Scheduling an Activity
This page explains how members schedule an activity post on a BuddyPress or BuddyBoss site.
Where the schedule feature appears
Section titled “Where the schedule feature appears”The scheduling option is available wherever the activity posting form (“What’s new?”) appears:
- The main Activity page
- Your profile page
- Any group you belong to (with posting rights)
Step by step
Section titled “Step by step”1. Write your post
Section titled “1. Write your post”Click the “What’s new?” area and type your content. You can add links, mentions, and any media your site supports before scheduling.
2. Open the scheduling dropdown
Section titled “2. Open the scheduling dropdown”Look for the clock icon in the posting toolbar. It may appear as a small clock symbol among the other posting options (media, GIF, etc., depending on your theme).
Click the clock icon. A small dropdown appears with two options:
- Schedule Activity - Opens the date/time picker.
- View Scheduled Activities - Goes to your Scheduled Posts profile tab.
3. Open the date/time picker
Section titled “3. Open the date/time picker”Click Schedule Activity. A modal popup opens showing:
- The current server date and time (so you know the baseline).
- A Date field (format:
yyyy-mm-dd). - A Time field (format:
hh:mm). - AM/PM radio buttons.
4. Set the date
Section titled “4. Set the date”Click the Date field. A date picker appears. Select a future date. The date is stored in YYYY-MM-DD format internally.
Time zone note: The date and time you set are interpreted in the site’s configured timezone (set in WordPress > Settings > General). If you are in a different timezone, convert accordingly before scheduling.
5. Set the time
Section titled “5. Set the time”Click the Time field and enter the time in hh:mm format, then choose AM or PM.
The Next button becomes active once both date and time are filled in.
6. Confirm the schedule
Section titled “6. Confirm the schedule”Click Next (labeled “Schedule” in some themes). The plugin:
- Validates the date and time.
- Saves the post with a future
date_recordedvalue. - Marks the activity as
scheduledin activity meta. - Shows a success message confirming the scheduled date and time, with a link to “View all scheduled activities.”
If the scheduled time is in the past, the plugin shows a warning (“Schedule time is in the past”) and will not save the schedule.
7. Post submits normally
Section titled “7. Post submits normally”The activity is submitted to BuddyPress. You will see a confirmation strip in the posting area that says the activity was scheduled. The posting form resets, ready for a new post.
What happens at the scheduled time
Section titled “What happens at the scheduled time”WordPress cron runs every minute. When it fires after the scheduled time:
- The plugin queries the database for activities where
date_recorded <= nowand_bp_activity_status = scheduled. - It marks each match as
publishing(atomic update to prevent duplicate processing). - It removes the
_bp_activity_statusmeta so the activity becomes visible in the public feed. - It updates
date_recordedto the current time so the activity appears at the top of the feed with an accurate timestamp.
Canceling before it publishes
Section titled “Canceling before it publishes”You can delete a scheduled post any time before its publish time. See Managing Scheduled Posts.
Editing a scheduled post
Section titled “Editing a scheduled post”Editing is not supported. To change the content or date of a scheduled post, delete it and create a new one.
Platform differences
Section titled “Platform differences”| Platform | Where the clock icon appears |
|---|---|
| BuddyPress (Nouveau) | Below the text area in the posting options row |
| BuddyBoss Platform | In the posting toolbar alongside media/GIF icons |
| Youzify theme | In the activity tools area (uses bp_activity_post_form_tools hook) |
The scheduling modal and the underlying behavior are the same across all platforms.