works from command line - not from cron

I have a shell script to export shows from my DVR. Seems to work when from from the command line. I create a job in /etc/cron.d and it runs... but misses shows with apostrophe. Note: I run the job as "me" I am added to crontab group.

snip from cron email:

X-Cron-Env: <SHELL=/bin/bash>
X-Cron-Env: <PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin>
X-Cron-Env: <MAILTO=dj>
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/home/dj>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=dj>

notorious lines as reported in the cron email report, note script has set -x

+ export_namechange wrapto1 'The People'\''s Court' PeoplesCourt /media/dvr
+ wrapto1 --name 'The People'\''s Court' --filename 'PeoplesCourt - s%se%e.mp4' --get --all --capto-args '-p /media/dvr -a -q'
Finished 0 jobs in 0 sec: 0 files transferred OK, 0 files failed.

The 2nd and 3rd lines are actually from another script named export_namechange. It passes which device 1 or 2 the name of the show new name and path. Line as it appears in TabloDaily

exportnamechange 1 "The People's Court" PeoplesCourt /media/dvr

I have the entire name double quoted, and it escapes the ' as I guess it does. So I try "The People\'s Court" and "The People"\'s" Court" and then I just get 2 back slashes or even more single quote around it all to keep the backslash. -wtf

Now the real screwy part... From the command line

+ export_namechange wrapto1 'The People'\''s Court' PeoplesCourt /media/dvr
+ wrapto1 --name 'The People'\''s Court' --filename 'PeoplesCourt - s%se%e.mp4' --get --all --capto-args '-p /media/dvr -a -q'
Retrieving item '178906' via command 'capto1 -e 178906 -p /media/dvr -a -q -f "PeoplesCourt - s23e35.mp4"'
Retrieved '178906' OK
Finished 1 job in 239 sec: 1 file transferred OK, 0 files failed.

It passes things on with the messed up escaping still, but what ever is going on differently it catches the show and exports it. Now what's different about running from cron? It's not the explicitly added '\' which I can't seem to get rid of. I try to escape it from inside the double quotes, seems to still want to make it literal.

/etc/cron.d/TabloDaily

SHELL=/bin/bash
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
MAILTO=dj
#
59 23 * * * dj /usr/local/sbin/TabloDaily

Again, the report shows it's run and loged on as me [dj] with my home environment, but .bashrc exits if not interactive - no shopt other than histappend and checkwinsize any ways.

All scripts start with

#!/bin/bash
set -x

the quotation does not change (cannot be changed) depending on the invocation, so that should be something else.
For example cron uses sh instead of bash. Cron may use different path (or environment) settings, that may cause also strange behavior.
Also .bashrc is not in use when you use cron, so I just don't understand your comment related to .bashrc.

Originally Posted by pan64 the quotation does not change (cannot be changed) depending on the invocation, so that should be something else. For example cron uses sh instead of bash. Cron may use different path (or environment) settings, that may cause also strange behavior.

But the cron job I posted has SHELL=/bin/bash and once the shell script starts, why wouldn't it respond to #!/bin/bash ?

Originally Posted by pan64 Also .bashrc is not in use when you use cron, so I just don't understand your comment related to .bashrc.

as noted in the cron email report -
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/home/dj>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=dj>

that's where .bashrc is and is read when I log in. .bashrc is not used at all for jobs run as root for certain, in the username column of cron I have my own username, not root.

shebang is only honored when there was no interpreter specified (so when you execute for example: /bin/ksh <your script> it will be processed by ksh, not bash).
regarding bashrc please read man bash (and look for .bashrc)

Originally Posted by pan64 shebang is only honored when there was no interpreter specified (so when you execute for example: /bin/ksh <your script> it will be processed by ksh, not bash). regarding bashrc please read man bash (and look for .bashrc)

my comment about .bashrc - it exits if not interactive -- I know it's not in play here.

To ensure there is not interpreter specified, even though as noted, my cron job says SHELL=/bin/bash I should launch it via exec