display popup message on X with crontab

[Hugo Vanwoerkom]

Hi,

How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?

There is xmessage, but from crontab?

Thanks!

H

[Karsten M. Self]

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
Hi,
How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?
There is xmessage, but from crontab?

Set your $DISPLAY variable appropriately.

DISPLAY=:0.0 xmessage "My message"

... should work, if not in your crontab entry itself then in a script
called by same. ":0.0" should work for most circumstances.


Peace.

[Hugo Vanwoerkom]

Post by Karsten M. Self

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
Hi,
How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?
There is xmessage, but from crontab?

Set your $DISPLAY variable appropriately.
DISPLAY=:0.0 xmessage "My message"
... should work, if not in your crontab entry itself then in a script
called by same. ":0.0" should work for most circumstances.

Karsten,

Not that way, but:

xmessage -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :1.0

works.
But I cannot get that to work from crontab and at the moment crontab is
not mailing any actions that I can find.

It works execution a script with that in it.

However, everybody (I have a 2 seater Debian) must issue xhost + from
their session for it to be allowed.

H

[Karsten M. Self]

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom

on Tue, Jan 10, 2006 at 03:41:52PM -0600, Hugo Vanwoerkom

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
Hi,
How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?
There is xmessage, but from crontab?

Set your $DISPLAY variable appropriately.
DISPLAY=:0.0 xmessage "My message"
... should work, if not in your crontab entry itself then in a script
called by same. ":0.0" should work for most circumstances.

Karsten,
xmessage -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :1.0
works.

So does:

55 10 * * Mon export DISPLAY=:0; echo "Weekly Engineering \
meeting! $( date )" | fmt -w 32 | xmessage -file -

(as one line)

... in my current (user) crontab. I see that message regularly, so I
know ;-)

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
But I cannot get that to work from crontab and at the moment crontab is
not mailing any actions that I can find.

Are you trying to use your personal crontab or the system crontab
(/etc/crontab)? Should be your own, or you'll get user permissions
issues.

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
It works execution a script with that in it.
However, everybody (I have a 2 seater Debian) must issue xhost + from
their session for it to be allowed.

Evil! Evil! *Never* do that.


Peace.

[Hugo Vanwoerkom]

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom

on Tue, Jan 10, 2006 at 03:41:52PM -0600, Hugo Vanwoerkom

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
Hi,
How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?
There is xmessage, but from crontab?

Set your $DISPLAY variable appropriately.
DISPLAY=:0.0 xmessage "My message"
... should work, if not in your crontab entry itself then in a script
called by same. ":0.0" should work for most circumstances.

Karsten,
xmessage -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :1.0
works.
But I cannot get that to work from crontab and at the moment crontab is
not mailing any actions that I can find.
It works execution a script with that in it.
However, everybody (I have a 2 seater Debian) must issue xhost + from
their session for it to be allowed.

That should be:

/usr/bin/X11/xmessage -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :1.0


otherwise he complains that he cannot find xmessage.

You can add font info:

/usr/bin/X11/xmessage -center -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :0.0
-font -adobe-times-bold-r-*-*-25-*-*-*-*-*
-*-* -bg yellow -fg black

H

[Hugo Vanwoerkom]

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom

on Tue, Jan 10, 2006 at 03:41:52PM -0600, Hugo Vanwoerkom

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
Hi,
How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?
There is xmessage, but from crontab?

Set your $DISPLAY variable appropriately.
DISPLAY=:0.0 xmessage "My message"
... should work, if not in your crontab entry itself then in a script
called by same. ":0.0" should work for most circumstances.

Karsten,
xmessage -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :1.0
works.
But I cannot get that to work from crontab and at the moment crontab
is not mailing any actions that I can find.
It works execution a script with that in it.
However, everybody (I have a 2 seater Debian) must issue xhost + from
their session for it to be allowed.

/usr/bin/X11/xmessage -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :1.0
otherwise he complains that he cannot find xmessage.
/usr/bin/X11/xmessage -center -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :0.0
-font -adobe-times-bold-r-*-*-25-*-*-*-*-*
-*-* -bg yellow -fg black

And xmessage has no beep facility. Better yet: program the speaker for a
unique sound that makes this sort of message obvious.

So I wrote a Qt app. that does so and displays any richtext contained in
a file and displays that file with a unique 3 beep warning that can be
executed from crontab.

If anybody wants that, let me know at hugo van woerkom (but all one
word) at yahoo dot com.

H

[Karsten M. Self]

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom

on Tue, Jan 10, 2006 at 03:41:52PM -0600, Hugo Vanwoerkom

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
Hi,
How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?

And xmessage has no beep facility.

The more general problem is that most sound servers suck, and if I'm
already accessing the sound device (e.g.: playing oggs in xmms), I
can't play an additional alert.

What's the recommended soundserver to use in this case?

I'm apparently running i810_audio, ac97_codec, and soundcore, and
possibly esound. I really haven't kept up with this.


Peace.

[Michelle Konzack]

Post by Karsten M. Self
The more general problem is that most sound servers suck, and if I'm
already accessing the sound device (e.g.: playing oggs in xmms), I
can't play an additional alert.
What's the recommended soundserver to use in this case?

I am using rplay all over my network.
Works perfectly, even via NET.

Post by Karsten M. Self
I'm apparently running i810_audio, ac97_codec, and soundcore, and
possibly esound. I really haven't kept up with this.

Me too.

Post by Karsten M. Self
Peace.

Greetings
Michelle Konzack
Systemadministrator
Tamay Dogan Network
Debian GNU/Linux Consultant
--
Linux-User #280138 with the Linux Counter, http://counter.li.org/
##################### Debian GNU/Linux Consultant #####################
Michelle Konzack Apt. 917 ICQ #328449886
50, rue de Soultz MSM LinuxMichi
0033/3/88452356 67100 Strasbourg/France IRC #Debian (irc.icq.com)

[Karsten M. Self]

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom

on Tue, Jan 10, 2006 at 03:41:52PM -0600, Hugo Vanwoerkom

Post by Hugo Vanwoerkom
How would I popup an informative message on X from a crontab entry?

/usr/bin/X11/xmessage -file /xmessage.downmsg.msg -display :1.0

Perhaps. However it _does_ work as written.


Peace.