Getting started

Install

dotnet add package SharpTicker

SharpTicker contains the scheduler and the source generator. Add other packages only for the features you use; see Storage, Dashboard and Running in production. Keep every SharpTicker package on the same version.

Register the scheduler

using SharpTicker.DependencyInjection;

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddSharpTicker();

var app = builder.Build();
app.UseSharpTicker();
app.Run();

AddSharpTicker() registers the scheduler with an in-memory store. UseSharpTicker() is an extension on IHost, so it works in web apps, worker services and console hosts alike.

Note

The in-memory store loses every job when the process stops. Use it for development and tests, and choose a persistent store for anything else.

Write a job

A job is a public or internal method marked with [TickerFunction]:

using SharpTicker.Utilities.Base;

public class EmailJobs
{
    [TickerFunction("SendWelcomeEmail")]
    public Task SendWelcomeEmail(TickerFunctionContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Running job {context.Id}");
        return Task.CompletedTask;
    }
}

The source generator registers it at compile time under the name SendWelcomeEmail. Mistakes such as a duplicate name, an unsupported parameter or an invalid cron expression are reported as compile errors.

Schedule it

Inject ITimeTickerManager<TimeTickerEntity> and add a time job:

using SharpTicker.Utilities.Entities;
using SharpTicker.Utilities.Interfaces.Managers;

public class SignupService(ITimeTickerManager<TimeTickerEntity> tickers)
{
    public Task OnSignupAsync() =>
        tickers.AddAsync(new TimeTickerEntity
        {
            Function = "SendWelcomeEmail",
            ExecutionTime = DateTime.UtcNow.AddMinutes(5)
        });
}

The job runs about five minutes later. Leave ExecutionTime empty to run it as soon as possible.

Run it on a schedule

Give the attribute a cron expression to run the job repeatedly. The format has six fields, with seconds first:

[TickerFunction("NightlyCleanup", "0 0 2 * * *")] // every day at 02:00:00
public Task NightlyCleanup(CancellationToken cancellationToken) => Task.CompletedTask;

Crons declared on attributes are created in the store at startup. See Scheduling for the cron format and time zones.

Next steps

Defining jobs: payloads, dependency injection and supported signatures.
Storage: keep jobs across restarts.
Dashboard: watch and manage jobs in a browser.
The samples folder has complete web, worker, console, MongoDB and dashboard setups.

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