Automatically complete tasks with the Gnome Schedule

Would you like to regularly perform tasks on the computer to run automatically? In Linux, for the schedule and execution of tasks, the easiest way to use is crontab. This application, launched from the command line, allows you to execute commands and scripts, in automatic mode, at a specified time / date.



And for those who dislike the command line interface, there is a Gnome Schedule - the graphical equivalent of crontab. It uses the power of vixie-cron , dcron and at to manage a crontab file, and provides an easy way to organize a task schedule on a computer. Whether scheduling persistent tasks or tasks performed once, Gnome Schedule handles them without problems.





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Installation

Gnome Schedule can be found in the repositories of most Linux distributions, so its installation is pretty simple. If you are using Ubuntu, you can easily install the Gnome Schedule in Synaptic Package Manager, or directly from the console by typing the following command:



sudo apt-get install gnome-schedule

Using

When planning a new task, it is necessary to choose a repeating this task or a one-time task.







For a task performed once, you will be prompted to enter a description of the task, the date and time it was started, and the code that needs to be executed. By the way, the term “task performed once” does not imply the performance of only one task. You can easily configure the Gnome Schedule to run multiple commands and execute different tasks at the same time.



For example, you can stop all applications, clear the trash bin, and turn off the computer at 10 pm. You just need to make sure that you enter each command with a new line, and in the correct sequence.







Also for you there is a button to add the current task as a template. With the template, you do not need to enter settings for this task over and over.



In repeating mode, you can describe a task that is run every week, hour, minute, second, or every time you reboot the system.

If you need more precise control, you can switch to the advanced mode, and edit the schedule manually.











By default, the Gnome Schedule does not allow the execution of commands requiring administrative rights. To schedule tasks that affect system settings, you must run Gnome Schedule in superuser mode before adding tasks to the schedule. In order to do this, you need to run the Gnome Schedule from the terminal:



gksu gnome-schedule



In the superuser mode, you can also edit the schedules of tasks of other users.

Conclusion

Gnome Schedule is a simple and easy-to-use application for scheduling and automating tasks in Linux. It does not require memorizing and learning how to create a cron job on the command line. The only thing you need to know is the terminal commands that run the tasks you need.



However, it would be great if the developer included some predefined standard tasks like shutting down, cleaning garbage, closing all windows, etc.