Movies and TV Shows WordPress Auto Post Using TMDB API

The Auto Post feature is SceneFlix’s most powerful automation tool, designed to automatically create movie and TV show posts on your WordPress site at scheduled intervals.

This feature eliminates the need for manual content creation by processing lists of TMDB IDs and automatically generating rich, detailed posts with complete metadata, images, and taxonomies.

What is SceneFlix Movies and TV Shows Auto Post?

Auto Post is an intelligent content automation system that uses WordPress cron jobs to automatically fetch movie and TV show data from TMDB and create posts on your site.

You can schedule automatic posting at various intervals ranging from every 15 minutes to every 24 hours, making it perfect for maintaining an active, regularly updated entertainment website.

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How Auto Post Works

The Auto Post system in SceneFlix operates through a sophisticated workflow:

ID Queue Management – You provide lists of TMDB IDs for movies and TV shows one per line in their respective text area fields
Cron Job Scheduling – WordPress cron jobs run at your specified intervals
License Validation – Each execution validates your SceneFlix license
Data Processing – The system fetches data from TMDB and creates posts
Queue Management – Successfully posted IDs are removed from the queue
Status Tracking – All operations are logged and tracked in the database

Setting Up Auto Post

Prerequisites

Before setting up Auto Post, ensure you have:

Active SceneFlix License – Auto Post requires a valid license
TMDB API Key – At least one configured API key
TMDB ID Lists – Lists of movie and TV show IDs to process
WordPress Cron – Ensure WordPress cron is functioning properly

Accessing Auto Post Settings

Navigate to SFCore Menu – Go to the SceneFlix admin panel
Find Auto Post Settings – Look for movie and TV show auto-post options
Configure Settings – Set up your posting preferences

Auto Post Configuration

Movie Auto Post Settings

Activation Checkbox

Enable/disable movie auto-posting
Must be activated for cron jobs to run

Posting Frequency

Every 15 Minutes
Every 30 Minutes
Every 3 Hours
Every 6 Hours
Every 12 Hours
Every 18 Hours
Every 24 Hours (Daily)

Number of Movies per Execution

Configure how many movies to process in each cron run
Prevents server overload and API rate limits
Typical range: 1-5 movies per execution

Movie ID List

Textarea containing TMDB movie IDs
One ID per line
IDs are automatically removed after successful posting

TV Show Auto Post Settings

Activation Checkbox

Enable/disable TV show auto-posting
Independent from movie auto-post settings

Posting Frequency

Same interval options as movies
Can be set to different frequency than movies

Number of Series per Execution

Configure how many TV shows to process per run
Considers the complexity of TV show data (seasons, episodes)

Series ID List

Textarea containing TMDB TV show IDs
One ID per line
Automatically managed like movie IDs

Advanced Cron Management

Custom Cron Intervals

SceneFlix registers custom cron intervals for flexible scheduling:

// Available intervals
'fifteen_minutes' => 15 * MINUTE_IN_SECONDS
'thirty_minutes' => 30 * MINUTE_IN_SECONDS
'three_hours' => 3 * HOUR_IN_SECONDS
'six_hours' => 6 * HOUR_IN_SECONDS
'twelve_hours' => 12 * HOUR_IN_SECONDS
'eighteen_hours' => 18 * HOUR_IN_SECONDS
'daily' => 24 * HOUR_IN_SECONDS

Cron Job Validation

The system includes sophisticated cron validation:

Automatic Rescheduling – If settings change, cron jobs are automatically rescheduled
Frequency Tracking – The system tracks current vs. scheduled frequencies
Duplicate Prevention – Prevents multiple cron jobs for the same task
License Validation – Each execution validates license status
Error Recovery – Daily checks ensure cron jobs remain active

Status Tracking System

Database Tables

sceneflix_status Table

Tracks processing status of all IDs
post_status values:
- 0 = Not processed
- 1 = Successfully processed
- 2 = Failed processing
post_type = ‘movie’ or ‘tv’
tmdb_id = TMDB identifier

sceneflix_movies Table

Stores movie-specific information
Links TMDB IDs to WordPress posts
Contains title, URL, TMDB ID, IMDB ID

sceneflix_series Table

Stores TV show-specific information
Similar structure to movies table
Tracks series posts and metadata

Processing Status

Successful Processing

Post created successfully
Status set to 1
ID removed from queue
Added to respective content table

Failed Processing

Post creation failed
Status set to 2
ID remains in queue for retry
Error logged for debugging

Error Handling and Logging

Comprehensive Logging

The Auto Post system includes extensive logging:

error_log('SceneFlix: Movie auto-post cron job started');
error_log('SceneFlix: Processing movie ID: ' . $id);
error_log('SceneFlix: Successfully processed movie ID: ' . $id);
error_log('SceneFlix: Movie auto-post completed');

Error Recovery

API Failures – Handles TMDB API connection issues
Data Validation – Skips incomplete or invalid data
Image Download – Graceful handling of image failures
Database Errors – Proper error handling for database operations
License Issues – Stops processing if license is invalid

Debugging Features

Debug URL – ?sceneflix_debug_cron=1 shows cron status
Manual Triggers – Test cron jobs manually
Status Monitoring – Check next scheduled execution times
Queue Inspection – View remaining IDs in queue

Best Practices

Frequency Selection

High-Traffic Sites

Use longer intervals (6+ hours)
Process fewer items per execution
Monitor server resources

New Sites

Start with shorter intervals (1-3 hours)
Process more items to build content quickly
Adjust based on performance

Queue Management

Optimal Queue Size

Maintain 50-200 IDs in queue
Avoid extremely large queues
Regular queue monitoring

ID Quality

Verify TMDB IDs before adding
Remove invalid or duplicate IDs
Test with small batches first

Performance Optimization

Server Resources

Monitor CPU and memory usage
Adjust frequency based on server capacity
Consider peak traffic times

API Rate Limits

Don’t exceed TMDB API limits
Use multiple API keys if needed
Implement proper delays

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cron Jobs Not Running

Check WordPress cron functionality
Verify hosting provider allows cron
Use debug URL to check status

Posts Not Creating

Verify license activation
Check TMDB API key validity
Review error logs for specific failures

Queue Not Processing

Confirm auto-post activation
Check frequency settings
Verify ID format and validity

Debug Tools

Cron Debug Page

?sceneflix_debug_cron=1

Shows comprehensive cron status information

Manual Triggers

?sceneflix_test_movie_cron=1
?sceneflix_test_series_cron=1

Manually trigger auto-post for testing

Force Reschedule

?sceneflix_reschedule_cron=1

Force cron job rescheduling

Performance Monitoring

Server Logs – Monitor for PHP errors or timeouts
WordPress Logs – Check for cron-related issues
Database Performance – Monitor query execution times
API Response Times – Track TMDB API performance

Advanced Configuration

Multiple API Keys

Use multiple TMDB API keys for better rate limiting:

Add keys line by line in settings
System randomly selects keys
Distributes API load effectively

Custom Intervals

For hosting providers with different cron capabilities:

Modify cron intervals in code
Adjust based on server specifications
Consider peak traffic patterns

Batch Size Optimization

Small Batches (1-2 items)

Lower server load
More frequent updates
Better error isolation

Large Batches (3-5 items)

Faster content creation
More efficient processing
Higher server requirements

Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular Monitoring

Daily Checks

Verify cron jobs are running
Check queue levels
Monitor error logs

Weekly Reviews

Analyze processing statistics
Adjust frequencies if needed
Clean up failed entries

Maintenance Tasks

Queue Cleanup

Remove invalid IDs
Update failed entries
Maintain optimal queue size

Performance Tuning

Adjust intervals based on traffic
Monitor server resources
Optimize batch sizes

Integration with Manual Features

Relationship with Manual Tools

Manual Override – Manually created posts are respected
Queue Priority – Manual posts take precedence
Status Synchronization – Manual and auto posts share status tracking

Hybrid Workflow

Auto Post for Volume – Use auto-post for bulk content
Manual for Specials – Manually create featured content
Queue Management – Remove manually created IDs from queue

Conclusion

The Auto Post feature transforms SceneFlix into a powerful content automation platform. By properly configuring frequencies, managing queues, and monitoring performance, you can maintain an active, regularly updated entertainment website with minimal manual intervention.

The system’s robust error handling, comprehensive logging, and flexible scheduling options make it suitable for websites of all sizes, from small blogs to large entertainment portals. Regular monitoring and maintenance ensure optimal performance and reliable content creation.