How to create a cron job using Bash automatically without the interactive editor?

bash shell cron
Raúl Roa picture Raúl Roa · May 18, 2009 · Viewed 314.3k times · Source

Does crontab have an argument for creating cron jobs without using the editor (crontab -e). If so, What would be the code create a cronjob from a Bash script?

Answer

dogbane picture dogbane · May 18, 2009

You can add to the crontab as follows:

#write out current crontab
crontab -l > mycron
#echo new cron into cron file
echo "00 09 * * 1-5 echo hello" >> mycron
#install new cron file
crontab mycron
rm mycron

Cron line explaination

* * * * * "command to be executed"
- - - - -
| | | | |
| | | | ----- Day of week (0 - 7) (Sunday=0 or 7)
| | | ------- Month (1 - 12)
| | --------- Day of month (1 - 31)
| ----------- Hour (0 - 23)
------------- Minute (0 - 59)

Source nixCraft.

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