Re: Switching Crontab Files Via At

[rlharris@broadcaster.org (Russell L. Harris)]

Scott Gifford <sgifford@suspectclass.com> writes:
> Martin McCormick <martin@dc.cis.okstate.edu> writes:
> You can install a crontab file by running:
>
>     crontab [filename]

When you create the file for crontab, don't forget the warning found in
the crontab man page:

    "Although cron requires that each entry in a crontab end in a
    newline character, neither the crontab command nor the cron daemon
    will detect this error [that is, omission of the new line
    character]. Instead, the crontab will appear to load normally.
    However, the command will never run [if the newline character is
    omitted]. The [easiest way to avoid this problem] is to ensure that
    your crontab has a blank line at the end."

And don't forget that the crontab file needs to be entered as a single
line, with no carriage returns or linefeeds in the body of the file.

After you have installed the crontab, use "crontab -l" to inspect it and
make sure that the crontab which you installed reads as you expected it
to read.

RLH