Spring Job Scheduling using Task Scheduler - Cron expression (XML Config) | Spring tutorial

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1. Introduction to Spring Task Scheduler with Cron Expression

Spring provides built-in task scheduling support via the task namespace, allowing you to trigger background tasks without external third-party libraries. When you need complex scheduling conditions—such as running a job at specific seconds, minutes, hours, or days—cron expressions offer the ultimate flexibility.

In this tutorial, you will discover how to configure a Spring task:scheduler and execute bean methods using XML-based cron triggers.

2. Creating the Service Component

First, define a simple Spring bean that contains the task method you want to execute periodically:

@Component("reportCurrentTime")
public class ReportCurrentTime {

    public void printCurrentTime() {
        System.out.println("Cron Task Executed at: " + new Date());
    }
}

3. Configuring Spring XML with the Task Namespace

To configure scheduling, declare the task schema in your XML configuration and set up task:scheduler alongside task:scheduled-tasks:

<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
       xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
       xmlns:task="http://www.springframework.org/schema/task"
       xsi:schemaLocation="
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans 
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/context 
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context.xsd
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/task 
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/task/spring-task.xsd">

    <context:component-scan base-package="com.ram.scheduler" />

    <!-- Define Task Scheduler Pool Size -->
    <task:scheduler id="myScheduler" pool-size="5" />

    <!-- Configure Scheduled Tasks using Cron Expression -->
    <task:scheduled-tasks scheduler="myScheduler">
        <task:scheduled ref="reportCurrentTime" 
                        method="printCurrentTime" 
                        cron="0/5 * * * * ?" />
    </task:scheduled-tasks>

</beans>

4. Understanding the Cron Expression Syntax

Spring's cron expression consists of 6 fields:

• second: 0-59 (e.g., 0/5 fires every 5 seconds)
• minute: 0-59
• hour: 0-23
• day of month: 1-31
• month: 1-12 or JAN-DEC
• day of week: 1-7 or SUN-SAT (? indicates no specific value)

5. Running and Verifying the Setup

Bootstrap your application by loading the Spring XML context with ClassPathXmlApplicationContext. The configured scheduler thread pool automatically schedules your target method according to the specified cron expression.

---

Related Video Tutorials

• Spring Task Scheduling: Configuring Fixed Rate with Task Scheduler (XML Config) | Spring Scheduler
• Scheduling Jobs with @Scheduled Annotation (Initial Delay) | Spring Scheduler Tutorial
• Spring Boot Task Scheduling: How to Schedule Tasks at Fixed Rates

---

Click here to watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHKr6O1WBQc&list=UUhwKlOVR041tngjerWxVccw

Click the below Image to Enlarge:

Spring Job Scheduling using Task Scheduler - Cron expression (XML Config) | Spring tutorial

Spring Job Scheduling using Task Scheduler - Cron expression (XML Config) | Spring tutorial

Spring Job Scheduling using Task Scheduler - Cron expression (XML Config) | Spring tutorial

pom.xml

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
    <groupId>com.ram.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>SpringDemo</artifactId>
    <packaging>jar</packaging>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
    <name>SpringDemo</name>
    <url>http://maven.apache.org</url>

    <properties>
        <spring.version>5.0.9.RELEASE</spring.version>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>junit</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
            <version>3.8.1</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
        </dependency>


        <!-- Spring 5 dependencies -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>


        <!-- https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.springframework/spring-context-support -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-context-support</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>

    </dependencies>

</project>

ScheduledTasks.java

package com.ram.scheduler;

import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;


public class ScheduledTasks
{
   
    private static final SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(
            "HH:mm:ss");

    public void reportCurrentTime()
    {
        System.out.println(
                "Current time = " + dateFormat.format(new Date()));
    }
}

Spring-Scheduler.xml

<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
    xmlns:task="http://www.springframework.org/schema/task"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-4.3.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-4.3.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/task
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/task/spring-task-3.0.xsd">

    <bean id="scheduledTasks" class="com.ram.scheduler.ScheduledTasks" />

    <!-- Configure the scheduler -->
    <task:scheduler id="myScheduler" pool-size="10" />

    <!-- Configure parameters -->
    <task:scheduled-tasks scheduler="myScheduler">
        <task:scheduled ref="scheduledTasks" method="reportCurrentTime"
            cron="*/10 * * * * MON-FRI" />
    </task:scheduled-tasks>

</beans>

App.java

package com.ram.core;

import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;

public class App
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        ApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
                "Spring-Scheduler.xml");
    }
}

Output

Dec 04, 2018 9:16:37 AM org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext prepareRefresh
INFO: Refreshing org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext@4783da3f: startup date [Tue Dec 04 09:16:37 IST 2018]; root of context hierarchy
Dec 04, 2018 9:16:37 AM org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader loadBeanDefinitions
INFO: Loading XML bean definitions from class path resource [Spring-Scheduler.xml]
Dec 04, 2018 9:16:38 AM org.springframework.scheduling.concurrent.ExecutorConfigurationSupport initialize
INFO: Initializing ExecutorService  'myScheduler'
Current time = 09:16:40
Current time = 09:16:50
Current time = 09:17:00
Current time = 09:17:10

Refer: 
https://www.freeformatter.com/cron-expression-generator-quartz.html
 
Click the below link to download the code:
https://sites.google.com/site/ramj2eev2/java_basics/SpringDemo_Schedule_CRON_XML.zip?attredirects=0&d=1

Github Link:
https://github.com/ramram43210/javaee/tree/master/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Schedule_CRON_XML

Bitbucket Link:
https://bitbucket.org/ramram43210/spring/src/0989e369f77ed192b0b224588ebfcdeb2019a6a2/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Schedule_CRON_XML/?at=master

See also:

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All JavaEE Videos

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All Design Patterns Links

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Java Collection Framework Tutorial

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Spring Job Scheduling using Task Scheduler - Fixed delay (XML Config) | Spring Scheduler tutorial

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1. Understanding Fixed Delay in Spring Scheduling

When running repetitive background jobs, you often need to ensure that a task never executes concurrently with itself. With fixed-delay scheduling, the delay timer starts only after the previous task run has fully completed.

Spring's task namespace provides a declarative XML way to manage this behavior using task:scheduler and fixed-delay attributes without having to write extra boilerplate code.

2. Creating the Service Bean

Create a simple Spring-managed component that contains the task method you want to execute repeatedly:

@Component("reportCurrentTime")
public class ReportCurrentTime {

    public void printCurrentTime() {
        System.out.println("Fixed Delay Task executed at: " + new Date());
    }
}

3. Configuring Fixed Delay via Spring XML

In your Spring application context XML, configure the task:scheduler pool and declare the scheduled task with the fixed-delay attribute (value in milliseconds):

<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
       xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
       xmlns:task="http://www.springframework.org/schema/task"
       xsi:schemaLocation="
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans 
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/context 
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context.xsd
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/task 
           http://www.springframework.org/schema/task/spring-task.xsd">

    <context:component-scan base-package="com.ram.scheduler" />

    <!-- Define scheduler pool -->
    <task:scheduler id="myScheduler" pool-size="5" />

    <!-- Schedule task with fixed-delay (e.g., 3000ms = 3 seconds) -->
    <task:scheduled-tasks scheduler="myScheduler">
        <task:scheduled ref="reportCurrentTime" 
                        method="printCurrentTime" 
                        fixed-delay="3000" />
    </task:scheduled-tasks>

</beans>

4. Fixed Delay vs Fixed Rate: Key Differences

• fixed-delay: Waits for the specified duration after the previous execution finishes before triggering the next run. Ideal for long-running jobs that must not overlap.
• fixed-rate: Executes the job at fixed intervals measuring from the start time of the previous execution, regardless of how long the job takes.

5. Running and Verifying Output

Load your XML configuration using ClassPathXmlApplicationContext. The Spring scheduler thread pool will immediately invoke your task method and repeat it every 3 seconds after each completed execution.

---

Related Video Tutorials

• Spring Task Scheduling: Configuring Fixed Rate with Task Scheduler (XML Config) | Spring Scheduler
• Spring Scheduler Tutorial: Scheduling Jobs with @Scheduled Annotation (Fixed Delay)
• Spring Boot Task Scheduling: Implementing Fixed Delays Effectively

---

Click here to watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wp4PKJ1rdI&list=UUhwKlOVR041tngjerWxVccw

Click the below Image to Enlarge:

Spring Job Scheduling using Task Scheduler - Fixed Rate (XML Config) | Spring Scheduler tutorial

Spring Job Scheduling using Task Scheduler - Fixed Rate (XML Config) | Spring Scheduler tutorial

pom.xml

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
    <groupId>com.ram.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>SpringDemo</artifactId>
    <packaging>jar</packaging>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
    <name>SpringDemo</name>
    <url>http://maven.apache.org</url>

    <properties>
        <spring.version>5.0.9.RELEASE</spring.version>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>junit</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
            <version>3.8.1</version>
            <scope>test</scope>
        </dependency>


        <!-- Spring 5 dependencies -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>


        <!-- https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.springframework/spring-context-support -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
            <artifactId>spring-context-support</artifactId>
            <version>${spring.version}</version>
        </dependency>

    </dependencies>

</project>

ScheduledTasks.java

package com.ram.scheduler;

import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;


public class ScheduledTasks
{
   
    private static final SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(
            "HH:mm:ss");

    public void reportCurrentTime()
    {
        System.out.println(
                "Current time = " + dateFormat.format(new Date()));
    }
}

Spring-Scheduler.xml

<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xmlns:context="http://www.springframework.org/schema/context"
    xmlns:task="http://www.springframework.org/schema/task"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-4.3.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/context/spring-context-4.3.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/task
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/task/spring-task-3.0.xsd">

    <bean id="scheduledTasks" class="com.ram.scheduler.ScheduledTasks" />

    <!-- Configure the scheduler -->
    <task:scheduler id="myScheduler" pool-size="10" />

    <!-- Configure parameters -->
    <task:scheduled-tasks scheduler="myScheduler">
        <task:scheduled ref="scheduledTasks" method="reportCurrentTime"
            fixed-delay="5000" />
    </task:scheduled-tasks>

</beans>

App.java

package com.ram.core;

import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
import org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext;

public class App
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        ApplicationContext context = new ClassPathXmlApplicationContext(
                "Spring-Scheduler.xml");
    }
}

Output

Nov 26, 2018 10:13:37 AM org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext prepareRefresh
INFO: Refreshing org.springframework.context.support.ClassPathXmlApplicationContext@4783da3f: startup date [Mon Nov 26 10:13:37 IST 2018]; root of context hierarchy
Nov 26, 2018 10:13:37 AM org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionReader loadBeanDefinitions
INFO: Loading XML bean definitions from class path resource [Spring-Scheduler.xml]
Nov 26, 2018 10:13:38 AM org.springframework.scheduling.concurrent.ExecutorConfigurationSupport initialize
INFO: Initializing ExecutorService  'myScheduler'
Current time = 10:13:38
Current time = 10:13:43
Current time = 10:13:48
Current time = 10:13:53

Click the below link to download the code:
https://sites.google.com/site/ramj2eev2/java_basics/SpringDemo_Schedule_FixedDelay_XML.zip?attredirects=0&d=1

Github Link:
https://github.com/ramram43210/javaee/tree/master/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Schedule_FixedDelay_XML

Bitbucket Link:
https://bitbucket.org/ramram43210/spring/src/0989e369f77ed192b0b224588ebfcdeb2019a6a2/Spring_2018/SpringDemo_Schedule_FixedDelay_XML/?at=master

See also:

All JavaEE Videos Playlist

All JavaEE Videos

All JAVA EE Links

Spring Tutorial

Servlets Tutorial

All Design Patterns Links

JDBC Tutorial

Java Collection Framework Tutorial

JAVA Tutorial

Kids Tutorial

Cooking Tutorial