Automatic Alert

Joe Mongi · 05-14-2006, 05:29 PM

I am new to Linux, I am learning shell scripts.
I wrote a script which will alert/ give message from Monday to Friday(5 weekdays) at 8:15 that "Welcome to Work Place"

#!bin/bash
HOUR='date | grep {'echo $4'}'
MINUTE='date |grep {'grep $5'}'
DAY='date | grep ('cal[Mon - Fri]')'
while true; do
if [$HOUR -eq 8] -a [$MINUTE -eq 15]; then
echo $DAY "Welcome to work place"
else
sleep 13500s
fi
done

I got the error message that /date command not found on line 2, 3 and line 4.
I need your assistance and be blessed.

masonm · 05-14-2006, 05:34 PM

try the full path "/bin/date"

Joe Mongi · 05-14-2006, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masonm

try the full path "/bin/date"

I changed the script by adding the /bin/date path, still I got the error message.
This is the script:

#!/bin/bash
/bin/date
hour='date |grep {'echo $4'}'
min='date |grep {'echo $5'}'
day='date |grep {'[cal (Mon - Fri)]'}

while true;
do
if [$HOUR -eq 21] = [$MIN -eq 45]; then
echo $DAY "Good Morning"
else
sleep 13500s
fi
done

The error message
day: line 3: }: command not found
day: line 4: }: command not found
day: line 5: syntax error near unexpected token `('
day: line 5: `day='date |grep {'[cal (Mon - Fri)]'}'

michaelk · 05-14-2006, 06:39 PM

Hint:
time='date | awk {'print $4}'

Will assign time to the 4th variable and looking at the ouput of the date command would be time.

You can use string commands to seperate out hours and minutes.

Joe Mongi · 05-14-2006, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

Hint:
time='date | awk {'print $4}'

Will assign time to the 4th variable and looking at the ouput of the date command would be time.

You can use string commands to seperate out hours and minutes.

I have changed the script, but still I got the same error message.

#!/bin/bash
/bin/date

hour='date | awk {'print $4'}'
min='date | awk {'print $5'}'
day='date |awk {'print [cal (Mon - Fri)]'}'

while true;
do
if [$HOUR -eq 8] -a [$MIN -eq 15]; then
print -v $DAY "Good Morning"
else
sleep 13500s
fi
done

Error message:
day: line 3: }: command not found
day: line 4: }: command not found
day: line 5: syntax error near unexpected token `('
day: line 5: `day='date |awk {'print [cal (Mon - Fri)]'}'

michaelk · 05-14-2006, 08:12 PM

Lets try again
hour=$(date | awk {'print $4'})

rkelsen · 05-14-2006, 08:43 PM

How about this:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
HOUR=$(/bin/date | awk {'print $4'})
MIN=$(/bin/date | awk {'print $5'})
DAY=$(/bin/date |awk {'print [cal (Mon - Fri)]'})

while true;
do
     if [$HOUR -eq 8] -a [$MIN -eq 15]; then
        print -v  $DAY "Good Morning"
     else
        sleep 13500s
     fi
done

Joe Mongi · 05-15-2006, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkelsen

How about this:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
HOUR=$(/bin/date | awk {'print $4'})
MIN=$(/bin/date | awk {'print $5'})
DAY=$(/bin/date |awk {'print [cal (Mon - Fri)]'})

while true;
do
     if [$HOUR -eq 8] -a [$MIN -eq 15]; then
        print -v  $DAY "Good Morning"
     else
        sleep 13500s
     fi
done

The first two variables now are working fine, the problems still in the third variable $DAY. I got this error message:

awk: {print [cal (Mon - Fri)]}
awk: ^ syntax error
awk: {print [cal (Mon - Fri)]}
awk: ^ syntax error
day: line 10: [10:16:27: command not found

timmeke · 05-15-2006, 05:03 AM

Instead of using "awk" or "grep" to get what you want, it's a lot easier just to use
date's own options for date formatting.
ie:

Code:

HOUR=`/bin/date +%H`
MIN=`/bin/date +%M`
DAY=`/bin/date +%A`
...

See also "man date" for more date/time formatting options.

A few other remarks:
-I doubt that there is something like a "print" command in Bash. Use "echo" to print messages on a terminal
instead. Check out "man bash" for this one.
-Your loop isn't ending. You should add an "exit" after echo'ing your "Good morning" message.

Lotharster · 05-15-2006, 09:26 AM

The main problem with your script is that you are using an apostrophe instead of a `.

When you need command substitution, you have to use

Code:

`command`
or
$(command)

The latter one has the advantage that you can nest several command substitutions.
E.g. the line

Code:

DAY=`date | grep (`cal[Mon - Fri]`)`

will not work, because bash will try to interprete `date | grep (` and `)` as commands. So you have to use

Code:

DAY=$(date | grep ( $(cal[Mon - Fri]) ) )

BTW, I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish with cal[Mon - Fri]. Did you read the man page of cal?

Lotharster