Using a C# preprocessor directive for testing custom timer-jobs

If your are writing custom timer-jobs for your SharePoint solution it will happen that you write jobs which are only executed once a day or even less often. As a developer you cannot wait that long…

You could of course comment in and out (via ctrl + k, ctrl + c / ctrl + k, ctrl + u) the SPSchedule used by the timer-job during debug-mode. But this is error-prone.

When using a C# preprocessor directive you cannot forget to switch back to the “production schedule” as this is done automatically (and even with syntax-highlighting depending on the active configuration!) when selecting the “release build”.


#if (DEBUG)
var schedule = new SPMinuteSchedule();
schedule.BeginSecond = 1;
schedule.EndSecond = 59;
schedule.Interval = 5;
#else
var schedule = new SPDailySchedule();
schedule.BeginHour = 7;
schedule.EndHour = 7;
schedule.BeginMinute = 1;
schedule.EndMinute = 59;
#endif

This code tells the compiler to use the SPMinuteSchedule when compiling the “debug build” and to use the SPDailySchedule when compiling in “release build”. All automatically!