23.1 Event Booking Reporter : Setup Guide

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Joomla · Events Booking

Weekly attendee report: setup guide

How to install the plugin, schedule the Monday email in Joomla's Task Scheduler, test it, and fix the usual problems.

Before you start

The plugin adds one new job to Joomla's Task Scheduler. When the job runs it reads upcoming events and bookings from Events Booking, builds a PDF, and emails it to the people you list. It never changes any booking data.

  • Joomla 5 or 6, with Events Booking installed.
  • Working outgoing email. In System → Global Configuration → Server → Mail, use Send Test Mail to check.
  • The site time zone set correctly in Global Configuration → Server → Website Time Zone. Schedules and event dates follow this setting.
  • The package file plg_task_ebattendeereport_0.4.0.zip. Do not unzip it.

1. Install the plugin

  1. Open the installer

    In the Joomla administrator go to System → Install → Extensions.

  2. Upload the zip

    On the Upload Package File tab, drag the zip onto the box or click to browse. Joomla shows Installation of the plugin was successful.

2. Enable the plugin

  1. Find it

    Go to System → Manage → Plugins and search for Events Booking Attendee Report. The full name is Task - Events Booking Attendee Report.

  2. Switch it on

    Click the red cross in the Status column so it turns to a green tick.

If you want Joomla to trigger tasks by itself, the core plugin System - Schedule Runner must also be enabled (see step 6).

3. Create the scheduled task

  1. Open Scheduled Tasks

    Go to System → Scheduled Tasks (it sits in the System menu with the other management tools; if you cannot see it, use the search box at the top of the menu).

  2. Add a task

    Click New. In the list of task types choose Events Booking - Email Attendee Report (PDF).

  3. Name it

    Give it a clear title such as Monday delegate report. Leave the state as Enabled.

  4. Fill in the report settings

    The report settings are on the same screen, below the schedule. At minimum, enter the Recipients. The other fields have sensible defaults; each one is explained in the settings reference.

4. Set the schedule

Under Execution Rule choose Cron Match. This lets you say "every Monday at 08:00" exactly. Enter:

FieldValue
Minutes 0
Hours 8
Days of month Every day (*)
Months Every month (*)
Days of week Monday (1)

If your version of Joomla offers a single cron expression box instead, type 0 8 * * 1. Save the task, then look at Next Execution in the task list. It should show the coming Monday at 08:00.

Time zone. Cron expressions are read in the site time zone, so 08:00 means 08:00 UK time all year, including after the clocks change. Simple interval rules (every N hours or days) count from Joomla's own clock in UTC, which is another reason to use Cron Match for a fixed weekday and time.

What "this week" means. Each run covers today through the number of days you set (default 7). A Monday 08:00 run therefore lists Monday to Sunday. Events earlier in the day than the run still appear, because the window starts at midnight.

5. Test it before trusting it

  1. Use your own email first

    Put only your own address in Recipients and save.

  2. Run the task now

    In the Scheduled Tasks list click Run Task for your task. Joomla runs it immediately and reports the result at the top of the page.

  3. Check the email

    You should receive one message with the PDF attached, named like Event Attendee Report - 22-October-2026.pdf. Open it and check the cover, the event headings and the attendee counts against Events Booking.

  4. Add the real recipients

    Edit the task, replace the test address with the real list, and save. Leave the schedule as set.

The email body also states the number of events, attendees and cancellations, so recipients can see the totals without opening the PDF.

6. Make sure it runs on time

Joomla can trigger tasks in three ways. The default, the lazy scheduler, only checks for due tasks when someone visits the site. On a quiet site a 08:00 task may run late, so it is not ideal for a fixed Monday report.

MethodHow it worksUse it when
Server cron (best) The server runs Joomla's scheduler every few minutes. You or your host can add a cron job.
Web cron An outside service calls a secret URL on a timer. The host has no cron, but you can use a ping service.
Lazy scheduler Runs when visitors load pages. The site is busy enough that someone visits every few minutes.

Server cron

Ask your host, or use their control panel's cron screen, to run this every 5 minutes (adjust the path to your site):

*/5 * * * * php /path/to/site/cli/joomla.php scheduler:run --all

Then open Scheduled Tasks → Options and switch the lazy scheduler off so a task cannot run twice. The task still runs only when its own schedule is due, so a 5 minute cron does not send the report every 5 minutes.

Web cron and the lazy scheduler are switched on and off in the same Options screen, which also shows the web cron address and key.

Settings reference

These appear on the task's edit screen.

SettingWhat it doesDefault
Cover title Main title on the front cover. Up to 100 characters. Event Attendee Report
PDF file name Name of the attached PDF, without .pdf. The report date is always added in the form 22-January-2026. Only letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens, underscores and brackets are kept. Event Attendee Report
Website name on cover Shown above the title. Leave blank to use the Site Name from Global Configuration. Blank
Cover logo Pick a PNG or JPEG from the Media manager (under images, up to 3 MB). It goes in the white area at the top of the cover. A wrong or missing file is ignored and the report is still sent. None
Number of days How many days to cover, starting today. 7 means today plus the next 6 days. 1 to 60. 7
Recipients One or more addresses, separated by commas, semicolons or new lines. Up to 25. Each person gets a separate email and cannot see the others. Required
Email subject Subject line. {from} and {to} become the first and last dates covered. Event attendee report: {from} to {to}
Include bookings awaiting payment by invoice Yes lists bookings still marked Pending that used an offline method such as invoice, bank transfer or cheque, because Events Booking treats those places as taken. Other Pending bookings are never listed. No lists Confirmed bookings only. Yes
Send when there are no events Yes sends a short PDF saying nothing is scheduled, so recipients know the report ran. Yes

Troubleshooting

SymptomLikely cause and fix
The task type is not in the list The plugin is not enabled. Enable Task - Events Booking Attendee Report in Plugins.
Fewer attendees than expected Check Include bookings awaiting payment by invoice is Yes. Invoice bookings stay Pending in Events Booking until payment is recorded, so with the setting off they are left out. Also check the booking's event is published and starts inside the period.
No email arrives Run Joomla's Send Test Mail. Check spam folders, and check the addresses in Recipients are valid. The task result in Scheduled Tasks says how many emails were sent and how many failed.
It does not run on Monday Check Next Execution in the list. If it is in the past, nothing is triggering the scheduler: set up server cron (step 6). Check the task is Enabled and the Days of week field is Monday.
It runs at the wrong hour Check Website Time Zone in Global Configuration. The schedule uses that zone.
The logo is missing The file must be a real PNG or JPEG under 3 MB and 5000 px, inside the images folder. Otherwise it is skipped and a warning is written to the task log.
The cover shows the wrong website name Type the name you want into Website name on cover.
Task shows as failed The cause is recorded in Joomla's task log, in the log folder set in Global Configuration. The entry names the problem but never includes attendee details.

Updating to a newer version

Install the new zip exactly as in step 1. It upgrades the plugin in place and your task and its settings are kept. Run the task once afterwards to confirm the PDF looks right.

To remove the plugin, delete the scheduled task first, then uninstall it from System → Manage → Extensions.

Privacy and security

  • The report contains names, emails and phone numbers. Only add people who are entitled to see them. Every page carries a confidentiality footer.
  • Payment details are never read or shown.
  • The plugin only reads from the database. It has no web page, form or address of its own, so it can be started only by Joomla's scheduler or by an administrator pressing Run Task.
  • The PDF is built in memory and attached to the email. It is not saved on the server.
  • Emails travel the way all Joomla mail does. If that matters for your data policy, use a mail account that sends over an encrypted connection.

Sample screens in the companion page use made-up data only.