Past Due Reminder is sent automatically next, day, after sending initial email vie "Send Email" button.

[shurushetr]

Setup

• Version: v5.8.26-C155
• Environment: Docker

Interface

• Flutter: []
• React: []
• Both: [V]

Checklist

• Can you replicate the issue on our v5 demo site https://demo.invoiceninja.com or https://react.invoicing.co/demo? - Yes
• Have you searched existing issues? - Yes
• Have you reported this to Slack/forum before posting? - Yes - https://forum.invoiceninja.com/t/emails-second-email-sent-with-schedule-as-a-reminder/15026
• Have you inspected the logs in storage/logs/laravel.log for any errors? - Yes.

Describe the bug

When I finish creating a quote, or an invoice and hit send email button - with consequent sending the document via email within invoice ninja. Second email being sent by the system automatically (no schedule setup, see screenshots below). But the second email is sent as a Past Due reminder.
For example, I finished a document at 5pm, and sent it via "sent email" button. At 6am next day, the system will send the same document second time as a Past Due reminder, resulting in client with two emails - one initial about invoice and second past due. At the same day. This is not a desirable experience.
Drafts shouldn't be considered as a document ready for dispatch if this is what happens.
Secondary emails are sent BEFORE the reminder settings triggers.

Steps To Reproduce

Set up reminders in Settings => Send Reminders.
Check time setup in Settings => Email Settings => Send Time
Send an email before this time.
At this time (from email settings) system will send second email as reminder.

Expected Behavior

Check if initial email was sent and adhere to reminder schedule - if set time for reminder didn't pass after the initial email sent - don't send email at ( Settings => Email Settings => Send Time) time.

Additional context

No other schedulers are setup for emails, other then Mandatory Settings => Email Settings => Send Time.

Screenshots

No additional schedulers

Reminder settings - not due for 14 days after initial email

Current Mandatory send time settings

False reminder sent at 6am - Ignoring reminders settings

Logs

Logs are in the screenshot.

[turbo124]

You'll want to inspect your configuration of timezones. After creating an invoice, in the Invoices table, you'll see a field next_send_date

This is the UTC time that the server has calculated - based on your reminder schedule - to fire the next invoice.

If you want to share your full configuration.

Timezone
Client timezone
Send time

And full reminder schedule, I can run a test case to calculate the next send date.

[shurushetr]

Timezone - EST
Client timezone - EST
Send time - 6am as per schedule in the Settings => Email Settings => Send Time (also on the screenshot)

Full reminder schedule as in Settings => Templates & Reminders

1. First reminder - 14 days before the due date - send email.
2. Second reminder - 3 days before the due date - send email.
3. Third reminder - 1 day after the invoice date - send email.
4. Endless reminders - weekly.

I can attach screenshots, or somehow export config if youd' like.

[shurushetr]

I've tried
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');

in php artisan tinker

Now the output
> date_default_timezone_get(); = "America/New_York"

Will see if this helps. This will probably be erased with next update. Have figure out how to get the optional php.ini hooked up to it.

[turbo124]

it should be straight forward to wire up the php.ini

  app:
    image: invoiceninja/invoiceninja:5
    env_file: env
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - ./config/hosts:/etc/hosts:ro
      - ./docker/app/public:/var/www/app/public:rw,delegated
      - ./docker/app/storage:/var/www/app/storage:rw,delegated
      - ./config/php/php.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/php.ini
      - ./config/php/php-cli.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/php-cli.ini

[shurushetr]

My limited understanding of how php works, suggests that down the road, there might be a conflict between two files. Custom overwrite Default with missing settings?

Woudn't it be better to add custom INI to conf.d?

The better approach would be through ENV vars, but this would have to be implemented on Dockerfile level - https://jtreminio.com/blog/docker-php-php-fpm-configuration-via-environment-variables/

[shurushetr]

it should be straight forward to wire up the php.ini

  app:
    image: invoiceninja/invoiceninja:5
    env_file: env
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - ./config/hosts:/etc/hosts:ro
      - ./docker/app/public:/var/www/app/public:rw,delegated
      - ./docker/app/storage:/var/www/app/storage:rw,delegated
      - ./config/php/php.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/php.ini
      - ./config/php/php-cli.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/php-cli.ini

I've added custom ini file in the pool

;timzeone setting - https://github.com/invoiceninja/invoiceninja/discussions/9313#discussioncomment-8574135
date.timezone = "America/New_York"

But it didn't apply the settings, despite picking up the custom INI file (last in the list)

~ $ php --ini
Configuration File (php.ini) Path: /usr/local/etc/php
Loaded Configuration File:         /usr/local/etc/php/php.ini
Scan for additional .ini files in: /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d
Additional .ini files parsed:      /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-fpm.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-bcmath.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-exif.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-gd.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-gmp.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-mysqli.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-opcache.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-pdo_mysql.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-sodium.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-zip.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/in-php.ini,
/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/zz_inv_nnj_custom_php.ini

date_default_timezone_get();
= "UTC"
`

[shurushetr]

Reporting back - changing the time zone from UTC to matching the server has no effect on reminder dispatch. It still being sent 16 days prior to what system settings dictate.

In the screenshot situation repeated. I've sent a test invoice at 10am. Next day at 6am first reminder was sent out (16 days prior it's scheduled time). The 6am time is only setup in Settings => Email Settings => Send Time as mentioned before.

[shurushetr]

After some investigation, I found undocumented env variable SERVER_TIMEZONE in app.php

~ $ cat config/app.php | grep timezone
    | Here you may specify the default timezone for your application, which
    'timezone' => env('SERVER_TIMEZONE', 'UTC'),

Setting this variable in .env file for docker container like so

#timezone
SERVER_TIMEZONE='America/New_York'

Forces the laravel app to accept set timezone instead of standard declared value - UTC.

This can be verified with date_default_timezone_get(); after docker container is recreated:

LOGIN TO CONTAINER
sudo docker exec -it ilr_inv_nnj sh

RUN TINKER
~ $ php artisan tinker
Psy Shell v0.12.0 (PHP 8.2.16 — cli) by Justin Hileman

CHECK TIMEZONE
> date_default_timezone_get();
= "America/New_York"

>

This could possibly be added to documentation to avoid additional INI files (they don't work for setting the timezone in laravel any way) - https://invoiceninja.github.io/en/env-variables/

[shurushetr]

@turbo124
I had run another test, my timezones are all matching now, 100%. But the reminders are being dispatched prior to scheduled time no matter what.
Attaching screenshots of phpinfo sections with timezone. Using the ENV variable proven to be the best option to adjust this.

Attaching screenshots of timezone in php artisan tinker

No changes to schedulers, everything as in the first post - #9313 (comment)

And I still get "First reminder" sent out to clients next day 6am after I sent initial invoice manually. This reminder should go out 14 days Prior to Due Date, not next day.
Weird note - now that all timezones are matching (server host, laravel app, php etc.) The activity logs show that emails attempted to be sent at 11am not 6am like before =)

Maybe I'm missing something, but the timezone fix seems to have no effect on things. No way I'm alone with this, I only noticed it when one of my clients called me back asking to stop reminders...

[shurushetr]

• invoice.date
  • 2024-03-01
• invoice.due_date
  • 2024-03-31 00:00:00
• invoice.next_send_date
  • 2024-03-02 11:00:00

I'm attaching exported values for two states.

1. saved as draft - #1_2024030231_DRAFT_STATE.csv
2. marked as sent. - #2_2024030231_MARK_SENT_STATE.csv

[shurushetr]

@turbo124 following up, hope you seen the time and exported from DB data I posted.

[turbo124]

Do you know what the date was when you created this invoice? the created at column has an unusual format:

13:12.4

[turbo124]

I've just noticed. Why do you have a third reminder of

Third reminder - 1 day after the invoice date - send email.

this sounds like the issue?

[shurushetr]

Do you know what the date was when you created this invoice? the created at column has an unusual format:

13:12.4

Same as invoice date

invoice.date

• 2024-03-01

I've just noticed. Why do you have a third reminder of

Third reminder - 1 day after the invoice date - send email.

this sounds like the issue?

I thought it's a typo. But it is actually not. I'm "banner blind" I guess.

I've read the invoice date and my brain assumed it is == due date.

I appreciate the eagle eye and the time you spent here. And I'm happy to be embarrassed with this user error. Can't check enough the settings.