crontab(1)

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  personal  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 regular
     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
     crontab 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)