rufus-scheduler 3.1.4 → 3.8.2

data/README.md

@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
 
 # rufus-scheduler
 
-[![Build Status](https://secure.travis-ci.org/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler.png)](http://travis-ci.org/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler)
-[![Gem Version](https://badge.fury.io/rb/rufus-scheduler.png)](http://badge.fury.io/rb/rufus-scheduler)
+[![tests](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/workflows/test/badge.svg)](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/actions)
+[![Gem Version](https://badge.fury.io/rb/rufus-scheduler.svg)](https://badge.fury.io/rb/rufus-scheduler)
+[![Join the chat at https://gitter.im/floraison/fugit](https://badges.gitter.im/floraison/fugit.svg)](https://gitter.im/floraison/fugit?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge)
 
 Job scheduler for Ruby (at, cron, in and every jobs).
 
-**Note**: maybe are you looking for the [README of rufus-scheduler 2.x](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/blob/two/README.rdoc)?
+It uses threads.
+
+**Note**: maybe are you looking for the [README of rufus-scheduler 2.x](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/blob/two/README.rdoc)? (especially if you're using [Dashing](https://github.com/Shopify/dashing) which is [stuck](https://github.com/Shopify/dashing/blob/master/dashing.gemspec) on rufus-scheduler 2.0.24)
 
 Quickstart:
 ```ruby
+# quickstart.rb
+
 require 'rufus-scheduler'
 
 scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new
@@ -19,8 +24,13 @@ scheduler.in '3s' do
 end
 
 scheduler.join
+  #
   # let the current thread join the scheduler thread
+  #
+  # (please note that this join should be removed when scheduling
+  # in a web application (Rails and friends) initializer)
 ```
+(run with `ruby quickstart.rb`)
 
 Various forms of scheduling are supported:
 ```ruby
@@ -41,6 +51,9 @@ end
 scheduler.every '3h' do
   # do something every 3 hours
 end
+scheduler.every '3h10m' do
+  # do something every 3 hours and 10 minutes
+end
 
 scheduler.cron '5 0 * * *' do
   # do something every day, five minutes after midnight
@@ -50,18 +63,24 @@ end
 # ...
 ```
 
+Rufus-scheduler uses [fugit](https://github.com/floraison/fugit) for parsing time strings, [et-orbi](https://github.com/floraison/et-orbi) for pairing time and [tzinfo](https://github.com/tzinfo/tzinfo) timezones.
+
 ## non-features
 
-Rufus-scheduler (out of the box) is an in-process, in-memory scheduler.
+Rufus-scheduler (out of the box) is an in-process, in-memory scheduler. It uses threads.
 
 It does not persist your schedules. When the process is gone and the scheduler instance with it, the schedules are gone.
 
+A rufus-scheduler instance will go on scheduling while it is present among the objects in a Ruby process. To make it stop scheduling you have to call its [`#shutdown` method](#schedulershutdown).
+
 
 ## related and similar gems
 
-* [whenever](https://github.com/javan/whenever) - let cron call back your Ruby code, trusted and reliable cron drives your schedule
-* [clockwork](https://github.com/tomykaira/clockwork) - rufus-scheduler inspired gem
-* [crono](https://github.com/plashchynski/crono) - an in-Rails cron scheduler
+* [Whenever](https://github.com/javan/whenever) - let cron call back your Ruby code, trusted and reliable cron drives your schedule
+* [ruby-clock](https://github.com/jjb/ruby-clock) - a clock process / job scheduler for Ruby
+* [Clockwork](https://github.com/Rykian/clockwork) - rufus-scheduler inspired gem
+* [Crono](https://github.com/plashchynski/crono) - an in-Rails cron scheduler
+* [PerfectSched](https://github.com/treasure-data/perfectsched) - highly available distributed cron built on [Sequel](https://sequel.jeremyevans.net) and more
 
 (please note: rufus-scheduler is not a cron replacement)
 
@@ -75,19 +94,19 @@ There is no EventMachine-based scheduler anymore.
 
 ## I don't know what this Ruby thing is, where are my Rails?
 
-Sir, I'll drive you right to the [tracks](#so-rails).
+I'll drive you right to the [tracks](#so-rails).
 
 
-## Notable changes:
+## notable changes:
 
 * As said, no more EventMachine-based scheduler
-* ```scheduler.every('100') {``` will schedule every 100 seconds (previously, it would have been 0.1s). This aligns rufus-scheduler on Ruby's ```sleep(100)```
+* ```scheduler.every('100') {``` will schedule every 100 seconds (previously, it would have been 0.1s). This aligns rufus-scheduler with Ruby's ```sleep(100)```
 * The scheduler isn't catching the whole of Exception anymore, only StandardError
-* The error_handler is #on_error (instead of #on_exception), by default it now prints the details of the error to $stderr (used to be $stdout)
+* The error_handler is [#on_error](#rufusscheduleron_errorjob-error) (instead of #on_exception), by default it now prints the details of the error to $stderr (used to be $stdout)
 * Rufus::Scheduler::TimeOutError renamed to Rufus::Scheduler::TimeoutError
 * Introduction of "interval" jobs. Whereas "every" jobs are like "every 10 minutes, do this", interval jobs are like "do that, then wait for 10 minutes, then do that again, and so on"
-* Introduction of a :lockfile => true/filename mechanism to prevent multiple schedulers from executing
-* "discard_past" is on by default. If the scheduler (its host) sleeps for 1 hour and a ```every '10m'``` job is on, it will trigger once at wakeup, not 6 times (discard_past was false by default in rufus-scheduler 2.x). No intention to re-introduce ```:discard_past => false``` in 3.0 for now.
+* Introduction of a lockfile: true/filename mechanism to prevent multiple schedulers from executing
+* "discard_past" is on by default. If the scheduler (its host) sleeps for 1 hour and a `every '10m'` job is on, it will trigger once at wakeup, not 6 times (discard_past was false by default in rufus-scheduler 2.x). No intention to re-introduce `discard_past: false` in 3.0 for now.
 * Introduction of Scheduler #on_pre_trigger and #on_post_trigger callback points
 
 
@@ -95,35 +114,34 @@ Sir, I'll drive you right to the [tracks](#so-rails).
 
 So you need help. People can help you, but first help them help you, and don't waste their time. Provide a complete description of the issue. If it works on A but not on B and others have to ask you: "so what is different between A and B" you are wasting everyone's time.
 
-"hello" and "thanks" are not swear words.
+"hello", "please" and "thanks" are not swear words.
 
-Go read [how to report bugs effectively](http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html), twice.
+Go read [how to report bugs effectively](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html), twice.
 
 Update: [help_help.md](https://gist.github.com/jmettraux/310fed75f568fd731814) might help help you.
 
-### on StackOverflow
-
-Use this [form](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/ask?tags=rufus-scheduler+ruby). It'll create a question flagged "rufus-scheduler" and "ruby".
-
-Here are the [questions tagged rufus-scheduler](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/rufus-scheduler).
-
-### on IRC
+### on Gitter
 
-I sometimes haunt #ruote on freenode.net. The channel is not dedicated to rufus-scheduler, so if you ask a question, first mention it's about rufus-scheduler.
+You can find help via chat over at [https://gitter.im/floraison/fugit](https://gitter.im/floraison/fugit). It's [fugit](https://github.com/floraison/fugit), [et-orbi](https://github.com/floraison/et-orbi), and rufus-scheduler combined chat room.
 
-Please note that I prefer helping over Stack Overflow because it's more searchable than the ruote IRC archive.
+Please be courteous.
 
 ### issues
 
-Yes, issues can be reported in [rufus-scheduler issues](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/issues), I'd actually prefer bugs in there. If there is nothing wrong with rufus-scheduler, a [Stack Overflow question](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/ask?tags=rufus-scheduler+ruby) is better.
+Yes, issues can be reported in [rufus-scheduler issues](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/issues), I'd actually prefer bugs in there. If there is nothing wrong with rufus-scheduler, a [Stack Overflow question](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/ask?tags=rufus-scheduler+ruby) is better.
 
 ### faq
 
-* [It doesn't work...](http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html)
-* [I want a refund](http://blog.nodejitsu.com/getting-refunds-on-open-source-projects)
-* [Passenger and rufus-scheduler](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18108719/debugging-rufus-scheduler/18156180#18156180)
-* [Passenger and rufus-scheduler (2)](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/21861387/rufus-cron-job-not-working-in-apache-passenger#answer-21868555)
-* [Unicorn and rufus-scheduler](https://jkraemer.net/running-rufus-scheduler-in-a-unicorn-rails-app)
+* [It doesn't work...](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html)
+* [I want a refund](https://web.archive.org/web/20160425034214/http://blog.nodejitsu.com/getting-refunds-on-open-source-projects/)
+* [Passenger and rufus-scheduler](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18108719/debugging-rufus-scheduler/18156180#18156180)
+* [Passenger and rufus-scheduler (2)](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21861387/rufus-cron-job-not-working-in-apache-passenger#answer-21868555)
+* [Passenger in-depth spawn methods](https://www.phusionpassenger.com/library/indepth/ruby/spawn_methods/)
+* [Passenger in-depth spawn methods (smart spawning)](https://www.phusionpassenger.com/library/indepth/ruby/spawn_methods/#smart-spawning-hooks)
+* [The scheduler comes up when running the Rails console or a Rake task](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler#avoid-scheduling-when-running-the-ruby-on-rails-console)
+* [The job triggers twice](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler#lockfile--mylockfiletxt)
+* [I don't get any of this, I just want it to work in my Rails application](#so-rails)
+* [I get "zotime.rb:41:in `initialize': cannot determine timezone from nil"](#i-get-zotimerb41in-initialize-cannot-determine-timezone-from-nil)
 
 
 ## scheduling
@@ -176,10 +194,12 @@ end
 
 Every jobs try hard to trigger following the frequency they were scheduled with.
 
-Interval jobs, trigger, execute and then trigger again after the interval elapsed. (every jobs time between trigger times, interval jobs time between trigger termination and the next trigger start).
+Interval jobs trigger, execute and then trigger again after the interval elapsed. (every jobs time between trigger times, interval jobs time between trigger termination and the next trigger start).
 
 Cron jobs are based on the venerable cron utility (```man 5 crontab```). They trigger following a pattern given in (almost) the same language cron uses.
 
+####
+
 ### #schedule_x vs #x
 
 schedule_in, schedule_at, schedule_cron, etc will return the new Job instance.
@@ -203,7 +223,7 @@ job =
 # also
 
 job =
-  scheduler.in '10d', :job => true do
+  scheduler.in '10d', job: true do
     # ...
   end
 ```
@@ -212,7 +232,7 @@ job =
 
 Sometimes it pays to be less verbose.
 
-The ```#schedule``` methods schedules an at, in or cron job. It just decide based on its input. It returns the Job instance.
+The ```#schedule``` methods schedules an at, in or cron job. It just decides based on its input. It returns the Job instance.
 
 ```ruby
 scheduler.schedule '10d' do; end.class
@@ -235,13 +255,13 @@ scheduler.repeat '* * * * *' do; end.class
   # => Rufus::Scheduler::CronJob
 ```
 
-(Yes, no combination heres gives back an IntervalJob).
+(Yes, no combination here gives back an IntervalJob).
 
 ### schedule blocks arguments (job, time)
 
 A schedule block may be given 0, 1 or 2 arguments.
 
-The first argument is "job", it's simple the Job instance involved. It might be useful if the job is to be unscheduled for some reason.
+The first argument is "job", it's simply the Job instance involved. It might be useful if the job is to be unscheduled for some reason.
 
 ```ruby
 scheduler.every '10m' do |job|
@@ -281,7 +301,7 @@ It should work as well with cron jobs, not so with interval jobs whose next_time
 
 ### scheduling handler instances
 
-It's OK to pass any object, as long as it respond to #call(), when scheduling:
+It's OK to pass any object, as long as it responds to #call(), when scheduling:
 
 ```ruby
 class Handler
@@ -358,34 +378,55 @@ While paused, the scheduler still accepts schedules, but no schedule will get tr
 
 ## job options
 
-### :blocking => true
+### name: string
+
+Sets the name of the job.
+
+```ruby
+scheduler.cron '*/15 8 * * *', name: 'Robert' do |job|
+  puts "A, it's #{Time.now} and my name is #{job.name}"
+end
+
+job1 =
+  scheduler.schedule_cron '*/30 9 * * *', n: 'temporary' do |job|
+    puts "B, it's #{Time.now} and my name is #{job.name}"
+  end
+# ...
+job1.name = 'Beowulf'
+```
+
+### blocking: true
+
+By default, jobs are triggered in their own, new threads. When `blocking: true`, the job is triggered in the scheduler thread (a new thread is not created). Yes, while a blocking job is running, the scheduler is not scheduling.
 
-By default, jobs are triggered in their own, new thread. When :blocking => true, the job is triggered in the scheduler thread (a new thread is not created). Yes, while the job triggers, the scheduler is not scheduling.
+### overlap: false
 
-### :overlap => false
+Since, by default, jobs are triggered in their own new threads, job instances might overlap. For example, a job that takes 10 minutes and is scheduled every 7 minutes will have overlaps.
 
-Since, by default, jobs are triggered in their own new thread, job instances might overlap. For example, a job that takes 10 minutes and is scheduled every 7 minutes will have overlaps.
+To prevent overlap, one can set `overlap: false`. Such a job will not trigger if one of its instances is already running.
 
-To prevent overlap, one can set :overlap => false. Such a job will not trigger if one of its instance is already running.
+The `:overlap` option is considered before the `:mutex` option when the scheduler is reviewing jobs for triggering.
 
-### :mutex => mutex_instance / mutex_name / array of mutexes
+### mutex: mutex_instance / mutex_name / array of mutexes
 
-When a job with a mutex triggers, the job's block is executed with the mutex around it, preventing other jobs with the same mutex to enter (it makes the other jobs wait until it exits the mutex).
+When a job with a mutex triggers, the job's block is executed with the mutex around it, preventing other jobs with the same mutex from entering (it makes the other jobs wait until it exits the mutex).
 
-This is different from :overlap => false, which is, first, limited to instances of the same job, and, second, doesn't make the incoming job instance block/wait but give up.
+This is different from `overlap: false`, which is, first, limited to instances of the same job, and, second, doesn't make the incoming job instance block/wait but give up.
 
-:mutex accepts a mutex instance or a mutex name (String). It also accept an array of mutex names / mutex instances. It allows for complex relations between jobs.
+`:mutex` accepts a mutex instance or a mutex name (String). It also accept an array of mutex names / mutex instances. It allows for complex relations between jobs.
 
 Array of mutexes: original idea and implementation by [Rainux Luo](https://github.com/rainux)
 
-Warning: creating lots of different mutexes is OK. Rufus-scheduler will place them in its Scheduler#mutexes hash... And they won't get garbage collected.
+Note: creating lots of different mutexes is OK. Rufus-scheduler will place them in its Scheduler#mutexes hash... And they won't get garbage collected.
+
+The `:overlap` option is considered before the `:mutex` option when the scheduler is reviewing jobs for triggering.
 
-### :timeout => duration or point in time
+### timeout: duration or point in time
 
 It's OK to specify a timeout when scheduling some work. After the time specified, it gets interrupted via a Rufus::Scheduler::TimeoutError.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler.in '10d', :timeout => '1d' do
+scheduler.in '10d', timeout: '1d' do
   begin
     # ... do something
   rescue Rufus::Scheduler::TimeoutError
@@ -403,23 +444,23 @@ This option is for repeat jobs (cron / every) only.
 It's used to specify the first time after which the repeat job should trigger for the first time.
 
 In the case of an "every" job, this will be the first time (modulo the scheduler frequency) the job triggers.
-For a "cron" job, it's the time *after* which the first schedule will trigger.
+For a "cron" job as well, the :first will point to the first time the job has to trigger, the following trigger times are then determined by the cron string.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler.every '2d', :first_at => Time.now + 10 * 3600 do
+scheduler.every '2d', first_at: Time.now + 10 * 3600 do
   # ... every two days, but start in 10 hours
 end
 
-scheduler.every '2d', :first_in => '10h' do
+scheduler.every '2d', first_in: '10h' do
   # ... every two days, but start in 10 hours
 end
 
-scheduler.cron '00 14 * * *', :first_in => '3d' do
+scheduler.cron '00 14 * * *', first_in: '3d' do
   # ... every day at 14h00, but start after 3 * 24 hours
 end
 ```
 
-:first, :first_at and :first_in all accept a point in time or a duration (number or time string). Use the symbol you think make your schedule more readable.
+:first, :first_at and :first_in all accept a point in time or a duration (number or time string). Use the symbol you think makes your schedule more readable.
 
 Note: it's OK to change the first_at (a Time instance) directly:
 ```ruby
@@ -427,7 +468,7 @@ job.first_at = Time.now + 10
 job.first_at = Rufus::Scheduler.parse('2029-12-12')
 ```
 
-The first argument (in all its flavours) accepts a :now or :immediately value. That schedules the first occurence for immediate triggering. Consider:
+The first argument (in all its flavours) accepts a :now or :immediately value. That schedules the first occurrence for immediate triggering. Consider:
 
 ```ruby
 require 'rufus-scheduler'
@@ -436,12 +477,11 @@ s = Rufus::Scheduler.new
 
 n = Time.now; p [ :scheduled_at, n, n.to_f ]
 
-s.every '3s', :first => :now do
+s.every '3s', first: :now do
   n = Time.now; p [ :in, n, n.to_f ]
 end
 
 s.join
-
 ```
 
 that'll output something like:
@@ -462,19 +502,19 @@ This option is for repeat jobs (cron / every) only.
 It indicates the point in time after which the job should unschedule itself.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler.cron '5 23 * * *', :last_in => '10d' do
+scheduler.cron '5 23 * * *', last_in: '10d' do
   # ... do something every evening at 23:05 for 10 days
 end
 
-scheduler.every '10m', :last_at => Time.now + 10 * 3600 do
+scheduler.every '10m', last_at: Time.now + 10 * 3600 do
   # ... do something every 10 minutes for 10 hours
 end
 
-scheduler.every '10m', :last_in => 10 * 3600 do
+scheduler.every '10m', last_in: 10 * 3600 do
   # ... do something every 10 minutes for 10 hours
 end
 ```
-:last, :last_at and :last_in all accept a point in time or a duration (number or time string). Use the symbol you think make your schedule more readable.
+:last, :last_at and :last_in all accept a point in time or a duration (number or time string). Use the symbol you think makes your schedule more readable.
 
 Note: it's OK to change the last_at (nil or a Time instance) directly:
 ```ruby
@@ -485,16 +525,16 @@ job.last_at = Rufus::Scheduler.parse('2029-12-12')
   # set the last bound
 ```
 
-### :times => nb of times (before auto-unscheduling)
+### times: nb of times (before auto-unscheduling)
 
 One can tell how many times a repeat job (CronJob or EveryJob) is to execute before unscheduling by itself.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler.every '2d', :times => 10 do
+scheduler.every '2d', times: 10 do
   # ... do something every two days, but not more than 10 times
 end
 
-scheduler.cron '0 23 * * *', :times => 31 do
+scheduler.cron '0 23 * * *', times: 31 do
   # ... do something every day at 23:00 but do it no more than 31 times
 end
 ```
@@ -502,7 +542,7 @@ end
 It's OK to assign nil to :times to make sure the repeat job is not limited. It's useful when the :times is determined at scheduling time.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler.cron '0 23 * * *', :times => nolimit ? nil : 10 do
+scheduler.cron '0 23 * * *', times: (nolimit ? nil : 10) do
   # ...
 end
 ```
@@ -524,7 +564,7 @@ job.times = 10
 
 ## Job methods
 
-When calling a schedule method, the id (String) of the job is returned. Longer schedule methods return Job instances directly. Calling the shorter schedule methods with the :job => true also return Job instances instead of Job ids (Strings).
+When calling a schedule method, the id (String) of the job is returned. Longer schedule methods return Job instances directly. Calling the shorter schedule methods with the `job: true` also returns Job instances instead of Job ids (Strings).
 
 ```ruby
   require 'rufus-scheduler'
@@ -542,7 +582,7 @@ When calling a schedule method, the id (String) of the job is returned. Longer s
     end
 
   job =
-    scheduler.in '1w', :job => true do
+    scheduler.in '1w', job: true do
       # ...
     end
 ```
@@ -568,7 +608,7 @@ Returns the scheduler instance itself.
 Returns the options passed at the Job creation.
 
 ```ruby
-job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', :tag => 'hello') do; end
+job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', tag: 'hello') do; end
 job.opts
   # => { :tag => 'hello' }
 ```
@@ -578,7 +618,7 @@ job.opts
 Returns the original schedule.
 
 ```ruby
-job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', :tag => 'hello') do; end
+job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', tag: 'hello') do; end
 job.original
   # => '10d'
 ```
@@ -587,7 +627,7 @@ job.original
 
 callable() returns the scheduled block (or the call method of the callable object passed in lieu of a block)
 
-handler() returns nil if a block was scheduled and the instance scheduled else.
+handler() returns nil if a block was scheduled and the instance scheduled otherwise.
 
 ```ruby
 # when passing a block
@@ -625,12 +665,30 @@ job.callable
   # => #<MyHandler:0x0000000163ae88 @counter=0>
 ```
 
+### source_location
+
+Added to rufus-scheduler 3.8.0.
+
+Returns the array `[ 'path/to/file.rb', 123 ]` like `Proc#source_location` does.
+
+```ruby
+require 'rufus-scheduler'
+
+scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new
+
+job = scheduler.schedule_every('2h') { p Time.now }
+
+p job.source_location
+  # ==> [ '/home/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/test.rb', 6 ]
+
+```
+
 ### scheduled_at
 
 Returns the Time instance when the job got created.
 
 ```ruby
-job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', :tag => 'hello') do; end
+job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', tag: 'hello') do; end
 job.scheduled_at
   # => 2013-07-17 23:48:54 +0900
 ```
@@ -638,12 +696,31 @@ job.scheduled_at
 ### last_time
 
 Returns the last time the job triggered (is usually nil for AtJob and InJob).
-k
 ```ruby
-job = scheduler.schedule_every('1d') do; end
-# ...
+job = scheduler.schedule_every('10s') do; end
+
 job.scheduled_at
   # => 2013-07-17 23:48:54 +0900
+job.last_time
+  # => nil (since we've just scheduled it)
+
+# after 10 seconds
+
+job.scheduled_at
+  # => 2013-07-17 23:48:54 +0900 (same as above)
+job.last_time
+  # => 2013-07-17 23:49:04 +0900
+```
+
+### previous_time
+
+Returns the previous `#next_time`
+```ruby
+scheduler.every('10s') do |job|
+  puts "job scheduled for #{job.previous_time} triggered at #{Time.now}"
+  puts "next time will be around #{job.next_time}"
+  puts "."
+end
 ```
 
 ### last_work_time, mean_work_time
@@ -652,6 +729,12 @@ The job keeps track of how long its work was in the `last_work_time` attribute.
 
 The attribute `mean_work_time` contains a computed mean work time. It's recomputed after every run (if it's a repeat job).
 
+### next_times(n)
+
+Returns an array of `EtOrbi::EoTime` instances (Time instances with a designated time zone), listing the `n` next occurrences for this job.
+
+Please note that for "interval" jobs, a mean work time is computed each time and it's used by this `#next_times(n)` method to approximate the next times beyond the immediate next time.
+
 ### unschedule
 
 Unschedule the job, preventing it from firing again and removing it from the schedule. This doesn't prevent a running thread for this job to run until its end.
@@ -678,7 +761,7 @@ Returns true if the job is scheduled (is due to trigger). For repeat jobs it sho
 
 ### pause, resume, paused?, paused_at
 
-These four methods are only available to CronJob, EveryJob and IntervalJob instances. One can pause or resume such a job thanks to them.
+These four methods are only available to CronJob, EveryJob and IntervalJob instances. One can pause or resume such jobs thanks to these methods.
 
 ```ruby
 job =
@@ -708,14 +791,14 @@ job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d') do; end
 job.tags
   # => []
 
-job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', :tag => 'hello') do; end
+job = scheduler.schedule_in('10d', tag: 'hello') do; end
 job.tags
   # => [ 'hello' ]
 ```
 
-### []=, [], key? and keys
+### []=, [], key?, has_key?, keys, values, and entries
 
-Threads have thread-local variables. Rufus-scheduler jobs have job-local variables.
+Threads have thread-local variables, similarly Rufus-scheduler jobs have job-local variables. Those are more like a dict with thread-safe access.
 
 ```ruby
 job =
@@ -730,13 +813,29 @@ sleep 3.6
 job[:counter]
   # => 3
 
-job.key?(:timestamp)
-  # => true
-job.keys
-  # => [ :timestamp, :counter ]
+job.key?(:timestamp) # => true
+job.has_key?(:timestamp) # => true
+job.keys # => [ :timestamp, :counter ]
 ```
 
-Job-local variables are thread-safe.
+Locals can be set at schedule time:
+```ruby
+job0 =
+  @scheduler.schedule_cron '*/15 12 * * *', locals: { a: 0 } do
+    # ...
+  end
+job1 =
+  @scheduler.schedule_cron '*/15 13 * * *', l: { a: 1 } do
+    # ...
+  end
+```
+
+One can fetch the Hash directly with `Job#locals`. Of course, direct manipulation is not thread-safe.
+```ruby
+job.locals.entries do |k, v|
+  p "#{k}: #{v}"
+end
+```
 
 ### call
 
@@ -751,7 +850,7 @@ job =
 job.call
 ```
 
-Warning: the Scheduler#on_error handler is not involved. Error handling is the responsibility of the caller.
+Warning: the Scheduler[#on_error](#rufusscheduleron_errorjob-error) handler is not involved. Error handling is the responsibility of the caller.
 
 If the call has to be rescued by the error handler of the scheduler, ```call(true)``` might help:
 
@@ -761,7 +860,11 @@ require 'rufus-scheduler'
 s = Rufus::Scheduler.new
 
 def s.on_error(job, err)
-  p [ 'error in scheduled job', job.class, job.original, err.message ]
+  if job
+    p [ 'error in scheduled job', job.class, job.original, err.message ]
+  else
+    p [ 'error while scheduling', err.message ]
+  end
 rescue
   p $!
 end
@@ -784,7 +887,7 @@ Returns when the job will trigger (hopefully).
 
 ### next_time
 
-An alias to time.
+An alias for time.
 
 ## EveryJob, IntervalJob and CronJob methods
 
@@ -814,34 +917,40 @@ Every jobs use a time duration between each start of their execution, while inte
 
 ## CronJob methods
 
-### frequency
-
-It returns the shortest interval of time between two potential occurences of the job.
-
-For instance:
-```ruby
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('* * * * *').frequency         # ==> 60
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('* * * * * *').frequency       # ==> 1
+### brute_frequency
 
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('5 23 * * *').frequency        # ==> 24 * 3600
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('5 * * * *').frequency         # ==> 3600
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('10,20,30 * * * *').frequency  # ==> 600
+An expensive method to run, it's brute. It caches its results. By default it runs for 2017 (a non leap-year).
 
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('10,20,30 * * * * *').frequency  # ==> 10
 ```
+  require 'rufus-scheduler'
 
-It's used to determine if the job frequency is higher than the scheduler frequency (it raises an ArgumentError if that is the case).
+  Rufus::Scheduler.parse('* * * * *').brute_frequency
+    #
+    # => #<Fugit::Cron::Frequency:0x00007fdf4520c5e8
+    #      @span=31536000.0, @delta_min=60, @delta_max=60,
+    #      @occurrences=525600, @span_years=1.0, @yearly_occurrences=525600.0>
+      #
+      # Occurs 525600 times in a span of 1 year (2017) and 1 day.
+      # There are least 60 seconds between "triggers" and at most 60 seconds.
 
-### brute_frequency
+  Rufus::Scheduler.parse('0 12 * * *').brute_frequency
+    # => #<Fugit::Cron::Frequency:0x00007fdf451ec6d0
+    #      @span=31536000.0, @delta_min=86400, @delta_max=86400,
+    #      @occurrences=365, @span_years=1.0, @yearly_occurrences=365.0>
+  Rufus::Scheduler.parse('0 12 * * *').brute_frequency.to_debug_s
+    # => "dmin: 1D, dmax: 1D, ocs: 365, spn: 52W1D, spnys: 1, yocs: 365"
+      #
+      # 365 occurrences, at most 1 day between each, at least 1 day.
+```
 
-Cron jobs also have a ```#brute_frequency``` method that looks a one year of intervals to determine the shortest delta for the cron. This method can take between 20 to 50 seconds for cron lines that go the second level. ```#frequency``` above, when encountering second level cron lines will take a shortcut to answer as quickly as possible with a usable value.
+The `CronJob#frequency` method found in rufus-scheduler < 3.5 has been retired.
 
 
 ## looking up jobs
 
 ### Scheduler#job(job_id)
 
-The scheduler ```#job(job_id)``` method can be used to lookup Job instances.
+The scheduler ```#job(job_id)``` method can be used to look up Job instances.
 
 ```ruby
   require 'rufus-scheduler'
@@ -871,24 +980,24 @@ Here is an example:
   scheduler.at_jobs.each(&:unschedule)
 ```
 
-### Scheduler#jobs(:tag / :tags => x)
+### Scheduler#jobs(tag: / tags: x)
 
-When scheduling a job, one can specify one or more tags attached to the job. These can be used to lookup the job later on.
+When scheduling a job, one can specify one or more tags attached to the job. These can be used to look up the job later on.
 
 ```ruby
-  scheduler.in '10d', :tag => 'main_process' do
+  scheduler.in '10d', tag: 'main_process' do
     # ...
   end
-  scheduler.in '10d', :tags => [ 'main_process', 'side_dish' ] do
+  scheduler.in '10d', tags: [ 'main_process', 'side_dish' ] do
     # ...
   end
 
   # ...
 
-  jobs = scheduler.jobs(:tag => 'main_process')
+  jobs = scheduler.jobs(tag: 'main_process')
     # find all the jobs with the 'main_process' tag
 
-  jobs = scheduler.jobs(:tags => [ 'main_process', 'side_dish' ]
+  jobs = scheduler.jobs(tags: [ 'main_process', 'side_dish' ]
     # find all the jobs with the 'main_process' AND 'side_dish' tags
 ```
 
@@ -913,6 +1022,10 @@ Shuts down the scheduler, ceases any scheduler/triggering activity.
 
 Shuts down the scheduler, waits (blocks) until all the jobs cease running.
 
+### Scheduler#shutdown(wait: n)
+
+Shuts down the scheduler, waits (blocks) at most n seconds until all the jobs cease running. (Jobs are killed after n seconds have elapsed).
+
 ### Scheduler#shutdown(:kill)
 
 Kills all the job (threads) and then shuts the scheduler down. Radical.
@@ -933,7 +1046,9 @@ Returns since the count of seconds for which the scheduler has been running.
 
 ### Scheduler#join
 
-Let's the current thread join the scheduling thread in rufus-scheduler. The thread comes back when the scheduler gets shut down.
+Lets the current thread join the scheduling thread in rufus-scheduler. The thread comes back when the scheduler gets shut down.
+
+`#join` is mostly used in standalone scheduling script (or tiny one file examples). Calling `#join` from a web application initializer will probably hijack the main thread and prevent the web application from being served. Do not put a `#join` in such a web application initializer file.
 
 ### Scheduler#threads
 
@@ -947,7 +1062,7 @@ Lists the work threads associated with the scheduler. The query option defaults
 * :active : all the work threads currently running a Job
 * :vacant : all the work threads currently not running a Job
 
-Note that the main schedule thread will be returned if it is currently running a Job (ie one of those :blocking => true jobs).
+Note that the main schedule thread will be returned if it is currently running a Job (ie one of those `blocking: true` jobs).
 
 ### Scheduler#scheduled?(job_or_job_id)
 
@@ -955,7 +1070,7 @@ Returns true if the arg is a currently scheduled job (see Job#scheduled?).
 
 ### Scheduler#occurrences(time0, time1)
 
-Returns a hash ```{ job => [ t0, t1, ... ] }``` mapping jobs to their potential trigger time within the ```[ time0, time1 ]``` span.
+Returns a hash `{ job => [ t0, t1, ... ] }` mapping jobs to their potential trigger time within the `[ time0, time1 ]` span.
 
 Please note that, for interval jobs, the ```#mean_work_time``` is used, so the result is only a prediction.
 
@@ -1008,9 +1123,9 @@ TODO: talk about callable#on_error (if implemented)
 
 ### Rufus::Scheduler#stderr=
 
-By default, rufus-scheduler intercepts all errors (that inherit from StandardError) and dumps abundent details to $stderr.
+By default, rufus-scheduler intercepts all errors (that inherit from StandardError) and dumps abundant details to $stderr.
 
-If, for example, you'd like to divert that flow to another file (descriptor). You can reassign $stderr for the current Ruby process
+If, for example, you'd like to divert that flow to another file (descriptor), you can reassign $stderr for the current Ruby process
 
 ```ruby
 $stderr = File.open('/var/log/myapplication.log', 'ab')
@@ -1033,7 +1148,23 @@ def scheduler.on_error(job, error)
 end
 ```
 
-## Rufus::Scheduler #on_pre_trigger and #on_post_trigger callbacks
+On Rails, the `on_error` method redefinition might look like:
+```ruby
+def scheduler.on_error(job, error)
+
+  Rails.logger.error(
+    "err#{error.object_id} rufus-scheduler intercepted #{error.inspect}" +
+    " in job #{job.inspect}")
+  error.backtrace.each_with_index do |line, i|
+    Rails.logger.error(
+      "err#{error.object_id} #{i}: #{line}")
+  end
+end
+```
+
+## Callbacks
+
+### Rufus::Scheduler #on_pre_trigger and #on_post_trigger callbacks
 
 One can bind callbacks before and after jobs trigger:
 
@@ -1055,13 +1186,28 @@ end
 
 The ```trigger_time``` is the time at which the job triggers. It might be a bit before ```Time.now```.
 
-Warning: these two callbacks are executed in the scheduler thread, not in the work threads (the threads were the job execution really happens).
+Warning: these two callbacks are executed in the scheduler thread, not in the work threads (the threads where the job execution really happens).
+
+### Rufus::Scheduler#around_trigger
+
+One can create an around callback which will wrap a job:
+
+```ruby
+def s.around_trigger(job)
+  t = Time.now
+  puts "Starting job #{job.id}..."
+  yield
+  puts "job #{job.id} finished in #{Time.now-t} seconds."
+end
+```
+
+The around callback is executed in the thread.
 
 ### Rufus::Scheduler#on_pre_trigger as a guard
 
 Returning ```false``` in on_pre_trigger will prevent the job from triggering. Returning anything else (nil, -1, true, ...) will let the job trigger.
 
-Note: your business logic should go in the scheduled block itself (or the scheduled instance). Don't put business logic in on_pre_trigger. Return false for admin reasons (backend down, etc) not for business reasons that are tied to the job itself.
+Note: your business logic should go in the scheduled block itself (or the scheduled instance). Don't put business logic in on_pre_trigger. Return false for admin reasons (backend down, etc), not for business reasons that are tied to the job itself.
 
 ```ruby
 def s.on_pre_trigger(job, trigger_time)
@@ -1081,25 +1227,25 @@ By default, rufus-scheduler sleeps 0.300 second between every step. At each step
 The :frequency option lets you change that 0.300 second to something else.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new(:frequency => 5)
+scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new(frequency: 5)
 ```
 
 It's OK to use a time string to specify the frequency.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new(:frequency => '2h10m')
+scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new(frequency: '2h10m')
   # this scheduler will sleep 2 hours and 10 minutes between every "step"
 ```
 
 Use with care.
 
-### :lockfile => "mylockfile.txt"
+### lockfile: "mylockfile.txt"
 
 This feature only works on OSes that support the flock (man 2 flock) call.
 
-Starting the scheduler with ```:lockfile => ".rufus-scheduler.lock"``` will make the scheduler attempt to create and lock the file ```.rufus-scheduler.lock``` in the current working directory. If that fails, the scheduler will not start.
+Starting the scheduler with ```lockfile: '.rufus-scheduler.lock'``` will make the scheduler attempt to create and lock the file ```.rufus-scheduler.lock``` in the current working directory. If that fails, the scheduler will not start.
 
-The idea is to guarantee only one scheduler (in a group of scheduler sharing the same lockfile) is running.
+The idea is to guarantee only one scheduler (in a group of schedulers sharing the same lockfile) is running.
 
 This is useful in environments where the Ruby process holding the scheduler gets started multiple times.
 
@@ -1126,7 +1272,7 @@ class HostLock
 end
 
 scheduler =
-  Rufus::Scheduler.new(:scheduler_lock => HostLock.new('coffee.example.com'))
+  Rufus::Scheduler.new(scheduler_lock: HostLock.new('coffee.example.com'))
 ```
 
 By default, the scheduler_lock is an instance of `Rufus::Scheduler::NullLock`, with a `#lock` that returns true.
@@ -1149,7 +1295,7 @@ class PingLock
 end
 
 scheduler =
-  Rufus::Scheduler.new(:trigger_lock => PingLock.new('main.example.com'))
+  Rufus::Scheduler.new(trigger_lock: PingLock.new('main.example.com'))
 ```
 
 By default, the trigger_lock is an instance of `Rufus::Scheduler::NullLock`, with a `#lock` that always returns true.
@@ -1163,7 +1309,7 @@ In rufus-scheduler 2.x, by default, each job triggering received its own, brand
 One can set this maximum value when starting the scheduler.
 
 ```ruby
-scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new(:max_work_threads => 77)
+scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new(max_work_threads: 77)
 ```
 
 It's OK to increase the :max_work_threads of a running scheduler.
@@ -1176,7 +1322,7 @@ scheduler.max_work_threads += 10
 ## Rufus::Scheduler.singleton
 
 Do not want to store a reference to your rufus-scheduler instance?
-Then ```Rufus::Scheduler.singleton``` can help, it returns a singleon instance of the scheduler, initialized the first time this class method is called.
+Then ```Rufus::Scheduler.singleton``` can help, it returns a singleton instance of the scheduler, initialized the first time this class method is called.
 
 ```ruby
 Rufus::Scheduler.singleton.every '10s' { puts "hello, world!" }
@@ -1185,8 +1331,8 @@ Rufus::Scheduler.singleton.every '10s' { puts "hello, world!" }
 It's OK to pass initialization arguments (like :frequency or :max_work_threads) but they will only be taken into account the first time ```.singleton``` is called.
 
 ```ruby
-Rufus::Scheduler.singleton(:max_work_threads => 77)
-Rufus::Scheduler.singleton(:max_work_threads => 277) # no effect
+Rufus::Scheduler.singleton(max_work_threads: 77)
+Rufus::Scheduler.singleton(max_work_threads: 277) # no effect
 ```
 
 The ```.s``` is a shortcut for ```.singleton```.
@@ -1198,11 +1344,11 @@ Rufus::Scheduler.s.every '10s' { puts "hello, world!" }
 
 ## advanced lock schemes
 
-As seen above, rufus-scheduler proposes the [:lockfile](#lockfile--mylockfiletxt) system out of the box. If in a group of schedulers only one is supposed to run, the lockfile mecha prevents schedulers that have not set/created the lockfile from running.
+As seen above, rufus-scheduler proposes the [:lockfile](#lockfile--mylockfiletxt) system out of the box. If in a group of schedulers only one is supposed to run, the lockfile mechanism prevents schedulers that have not set/created the lockfile from running.
 
-There are situation where this is not sufficient.
+There are situations where this is not sufficient.
 
-By overriding #lock and #unlock, one can customize how his schedulers lock.
+By overriding #lock and #unlock, one can customize how schedulers lock.
 
 This example was provided by [Eric Lindvall](https://github.com/eric):
 
@@ -1235,9 +1381,9 @@ class ZookeptScheduler < Rufus::Scheduler
 end
 ```
 
-This uses a [zookeeper](http://zookeeper.apache.org/) to make sure only one scheduler in a group of distributed schedulers runs.
+This uses a [zookeeper](https://zookeeper.apache.org/) to make sure only one scheduler in a group of distributed schedulers runs.
 
-The methods #lock and #unlock are overriden and #confirm_lock is provided,
+The methods #lock and #unlock are overridden and #confirm_lock is provided,
 to make sure that the lock is still valid.
 
 The #confirm_lock method is called right before a job triggers (if it is provided). The more generic callback #on_pre_trigger is called right after #confirm_lock.
@@ -1259,7 +1405,9 @@ Warning: you may think you're heading towards "high availability" by using a tri
 
 ## parsing cronlines and time strings
 
-Rufus::Scheduler provides a class method ```.parse``` to parse time durations and cron strings. It's what it's using when receiving schedules. One can use it diectly (no need to instantiate a Scheduler).
+(Please note that [fugit](https://github.com/floraison/fugit) does the heavy-lifting parsing work for rufus-scheduler).
+
+Rufus::Scheduler provides a class method ```.parse``` to parse time durations and cron strings. It's what it's using when receiving schedules. One can use it directly (no need to instantiate a Scheduler).
 
 ```ruby
 require 'rufus-scheduler'
@@ -1279,13 +1427,13 @@ Rufus::Scheduler.parse(0.1)
   # => 0.1
 
 Rufus::Scheduler.parse('* * * * *')
-  # => #<Rufus::Scheduler::CronLine:0x00000002be5198
-  #        @original="* * * * *", @timezone=nil,
-  #        @seconds=[0], @minutes=nil, @hours=nil, @days=nil, @months=nil,
-  #        @weekdays=nil, @monthdays=nil>
+  # => #<Fugit::Cron:0x00007fb7a3045508
+  #      @original="* * * * *", @cron_s=nil,
+  #      @seconds=[0], @minutes=nil, @hours=nil, @monthdays=nil, @months=nil,
+  #      @weekdays=nil, @zone=nil, @timezone=nil>
 ```
 
-It returns a number when the output is a duration and a CronLine instance when the input is a cron string.
+It returns a number when the input is a duration and a Fugit::Cron instance when the input is a cron string.
 
 It will raise an ArgumentError if it can't parse the input.
 
@@ -1301,7 +1449,7 @@ Rufus::Scheduler.to_duration_hash(60)
 Rufus::Scheduler.to_duration_hash(62.127)
   # => { :m => 1, :s => 2, :ms => 127 }
 
-Rufus::Scheduler.to_duration_hash(62.127, :drop_seconds => true)
+Rufus::Scheduler.to_duration_hash(62.127, drop_seconds: true)
   # => { :m => 1 }
 ```
 
@@ -1338,7 +1486,7 @@ require 'rufus-scheduler'
 
 Time.now
   # => 2013-10-26 07:07:08 +0900
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('* * * * mon#1').next_time
+Rufus::Scheduler.parse('* * * * mon#1').next_time.to_s
   # => 2013-11-04 00:00:00 +0900
 ```
 
@@ -1347,15 +1495,29 @@ Rufus::Scheduler.parse('* * * * mon#1').next_time
 L can be used in the "day" slot:
 
 In this example, the cronline is supposed to trigger every last day of the month at noon:
-
 ```ruby
 require 'rufus-scheduler'
 Time.now
   # => 2013-10-26 07:22:09 +0900
-Rufus::Scheduler.parse('00 12 L * *').next_time
+Rufus::Scheduler.parse('00 12 L * *').next_time.to_s
   # => 2013-10-31 12:00:00 +0900
 ```
 
+#### negative day (x days before the end of the month)
+
+It's OK to pass negative values in the "day" slot:
+```ruby
+scheduler.cron '0 0 -5 * *' do
+  # do it at 00h00 5 days before the end of the month...
+end
+```
+
+Negative ranges (`-10--5-`: 10 days before the end of the month to 5 days before the end of the month) are OK, but mixed positive / negative ranges will raise an `ArgumentError`.
+
+Negative ranges with increments (`-10---2/2`) are accepted as well.
+
+Descending day ranges are not accepted (`10-8` or `-8--10` for example).
+
 
 ## a note about timezones
 
@@ -1373,7 +1535,58 @@ end
 # or even
 
 Rufus::Scheduler.parse("2013-12-12 14:00 Pacific/Saipan")
-  # => 2013-12-12 04:00:00 UTC
+  # => #<Rufus::Scheduler::ZoTime:0x007fb424abf4e8 @seconds=1386820800.0, @zone=#<TZInfo::DataTimezone: Pacific/Saipan>, @time=nil>
+```
+
+### I get "zotime.rb:41:in `initialize': cannot determine timezone from nil"
+
+For when you see an error like:
+```
+rufus-scheduler/lib/rufus/scheduler/zotime.rb:41:
+  in `initialize':
+    cannot determine timezone from nil (etz:nil,tnz:"中国标准时间",tzid:nil)
+      (ArgumentError)
+	from rufus-scheduler/lib/rufus/scheduler/zotime.rb:198:in `new'
+	from rufus-scheduler/lib/rufus/scheduler/zotime.rb:198:in `now'
+	from rufus-scheduler/lib/rufus/scheduler.rb:561:in `start'
+	...
+```
+
+It may happen on Windows or on systems that poorly hint to Ruby which timezone to use. It should be solved by setting explicitly the `ENV['TZ']` before the scheduler instantiation:
+```ruby
+ENV['TZ'] = 'Asia/Shanghai'
+scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new
+scheduler.every '2s' do
+  puts "#{Time.now} Hello #{ENV['TZ']}!"
+end
+```
+
+On Rails you might want to try with:
+```ruby
+ENV['TZ'] = Time.zone.name # Rails only
+scheduler = Rufus::Scheduler.new
+scheduler.every '2s' do
+  puts "#{Time.now} Hello #{ENV['TZ']}!"
+end
+```
+(Hat tip to Alexander in [gh-230](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/issues/230))
+
+Rails sets its timezone under `config/application.rb`.
+
+Rufus-Scheduler 3.3.3 detects the presence of Rails and uses its timezone setting (tested with Rails 4), so setting `ENV['TZ']` should not be necessary.
+
+The value can be determined thanks to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones).
+
+Use a "continent/city" identifier (for example "Asia/Shanghai"). Do not use an abbreviation (not "CST") and do not use a local time zone name (not "中国标准时间" nor "Eastern Standard Time" which, for instance, points to a time zone in America and to another one in Australia...).
+
+If the error persists (and especially on Windows), try to add the `tzinfo-data` to your Gemfile, as in:
+```ruby
+gem 'tzinfo-data'
+```
+or by manually requiring it before requiring rufus-scheduler (if you don't use Bundler):
+```ruby
+require 'tzinfo/data'
+require 'rufus-scheduler'
 ```
 
 
@@ -1399,6 +1612,7 @@ s = Rufus::Scheduler.singleton
 s.every '1m' do
 
   Rails.logger.info "hello, it's #{Time.now}"
+  Rails.logger.flush
 end
 ```
 
@@ -1418,7 +1632,7 @@ class ScheController < ApplicationController
         Rails.logger.info "time flies, it's now #{Time.now}"
       end
 
-    render :text => "scheduled job #{job_id}"
+    render text: "scheduled job #{job_id}"
   end
 end
 ```
@@ -1427,6 +1641,56 @@ The rufus-scheduler singleton is instantiated in the ```config/initializers/sche
 
 *Warning*: this works well with single-process Ruby servers like Webrick and Thin. Using rufus-scheduler with Passenger or Unicorn requires a bit more knowledge and tuning, gently provided by a bit of googling and reading, see [Faq](#faq) above.
 
+### avoid scheduling when running the Ruby on Rails console
+
+(Written in reply to [gh-186](https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/issues/186))
+
+If you don't want rufus-scheduler to trigger anything while running the Ruby on Rails console, running for tests/specs, or running from a Rake task, you can insert a conditional return statement before jobs are added to the scheduler instance:
+
+```ruby
+#
+# config/initializers/scheduler.rb
+
+require 'rufus-scheduler'
+
+return if defined?(Rails::Console) || Rails.env.test? || File.split($PROGRAM_NAME).last == 'rake'
+  #
+  # do not schedule when Rails is run from its console, for a test/spec, or
+  # from a Rake task
+
+# return if $PROGRAM_NAME.include?('spring')
+  #
+  # see https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/issues/186
+
+s = Rufus::Scheduler.singleton
+
+s.every '1m' do
+  Rails.logger.info "hello, it's #{Time.now}"
+  Rails.logger.flush
+end
+```
+
+(Beware later version of Rails where Spring takes care pre-running the initializers. Running `spring stop` or disabling Spring might be necessary in some cases to see changes to initializers being taken into account.)
+
+
+### rails server -d
+
+(Written in reply to https://github.com/jmettraux/rufus-scheduler/issues/165 )
+
+There is the handy `rails server -d` that starts a development Rails as a daemon. The annoying thing is that the scheduler as seen above is started in the main process that then gets forked and daemonized. The rufus-scheduler thread (and any other thread) gets lost, no scheduling happens.
+
+I avoid running `-d` in development mode and bother about daemonizing only for production deployment.
+
+These are two well crafted articles on process daemonization, please read them:
+
+* https://www.mikeperham.com/2014/09/22/dont-daemonize-your-daemons/
+* https://www.mikeperham.com/2014/07/07/use-runit/
+
+If, anyway, you need something like `rails server -d`, why not try `bundle exec unicorn -D` instead? In my (limited) experience, it worked out of the box (well, had to add `gem 'unicorn'` to `Gemfile` first).
+
+### executor / reloader
+
+You might benefit from wraping your scheduled code in the executor or reloader. Read more here: https://guides.rubyonrails.org/threading_and_code_execution.html
 
 ## support