I am trying to run this script which changes my desktops background to a random picture in a directory. It works from the command line, and the cronjob gets run (added output and it gets spit out to a log file), but I can't get it to change my background. Here's my current line (set to run every minute for testing).
01 * * * * username /home/username/.wallpapers/flip.sh
Any Ideas?
bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gconf/+bug/285937
my version:
#!/bin/bash
# Script to randomly set Background from files in a directory
# Directory Containing Pictures
DIR=/home/lucas/studio/art/images/tapety
LOG=/home/lucas/tapeta.log
# Command to Select a random file from directory
PIC="$(
for p in [jJ][pP][gG] [pP][nN][gG] [sS][vV][gG] ; do
ls $DIR/*.$p
done | shuf -n1
)"
# Command to set Background Image
if [ -z "$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS" ] ; then
# this is because of gconftool bug in cron
TMP=~/.dbus/session-bus
export $(grep -h DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS= $TMP/$(ls -1t $TMP | head -n 1))
echo $DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS >> $LOG
fi
gconftool-2 -t string -s /desktop/gnome/background/picture_filename "$PIC"
and it's works on Fedora 12
cron scripts have no access to the user's display. Use something like wallpapoz instead.
01 * * * * /home/username/.wallpapers/flip.sh
means it runs every hour, if you want to run it every minute, it has to be
*/1 * * * * /home/username/.wallpapers/flip.sh
The syntax is also described on Wikipedia.
Or use GNOME Schedule as proposed.
Is flip.sh
executable?
Edit: And true, the username has to be removed (in the system wide cron file, see silent's comment).Maybe this CronHowto also helps.
I works great on my ubuntu hardy.
#!/bin/bash
# Script to change desktop background randomly every 5 mins through cronjob
FIND=/usr/bin/find
GCONFTOOL2=/usr/bin/gconftool-2
IMG_DIR=/home/username/Pictures/wallpapers
FILES=( `$FIND $IMG_DIR -iname '*.jpg'` )
TOTAL=${#FILES[@]}
# Select random number from 0 to $TOTAL
let INDEX=$RANDOM%TOTAL
$GCONFTOOL2 --type string --set /desktop/gnome/background/picture_filename "${FILES[${INDEX}]}"
$GCONFTOOL2 --type string --set /desktop/gnome/background/picture_options "centered"
Run it through cronjobs:
05 * * * * /home/username/scripts/wallpaper_switcher.sh