NAME

     crontab - User crontab manipulation


SYNOPSIS

     crontab -c [user] file
     crontab -l [user]
     crontab -r [user]
     crontab -p


DESCRIPTION

     The crontab program allows users to  manipulate  their  per-
     sonal   crontab   files.    These   files   are   hidden  in
     /usr/spool/crontabs/user where user is the login name  of  a
     given  user.   The  system  daemon cron uses these crontabs,
     among others, to run tasks that are to be repeated at  regu-
     lar  intervals.   See crontab(5) on what a good crontab file
     should look like.

     Only the superuser can specify a user name to manipulate the
     crontab  of  a  given  user.   Any other user can only touch
     their own crontab file.


OPTIONS

     -c [user] file
          Install file as the crontab file of user.

     -l [user]
          List the crontab file of user to standard output.

     -r [user]
          Remove the crontab file of user.

     -p   Tell cron to reload  its  tables.   Useful  for  system
          administrators  to signal a change to any of the system
          crontab files.  Changes made by the crontab program are
          signalled automatically.  (Mnemonic: -p = "ping".)


FILES

     /usr/spool/crontabs/user     Per user personal crontab file.


SEE ALSO

     crontab(5), cron(8).


DIAGNOSTICS

     Crontab preparses a new crontab  and  only  installs  it  if
     correct.   All  errors  are sent to standard error, messages
     about installing a new table and telling cron to reload  are
     sent to standard output.


BUGS

     Crontab misses a -e option  that  other  implementations  of
     this  command  allow  one  to  edit  the current crontab and
     install the result.  Seems quite  handy  until  you  try  to
     install  a new crontab from an automated script.  That's why
     this command has a -c option that installs a prepared  cron-
     tab file.  Use

          crontab -l >/tmp/tab
          ${EDITOR-vi} /tmp/tab
          crontab -c /tmp/tab

     to get the same effect as crontab -e.


AUTHOR

     Kees J. Bot (kjb@cs.vu.nl)