attaching time stamp on out put file

[diwakar_4]

Hi All,

I am trying to ececute one script from crontab. I want to get the out in one file.
But i want file should have date and time as well.

My crontan setting is like:
00,15,30,45 * * * * /usr/sym/syst/menus/yqclear.scr 1>/tmp/log 2>&1

I want to attach date and time as well with log file.
like

00,15,30,45 * * * * /usr/sym/syst/menus/yqclear.scr 1>/tmp/log_`date +%Y%m%d%H%M` 2>&1


But it is not working. I am getting file :
log_200811071116.

Can any one please help me how to do this?

Thanks

[Ganesan R]

Hi,

Do you want the date and time should be inside the output file or in the output file name?

how should your output file look like?

[Dennis Handly]

I'm confused. Do you want the timestamp IN the file or in the filename? Or both?
... DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M); (echo $DATE; \
/usr/sym/syst/menus/yqclear.scr) > tmp/log_$DATE 2>&1

[Dennis Handly]

Perhaps this is your problem. You must quote "%" in a crontab:
... DATE=$(date +\%Y\%m\%d\%H\%M); (echo $DATE; \
/usr/sym/syst/menus/yqclear.scr) > tmp/log_$DATE 2>&1

[Steven Schweda]

The "date" format string can include plain
text as well as real date formatting
directives:

bash$ date +/tmp/log_%Y%m%d%H%M
/tmp/log_200811070540

bash$ echo fred > ` date +/tmp/log_%Y%m%d%H%M `
bash$ ls -l /tmp/log_*
-rw-r----- 1 SMS 40 5 Nov 7 05:45 /tmp/log_200811070545
bash$ cat /tmp/log_200811070545
fred

[diwakar_4]

Hi dennis,

I want date and time be as a part of file name.

it is giving proper file name but out is nothing but date value.

Here i am executing clear.scr which contains code:

echo " Welcome ".
My log file should show this message when i open the file(log_200811071206). But it shows value as 200811071206.


06 12 * * 1-5 DATE=$(date +\%Y\%m\%d\%H\%M); (echo $DATE; \ /usr/symology/cle
ar.scr) > /usr/symology/log_$DATE

Please suggest..

[Ganesan R]

Hi,

# echo "welcome" 1>/tmp/log_`date +%Y%m%d%H%M` 2>&1
# ll /tmp/log*
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root sys 8 Nov 7 06:25 /tmp/log_200811070625
# more /tmp/log_200811070625
welcome
#

[Patrick Wallek]

>> But it shows value as 200811071206.

Well, that IS the date and time from your command.

You did:

/tmp/log_`date +%Y%m%d%H%M`

So, from the 'date' command you get:

%Y = 2008 (the year)
%m = 11 (the month)
%d = 07 (the day)
%H = 12 (The hour)
%M = 06 (The minutes)

I'm not sure what else you want. Your explanations are not very clear to me.

[Dennis Handly]

>I want date and time be as a part of file name. it is giving proper file name but output is nothing but date value.

Once you get the log filename, you have to put what you want into the file.
You can adjust that echo I suggested, or remove it.

[Ninad_1 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

What Dennis has suggested is the solution for you.

00,15,30,45 * * * * /usr/sym/syst/menus/yqclear.scr 1>/tmp/log_$(date "+\%Y\%m\%d\%H\%M") 2>&1

will do in one line.

You could have looked at /var/adm/cron/log file - for what cron is actually executing (means what it understands as the command to be executed).
This would have given you a clue where exactly you are going wrong.

Regards,
Ninad