[SOLVED] Cron won't run osd_cat script

hilltownboy · 04-10-2014, 11:40 AM

Trying to get cron to run a script that writes a desktop notification using osd_cat (part of xosd package). Runs fine from terminal. From cron it seems to try to run but instantly stops, showing "No protocol specified. Error initializing osd: Cannot open display"

I must have read every posting on Google that has anything to do with this subject. Many never indicated as solved. Others too complex for me to understand. I'm just trying to run a simple script. Have experimented with posts pointing to permissions, DISPLAY and xhost without success.

I am using openbox on both Arch and Debain wheezy. Would appreciate help, especially because osd_cat is a nicely configurable notification program.

Assuming that this can work, the objective is to run backups automatically with anacron, but preceeded with a notification to insert a USB drive.

Habitual · 04-10-2014, 01:07 PM

Code:

#!/bin/bash
# make_popup <icon> <title> [<text>]
icon=/home/jj/Documents/dork.png
title="OSD Popup Test"
text="LQ Rocks!"
logfile=~/notify.sends
notify-send -i $icon "$title" "$text"
echo $title $text `date +"%a, %b %d %Y at %l:%M:%S %p %Z"`>$logfile
exit 0

You may need a DISPLAY variable and I'm not certain this will work from anacron, but hey, it's a start.

Enjoy the LQ goodness!

hilltownboy · 04-15-2014, 05:07 PM

Thanks, habitual. No doubt your script would show the notification if I were to install notify-osd (a ubuntu-developed program that includes notify-send). But my problem is that when anacron tries to run my osd_cat (part of xosd-bin on Debian) script, it immediately shuts down without putting it on the screen. It would probably do the same with yours.

On the other hand if as root I give the command: anacron -fn, the notification appears immediately on the screen (the -f option means ignore time stamps and the -n option means run now).

So I conclude that anacron and my script are doing the job, but that there is some other impediment that I can't figure out.

Habitual · 04-15-2014, 06:35 PM

maybe in sudoers give yourself permission to run anacron?

hilltownboy · 04-17-2014, 11:04 AM

Curiosly, just typing * * * * * in a terminal runs the script, displaying the desktop notification.

Habitual · 04-17-2014, 11:42 AM

maybe you should show us the actual commands and script you are using?

hilltownboy · 04-18-2014, 11:15 AM

The script:

Code:

cat /usr/local/bin/alert
#!/bin/bash

export DISPLAY=:0
echo "Insert Backup USB" | osd_cat -A center -p middle -c blue -d 10 -f -*-*-bold-*-*-*-36-120-*-*-*-*-*-* &&
sleep 7 && echo "Done" | osd_cat -A center -p middle -c red -d 10 -f -*-*-bold-*-*-*-36-120-*-*-*-*-*-*

The anacron command:

Code:

cat /etc/anacrontab
# /etc/anacrontab: configuration file for anacron

# See anacron(8) and anacrontab(5) for details.

SHELL=/bash
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
HOME=/root
LOGNAME=root
DISPLAY=:0
START_HOURS_RANGE=8-22
RANDOM_DELAY=20

# These replace cron's entries
1	1	alertscript	nice	alert
1 	7	cron.daily	nice    run-parts --report /etc/cron.daily
7	10	cron.weekly	nice	run-parts --report /etc/cron.weekly
@monthly	15	cron.monthly	nice	run-parts --report /etc/cron.monthly

The error report sent to /var/mail/my-home-name:

Code:

From root@debian Fri Apr 18 07:46:45 2014
Return-path: <root@debian>
Envelope-to: root@debian
Delivery-date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 07:46:45 -0400
Received: from root by debian with local (Exim 4.80)
	(envelope-from <root@debian>)
	id 1Wb7Fl-0000uf-C5
	for root@debian; Fri, 18 Apr 2014 07:46:45 -0400
From: Anacron <root@debian>
To: root@debian
Subject: Anacron job 'alertscript' on debian
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Message-Id: <E1Wb7Fl-0000uf-C5@debian>
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 07:46:45 -0400

No protocol specified
Error initializing osd: Cannot open display

hilltownboy · 04-18-2014, 11:25 AM

Perhaps I should add:

Code:

cat /etc/cron.d/anacron
# /etc/cron.d/anacron: crontab entries for the anacron package

DISPLAY=:0.0
SHELL=/bin/sh
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin

30 7 * * *   root	test -x /etc/init.d/anacron && /usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d anacron start >/dev/null

hilltownboy · 04-19-2014, 10:51 AM

It turns out that changing /etc/cron.d/anacron from 30 7 * * * to * * * * * resolves the problem
My desktop notification script now runs as intended