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CRONTAB(1)                BSD General Commands Manual               CRONTAB(1)

NAME
     crontab -- maintain crontab files for individual users (V3)

SYNOPSIS
     crontab [-u user] file
     crontab [-u user] { -l | -r | -e }

DESCRIPTION
     The crontab utility is the program used to install, deinstall or list the tables used to drive the
     cron(8) daemon in Vixie Cron.  Each user can have their own crontab, and though these are files in
     /var, they are not intended to be edited directly.

     (Darwin note: Although cron(8) and crontab(5) are officially supported under Darwin, their functional-ity functionality
     ity has been absorbed into launchd(8), which provides a more flexible way of automatically executing
     commands.  See launchctl(1) for more information.)

     If the /usr/lib/cron/cron.allow file exists, then you must be listed therein in order to be allowed to
     use this command.  If the /usr/lib/cron/cron.allow file does not exist but the /usr/lib/cron/cron.deny
     file does exist, then you must not be listed in the /usr/lib/cron/cron.deny file in order to use this
     command.  If neither of these files exists, then depending on site-dependent configuration parameters,
     only the super user will be allowed to use this command, or all users will be able to use this command.

     The first form of this command is used to install a new crontab from some named file or standard input
     if the pseudo-filename `-' is given.  The third form will process standard input as a new crontab.

     The following options are available:

     -u      Specify the name of the user whose crontab is to be tweaked.  If this option is not given,
             crontab examines ``your'' crontab, i.e., the crontab of the person executing the command.  Note
             that su(1) can confuse crontab and that if you are running inside of su(1) you should always
             use the -u option for safety's sake.

     -l      Display the current crontab on standard output.

     -r      Remove the current crontab.

     -e      Edit the current crontab using the editor specified by the VISUAL or EDITOR environment vari-ables. variables.
             ables.  The specified editor must edit the file in place; any editor that unlinks the file and
             recreates it cannot be used.  After you exit from the editor, the modified crontab will be
             installed automatically.

FILES
     /usr/lib/cron/cron.allow
     /usr/lib/cron/cron.deny

DIAGNOSTICS
     A fairly informative usage message appears if you run it with a bad command line.

SEE ALSO
     crontab(5), compat(5), cron(8), launchctl(1)

STANDARDS
     The crontab command conforms to IEEE Std 1003.2 (``POSIX.2'').  The new command syntax differs from
     previous versions of Vixie Cron, as well as from the classic SVR3 syntax.

AUTHORS
     Paul Vixie <paul@vix.com>

BSD                            December 29, 1993                           BSD