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diff --git a/mcron.texinfo b/mcron.texinfo index 6f7ca24..1eef0e7 100644 --- a/mcron.texinfo +++ b/mcron.texinfo @@ -7,9 +7,6 @@ @syncodeindex fn cp @copying -This file documents the @code{mcron} command for running jobs at -scheduled times. - Copyright (C) 2003 Dale Mellor This is free software. See the source files for the terms of the copyright. @@ -54,7 +51,7 @@ by the Foundation. @page @vskip 0pt plus 1fill -@insertcopying +@c @insertcopying @end titlepage @@ -64,7 +61,10 @@ by the Foundation. @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir) @top mcron -@insertcopying +This file documents the @code{mcron} command (Mellor's cron) for +running jobs at scheduled times. + +@c @insertcopying @end ifnottex @menu @@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ by the Foundation. * Simple examples:: How to use mcron 99.9% of the time. * Syntax:: All the possibilities for configuring cron jobs. * Invoking:: What happens when you run the mcron command. +* Guile modules:: Incorporating mcron into another Guile program. * Index:: The complete index. @detailmenu @@ -109,6 +110,14 @@ Detailed invoking * Running crontab:: * Exit codes:: +Guile modules + +* The core module:: The job list and execution loop. +* The redirect module:: Sending output of jobs to a mail box. +* The vixie-time module:: Parsing vixie-style time specifications. +* The job-specifier module:: All commands for scheme configuration files. +* The vixie-specification module:: Commands for reading vixie-style crontabs. + @end detailmenu @end menu @@ -766,7 +775,7 @@ either). @end itemize -@node Invoking, Index, Syntax, Top +@node Invoking, Guile modules, Syntax, Top @chapter Detailed invoking @cindex invoking @cindex personality @@ -1022,6 +1031,8 @@ become immediately effective. @end table + + @node Exit codes, , Running crontab, Invoking @section Exit codes @cindex exit codes @@ -1107,7 +1118,201 @@ Cron has been run by a user other than root. -@node Index, , Invoking, Top +@node Guile modules, Index, Invoking, Top +@chapter Guile modules +Some of the key parts of mcron are implemented as modules so they can +be incorporated into other Guile programs, or even into C-sourced +programs if they are linked against libguile. + +It may be, for example, that a program needs to perform house-keeping +functions at certain times of the day, in which case it can spawn +(either fork or thread) a sub-process which uses a built-in +mcron. Another example may be a program which must sleep until some +non-absolute time specified on the Gregorian calendar (the first day +of next week, for example). Finally, it may be the wish of the user to +provide a program with the functionality of mcron plus a bit extra. + +The core module maintains mcron's internal job lists, and provides the +main wait-run-wait loop that is mcron's main function. It also +introduces the facilities for accumulating a set of environment +modifiers, which take effect when jobs run. + +@menu +* The core module:: The job list and execution loop. +* The redirect module:: Sending output of jobs to a mail box. +* The vixie-time module:: Parsing vixie-style time specifications. +* The job-specifier module:: All commands for scheme configuration files. +* The vixie-specification module:: Commands for reading vixie-style crontabs. +@end menu + +@node The core module, The redirect module, Guile modules, Guile modules +@section The core module +@cindex guile module +@cindex core module +@cindex modules, core + +This module may be used by including @code{(use-modules (mcron core))} +in a program. The main functions are @code{add-job} and +@code{run-job-loop}, which allow a program to create a list of job +specifications to run, and then to initiate the wait-run-wait loop +firing the jobs off at the requisite times. However, before they are +introduced two functions which manipulate the environment that takes +effect when a job runs are defined. + +@cindex environment +The environment is a set of name-value pairs which is built up +incrementally. Each time the @code{add-job} function is called, the +environment modifiers that have been accumulated up to that point are +stored with the new job specification, and when the job actually runs +these name-value pairs are used to modify the run-time environment in +effect. + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} append-environment-mods name value +When a job is run make sure the environment variable @var{name} has +the value @var{value}. +@end deffn + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} clear-environment-mods +This procedure causes all the environment modifiers that have been +specified so far to be forgotten. +@end deffn + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} add-job time-proc action displayable configuration-time configuration-user +This procedure adds a job specification to the list of all jobs to +run. @var{time-proc} should be a procedure taking exactly one argument +which will be a UNIX time. This procedure must compute the next time +that the job should run, and return the result. @var{action} should be +a procedure taking no arguments, and contains the instructions that +actually get executed whenever the job is scheduled to +run. @var{displayable} should be a string, and is only for the use of +humans; it can be anything which identifies or simply gives a clue as +to the purpose or function of this job. @var{configuration-time} is +the time from which the first invokation of this job should be +computed. Finally, @var{configuration-user} should be the passwd entry +for the user under whose personality the job is to run. +@end deffn + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} run-job-loop . fd-list +@cindex file descriptors +@cindex interrupting the mcron loop +This procedure returns only under exceptional circumstances, but +usually loops forever waiting for the next time to arrive when a job +needs to run, running that job, recomputing the next run time, and +then waiting again. However, the wait can be interrupted by data +becoming available for reading on one of the file descriptors in the +fd-list, if supplied. Only in this case will the procedure return to +the calling program, which may then make modifications to the job list +before calling the @code{run-job-loop} procedure again to resume execution of +the mcron core. +@end deffn + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} remove-user-jobs user + +The argument @var{user} should be a string naming a user (his +login name), or an integer UID, or an object representing the user's passwd +entry. All jobs on the current job list that are scheduled to be run +under this personality are removed from the job list. +@end deffn + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} get-schedule count +@cindex schedule of jobs +The argument @var{count} should be an integer value giving the number +of time-points in the future to report that jobs will run as. Note +that this procedure is disruptive; if @code{run-job-loop} is called +after this procedure, the first job to run will be the one after the +last job that was reported in the schedule report. The report itself +is returned to the calling program as a string. +@end deffn + +@node The redirect module, The vixie-time module, The core module, Guile modules +@section The redirect module +@cindex redirect module +@cindex modules, redirect + +This module is introduced to a program with the command +@code{(use-modules (mcron redirect))}. + +This module provides the @code{with-mail-out} function, described +fully in @ref{Guile Syntax}. + +@node The vixie-time module, The job-specifier module, The redirect module, Guile modules +@section The vixie-time module +@cindex vixie-time module +@cindex modules, vixie-time + +This module is introduced to a program by @code{(use-modules (mcron +vixie-time))}. + +This module provides a single method for converting a vixie-style time +specification into a procedure which can be used as the +@code{next-time-function} to the core @code{add-job} procedure, or to +the @code{job-specifier} @code{job} procedure. See @ref{Vixie Syntax} +for full details of the allowed format for the time string. + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} parse-vixie-time time-string +The single argument @var{time-string} should be a string containing a +vixie-style time specification, and the return value is the required +procedure. +@end deffn + + +@node The job-specifier module, The vixie-specification module, The vixie-time module, Guile modules +@section The job-specifier module +@cindex job-specifier module +@cindex modules, job-specifier + +This module is introduced to a program by @code{(use-modules (mcron +job-specifier))}. + +This module provides all the functions available to user's Guile +configuration files, namely @code{range}, @code{next-year-from}, +@code{next-year}, @code{next-month-from}, @code{next-month}, +@code{next-day-from}, @code{next-day}, @code{next-hour-from}, +@code{next-hour}, @code{next-minute-from}, @code{next-minute}, +@code{next-second-from}, @code{next-second}, + and last but not least, @code{job}. See @ref{Guile Syntax} for full + details. + +Once this module is loaded, a scheme configuration file can be used to +put jobs onto the job list simply by @code{load}ing the file. + +@node The vixie-specification module, , The job-specifier module, Guile modules +@section The vixie-specification module +@cindex vixie-specification module +@cindex modules, vixie-specification + +To use this module, put the command @code{(use-modules (mcron +vixie-specification))} into your program. + +This module exports a couple of functions for adding jobs to the +internal job list according to a Vixie-style crontab file. + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} read-vixie-port port . parse-line + +This procedure reads a crontab from the given port, and adds jobs to +the job list accordingly, taking care of environment specifications +and comments which may appear in such a file. + +@var{parse-line} should not normally be used, except that if you are +parsing a (deprecated) @code{/etc/crontab} file with a slightly +modified syntax, you may pass the value @var{parse-system-vixie-line} +as the optional argument. + +@end deffn + +@deffn{Scheme procedure} read-vixie-file name . parse-line + +This procedure attempts to open the named file, and if it fails will +return silently. Otherwise, the behaviour is identical to +@code{read-vixie-port} above. + +@end deffn + +Once this module has been declared in a program, a crontab file can be +used to augment the current job list with a call to +@code{read-vixie-file}. + +@node Index, , Guile modules, Top @unnumbered Index @printindex cp |