Translating automatically (scheduled task)
After the initial translation, TranslatePilot can take over the daily routine: the bundled task plugin translates new and changed articles on a schedule through Joomla's task scheduler — with exactly the same safeguards as the backend.
Creating the task
- System → Scheduled Tasks → New and pick the type "TranslatePilot: Translate articles".
- Set an execution rule — say hourly, or nightly.
- Fill in the task parameters (below) and save.
The task runs the way Joomla intends: through the built-in web trigger, a cron call of
cli/joomla.php scheduler:run, or the "Test run" button in the task list.
The task parameters
- User for scheduled runs (required). Translations are saved under this user when no backend user is logged in. The user needs the permission to create and edit articles.
- "Regular automatic backups are in place." The backup confirmation, given per click in the backend, becomes a standing declaration for scheduled runs: as long as this is not consciously set to "Yes", the task does not run.
- Backup file (optional) with maximum age. When you enter the path of the most recent backup file, the task checks before every run that the file exists, is not empty and is young enough. A silently failed backup job then also stops the translation — instead of writing without a net for weeks.
What the automation does not lower
- The approval. Without a reviewed sample of the current profile, provider and model, the task aborts with a clear message. Change the profile and the cron stops until a human approves again.
- Cost and batch limit apply per run as in the backend.
- The mirroring steps (menu, footer, templates) deliberately never run on a schedule — they are rare structural interventions with a preview, not continuous operation.
Behaviour with large stocks
Every run translates at most one batch and respects a time budget. What no longer fits into the run is taken over by the next one — the state is recorded per article. A large stock is worked off over several runs without anything getting lost.
You find each run's log in the task list at the respective entry; additionally TranslatePilot writes its own log into the Joomla log directory.