)

2. Schedule M3U Accounts

For each M3U account, check "Enable" and enter a cron expression:

Format: minute hour day month day_of_week

Examples:

• 0 2 * * * - 2:00 AM daily
• 0 */12 * * * - Every 12 hours
• 0 3 * * 0 - 3:00 AM on Sundays only
• 30 4 * * * - 4:30 AM daily
• */5 * * * * - Every 5 minutes

3. Schedule EPG Sources

Same process as M3U accounts - enable and set cron schedule.

Examples:

• 0 3 * * * - 3:00 AM daily
• 0 */6 * * * - Every 6 hours
• 30 2 * * * - 2:30 AM daily

4. Save Settings

Click "Save Settings" to activate the schedules.

Cron Expression Guide

Cron format: minute hour day month day_of_week

Field	Values	Special
minute	0-59	*/5 = every 5 minutes
hour	0-23	*/6 = every 6 hours
day	1-31	* = every day
month	1-12	* = every month
day_of_week	0-6 (Sun-Sat)	* = every day

Special Characters:

• * - Every value (any)
• */X - Every X units
• X-Y - Range from X to Y
• X,Y,Z - Specific values

Common Examples:

• 0 3 * * * - 3:00 AM every day
• 0 */6 * * * - Every 6 hours (midnight, 6am, noon, 6pm)
• */30 * * * * - Every 30 minutes
• 0 0 * * 0 - Midnight every Sunday
• 0 8 * * 1-5 - 8:00 AM Monday through Friday
• 0 2,14 * * * - 2:00 AM and 2:00 PM daily

Note: The plugin automatically converts 0/X to */X format for compatibility.

Timezone Conversion

When you select a timezone and use simple time expressions (like 0 3 * * *), the plugin automatically converts them to UTC.

Example with US/Central:

• You enter: 0 22 * * * (10:00 PM Central)
• Converts to: 0 3 * * * (3:00 AM UTC, which is 10:00 PM Central - 5 hours during CDT)

Complex expressions stay UTC-relative:

• */6 * * * * (every 6 hours) - No conversion, runs every 6 hours in UTC
• 0 */12 * * * (every 12 hours) - No conversion, timezone-independent

This is intentional - expressions like "every 6 hours" are already timezone-independent!

Actions

🔄 Sync Schedules

Reloads your settings and updates all Celery Beat schedules. Use this after making changes.

📅 View Active Schedules

Shows all active scheduled tasks in Celery Beat with their cron expressions (in UTC).

Troubleshooting

Schedules not running?

Check logs:

docker logs -f dispatcharr | grep -i epg_refresh_scheduler

Verify schedules are created:

docker exec dispatcharr python manage.py shell -c "from django_celery_beat.models import PeriodicTask; tasks = PeriodicTask.objects.filter(name__contains='epg_refresh_scheduler'); [print(f'{t.name}: {t.crontab}') for t in tasks]"

Common issues:

1. Forgot to save settings - Click "Save Settings" after making changes
2. Invalid cron expression - Check the format is correct
3. Celery not running - Restart Dispatcharr
4. Wrong timezone - Verify timezone is set correctly

M3U schedules not executing?

Make sure you're on v1.3.0 or later. Earlier versions had the wrong task name.

Slash notation not working?

Upgrade to v1.3.0 or later. The plugin now automatically converts 0/X to */X.

How It Works

1. You configure schedules in your timezone
2. Plugin converts simple times to UTC
3. Celery Beat triggers tasks at scheduled times
4. Tasks execute:
   • M3U: apps.m3u.tasks.refresh_single_m3u_account(m3u_id)
   • EPG: apps.epg.tasks.refresh_all_epg_data()

Version History

• v1.3.0 - Fixed slash notation (0/X → */X), updated description
• v1.2.6 - Fixed M3U task name to use correct task
• v1.2.5 - Cleaner UI with prefixes, hidden "custom" account
• v1.2.4 - Added examples in section headers
• v1.2.3 - UI improvements, removed unnecessary fields
• v1.2.2 - Fixed M3U URL error
• v1.2.1 - Fixed M3U display error
• v1.2.0 - Added M3U account scheduling
• v1.1.1 - Fixed default values, improved validation
• v1.1.0 - Timezone dropdown restored
• v1.0.8 - Initial release with EPG scheduling

Support

For issues or questions, please check the Dispatcharr documentation or community forums.

License

Community Plugin - Free to use and modify