QC Digital Signature Request Timing and Deadlines Scheduled Task

The QC Digital Signature Request Timing and Deadlines task processes due Request timing commands. QCDS creates it with a 5-minute default cadence and stores due times in UTC.

It handles scheduled Request activation, expiration at a deadline, deadline-warning events, and declared routing escalations through leased, retry-safe actions.

What the Task Processes

QCDS stores time-dependent work as scheduled actions. On each run, the task selects pending or retry actions whose UTC due time has arrived and whose lease is available. Current action types include:

  • send_request — activates a scheduled Request and queues its signer invitations.
  • expire_request — moves an eligible nonterminal Request to Expired when its exact deadline is reached.
  • deadline_warning — records that a declared warning point became due so the notification workflow can handle delivery.
  • routing_escalation — processes a declared escalation, such as expiring the Request or activating an alternate routing stage.

Default Five-Minute Cadence

The installer creates this task with a 5-minute default interval. Existing administrator-selected schedules are preserved on update. QCDS treats UTC as the authoritative stored time, while the Request also preserves the selected local time zone/DST resolution for traceability.

A five-minute scheduler cadence is not the same as a promise that Joomla will execute at the exact second. The action becomes eligible at its due UTC time and is processed when Joomla next runs the task.

Why the Worker Is Retry-Safe

Before processing an action, QCDS claims it with a temporary lease so another worker cannot perform the same action simultaneously. A successful action is marked completed. A failed action is moved to retry with increasing backoff; repeated failures eventually stop retrying and remain visible for diagnosis.

This design is especially important for scheduled sending and expiration because re-running the scheduler should not create duplicate state transitions or duplicate a successfully claimed command.

Deadline Extensions Replace Old Timing Work

When an authorized user extends a Request deadline, QCDS cancels pending/retry expiration and deadline-warning actions for the old deadline, schedules the new expiration/warnings, and extends still-usable invitation links while preserving the original Request timeline.

When Scheduled Sending or Expiration Is Late

  1. Open System > Scheduled Tasks and confirm QC Digital Signature Request Timing and Deadlines is enabled.
  2. Review its last run, next run, and result.
  3. Confirm Joomla's scheduler runner is actually being triggered; a valid task row can still be overdue on a quiet site.
  4. Check the Request's configured time zone, scheduled time, and deadline before changing them.
  5. Review the Request timeline and scheduled-action error state for a retry/failure rather than resending or recreating the Request immediately.

Do Not Create a Second Timing Worker

The installer maintains one canonical Request Timing and Deadlines task and disables duplicates. If it is missing or damaged, repair the current package/task installation instead of running two copies of the same timing worker.

Community Discussion

Want to compare workflows, share practical tips, or discuss how you use this QCDS feature? Visit the QC Digital Signature Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific issues, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.