Cron is a standard daemon (background process) in Unix that can be used to schedule commands or shell scripts which are to be executed at specified time intervals. For example, you might create a command script to automatically generate web statistics daily at 6.00 pm.
The Scripts or Commands in Cron are called the Cron jobs. They typically automate a lot of things like system maintenance, administration and more. But their general-purpose nature makes them highly suitable for a variety of actions in the background.
Cron Prompt is a Free website that you can use to convert plain and natural English Language statements into the Syntax for Cron Expressions that you can use to schedule the execution of jobs. It uses Artificial Intelligence for the purpose of conversion.
How it Works:
1. Navigate to Cron Prompt using the link provided at the end of this article.
2. Type the English Prompt for the time interval (when you wish to perform the action) using natural language and click on ‘Submit Prompt’. For example, ‘On weekdays at noon’, ‘On Monday at 8.30 am’ etc.
3. The Cron Expression is created automatically along with the exact Translation of the Expression.
You can now copy the Cron Expression Syntax by clicking on the Copy icon and use it to create the command line in Crontab – the program used to drive Cron daemon.
For example:
0 2 12 * * /usr/bin/find
This line executes the find command at 2 AM on the 12th of every month.
0 0 8-14 * * /sbin/ping -c 1 192.168.0.1
This line executes the ping command on every 2nd Sunday of every month
Final Comments:
Cron Prompt works fine while converting Natural Language into Cron Expressions. Since it is based on AI, the results may be inaccurate at times. Hence you must verify the syntax before actually using the expressions in Cron.
Click here to navigate to Cron Prompt and try making various Cron Expressions and check the results.
