Re: [gentoo-user] crontab not executing

[Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com>]

>> One of my systems has a crontab like this to clean up and
>> consolidate the output of the video monitoring app "motion":
>>
>> # crontab -l
>> # DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE - edit the master and reinstall.
>> # (/home/grant/cron.root.txt installed on Sat Sep 25 10:42:18 2010)
>> # (Cron version V5.0 -- $Id: crontab.c,v 1.12 2004/01/23 18:56:42
>> vixie Exp $) 50 23 * * * /bin/rm /home/motion/$(date -d 'yesterday'
>> +%Y%m%d)*.jpg 55 23 * * * /bin/rm /home/motion/$(date -d
>> 'yesterday' +%Y%m%d)*.avi 59 23 * * * /usr/bin/mencoder
>> /home/motion/$(date +%Y%m%d)*.avi -noidx -o
>> /home/motion/full-$(date +%Y%m%d).avi -ovc copy -oac copy
>>
>> If I execute each command manually, it works great, but nothing
>> happens otherwise.  Can someone tell me why this crontab doesn't
>> seem to be executing?
>
> crontab does not use the same shell you use, so when your crons run
> they are missing all of the niceties you are used to using yourself.
>
> Things like PATH for example, and the $() may or may not work.
>
> You have paths for rm and mencoder but not for date

I've switched to this but I can't find the date binary.  Does anyone
know the full path for date?

50 23 * * * /bin/rm /home/motion/`date -d 'yesterday' +\%Y\%m\%d`*.jpg
55 23 * * * /bin/rm /home/motion/`date -d 'yesterday' +\%Y\%m\%d`*.avi
59 23 * * * /usr/bin/mencoder /home/motion/`date +\%Y\%m\%d`*.avi
-noidx -o /home/motion/full-`date +\%Y\%m\%d`.avi -ovc copy -oac copy

- Grant