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Add a cron line that matches the others in a crontab

Practice: Showing an example of what you want. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Add one crontab line that runs weekly_digest.sh every Monday at 7:30 a.m. Chicago time. The server runs on UTC and Chicago is UTC-6 this winter, so convert the time. Match the existing lines exactly: same script folder and the same log redirect pattern. Give only the new line in one code block, then one line under 20 words giving the time in both Chicago and UTC.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Not saying the server's time zone. The AI writes 30 7, so the job runs at 1:30 a.m. Chicago time. Try: Add: "The server is on UTC and Chicago is UTC-6 now; convert."
  • Not pointing at the examples. The AI invents its own path and skips the log redirect. Try: Add: "Match the existing lines: same bin folder and log pattern."
  • Getting the whole crontab back. The AI reprints every line plus a table explaining cron fields. Try: Add: "Only the new line in one code block, then one line under 20 words."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Gives the time zones
  • Points at the existing lines
  • Asks for only the new line
  • Asks for both times

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