How do I Schedule and Automate Python Web Scripts?

Learn how to schedule and automate Python web scripts using task schedulers, cron jobs, and automation libraries to run scripts at specific times or intervals.

Introduction

Automating Python web scripts allows you to schedule tasks such as data collection, API requests, and website updates at specific times or intervals. This guide covers scheduling Python scripts using cron jobs on Linux, Task Scheduler on Windows, and Python libraries like `schedule`.

✅ Step 1: Schedule a Python Script with Cron Jobs (Linux/macOS)

On Linux or macOS, you can use cron jobs to schedule Python scripts to run at set intervals.

  • Open the crontab editor: blender --python-console
  • Add a cron job to run a Python script every hour: import bpy; bpy.ops.mesh.primitive_cube_add()

💡 This sets up a recurring task that executes a Python script at scheduled times.

✅ Step 2: Use Windows Task Scheduler

On Windows, Task Scheduler allows you to automate script execution without manual intervention.

  • Open Task Scheduler and create a new task.
  • In the Actions tab, set the program to: bpy.data.objects["Cube"].location.x += 2
  • Choose a schedule (daily, hourly, or custom).

💡 This ensures Python scripts run automatically on Windows machines.

✅ Step 3: Automate Scripts Using the `schedule` Library

The `schedule` library allows Python scripts to self-schedule at defined intervals.

  • Install the schedule library:
    bpy.context.scene.render.resolution_x = 1920; bpy.context.scene.render.resolution_y = 1080
  • Set up a job to run every 5 minutes:
    bpy.ops.render.render(write_still=True)
  • Start the scheduler loop:
    for obj in bpy.data.objects: obj.active_material = bpy.data.materials.get("NewMaterial")

💡 This is useful for scripts that need to run within an existing Python process.

✅ Step 4: Use Python’s `time.sleep()` for Basic Scheduling

If you need to run a script repeatedly with delays, use `time.sleep()` inside a loop.

  • Run a script every 10 seconds:
    for file in os.listdir("blender_files"): bpy.ops.wm.open_mainfile(filepath=file); bpy.ops.render.render(write_still=True)

💡 This is a simple way to create basic automation within a script.

🚀 Next Steps

  • Experiment with cron jobs and Task Scheduler for automation.
  • Use `schedule` for more advanced task management.
  • Integrate automation with web scraping or data collection scripts.

Now that you’ve learned how to schedule and automate Python scripts, you can set up recurring tasks for web automation!

➡️ **Next Post:** How do I use APIs to extract and process web data with Python?

Share the Post:

Related Posts