Create a new system variable

[Martin Stone]

it would also be easy, since it sounds like you just want the vars as set up in 
your /etc/profile, to make your crontab line be something like:

* * * * * . /etc/profile && domystuff

instead of

* * * * * domystuff

that way you get all the environment as set up in /etc/profile


Keven Ring wrote:
> duncan brown wrote:
> 
>> matt,
>> you want to create a wrapper script, OR have the export of your 
>> http_proxy
>> var on your crontab line seperated from your command by an ; or &&
>>
>> ; means that it'll run the following command whether or not the first one
>> succeeded
>> && means that it'll only run it if the previous command completed
>> successfully
>>
>> if this is for apt (apt-get / apt-cache), then you can modify the 
>> apt.conf
>> file (do a search for the word proxy) and you can set it up in there and
>> be set.
>>
>> now, you could also create a wrapper script
>>
>> create /usr/local/bin/my_wrapper (or whatever you want to call it)
>>  
>>
> 
>> Matthew Benjamin said:
>>  
>>
>>> Can someone tell me how to create a system variable. For instance I
>>> would like to create a variable called http_proxy that will be available
>>> for a cronjob. This requires the variable to be available to the process
>>> when no one is logged in. Export does not work because it disappears
>>> when you log off. editing the /etc/profile file to include this does not
>>> work because the variable is created as an environment variable and only
>>> exits while you're logged on. That's my dilemma. Please help.
>>>
>>> mattB.
>>>   
> 
> 
> Even easier is to do a man 5 crontab.  This tells you how to supply 
> environment variables inside of the crontab file!
> No wrapper needed!  Of course, that environment variable is then passed 
> to every program, but http_proxy sounds like a good one to pass on....
>