Use the command line

Procrastinate installs a command-line tool, which allows to do some operations:

  • Prepare your database for procrastinate (apply the database schema)

  • Launch a worker

  • Defer a task

  • …

The command-line tool can be launched using:

$ procrastinate

or:

$ python -m procrastinate

Please read the included help to get familiar with its commands and parameters:

$ procrastinate --help
Usage: procrastinate [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

  Interact with a Procrastinate app. See subcommands for details.

  All arguments can be passed by environment variables:
  PROCRASTINATE_UPPERCASE_NAME or PROCRASTINATE_COMMAND_UPPERCASE_NAME
  (examples: PROCRASTINATE_APP, PROCRASTINATE_DEFER_UNKNOWN, ...).

Options:
  -a, --app TEXT              Dotted path to the Procrastinate app
  -v, --verbose               Use multiple times to increase verbosity
  --log-format TEXT           Defines the format used for logging (see https:/
                              /docs.python.org/3/library/logging.html#logrecor
                              d-attributes)
  --log-format-style [%|{|$]  Defines the style for the log format string (see
                              https://docs.python.org/3/howto/logging-
                              cookbook.html#use-of-alternative-formatting-
                              styles)
  -V, --version               Show the version and exit.
  -h, --help                  Show this message and exit.

Commands:
  defer         Create a job from the given task, to be executed by a...
  healthchecks  Check the state of procrastinate.
  schema        Apply SQL schema to the empty database.
  shell         Administration shell for procrastinate.
  worker        Launch a worker, listening on the given queues (or all...

Avoid specifying the --app parameter all the time

Procrastinate needs to know your app for most operations. in particular in the command line interface, you’ll find yourself frequently typing --app=dotted.path.to.app. You can specify this one in your environment by instead using:

$ export PROCRASTINATE_APP=dotted.path.to.app worker

As a general rule, all parameters have an environment variable equivalent, named PROCRASTINATE_SOMETHING where SOMETHING is the uppercased long name of the option, with - replaced with _.

Logging

Three different options allow you to control how the command-line tool should log events:

  • Verbosity controls the log level (you’ll see message of this level and above):

    Flags

    Environment equivalent

    Log level

    PROCRASTINATE_VERBOSITY=0

    warning

    -v

    PROCRASTINATE_VERBOSITY=1

    info

    -vv

    PROCRASTINATE_VERBOSITY=2

    debug

  • Log format: --log-format= / PROCRASTINATE_LOG_FORMAT= lets you control how the log line will be formatted. It uses %-style placeholders by default.

  • Log format style: --log-format-style= / PROCRASTINATE_LOG_FORMAT_STYLE= lets you choose different styles for the log-format, such as { or $.

For more information on log formats, refer to the Python documentation