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Using cron to take regular Indy/O2 cam pictures

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Jonathan

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Feb 25, 2003, 4:04:56 PM2/25/03
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Hi

I have tried in the past to create a script which makes use of cron
(or the system time) to fire up mediarecorder or some other little
program to take a snap shot using the camera, but with very limited
success. I gave up in the end but would like to try again. Any help
please?

I also tried scheduling it using crontab, but I think my problem is
that I don't fully understand it & loops etc in shell scripts (despite
spending quite some time trying to learn!)

What I want to do is have a picture produced once every ten minutes or
so (the time is not too important, but it must be regular) with a view
to creating a movie file out of them - kind of like one of those
speeded up sunrise-to-sunset clips.


Thanks!

Scott Henry

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Feb 25, 2003, 4:19:24 PM2/25/03
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>>>>> "j" == jonny morrisuk <jonny_m...@yahoo.co.uk> writes:


j> What I want to do is have a picture produced once every ten minutes or
j> so (the time is not too important, but it must be regular) with a view
j> to creating a movie file out of them - kind of like one of those
j> speeded up sunrise-to-sunset clips.

Check out the fw_securitylite package from <URL:http://freeware.sgi.com/>.

It does what you want it to, and more. I haven't played with it for
years, but I recall it being very configurable. At the least, it
would give you a starting point for customizing.


--
Scott Henry <sco...@sgi.com> / Help! My disclaimer is missing!
IRIX/Linux MTS, / http://reality.sgiweb.org/scotth/
Silicon Graphics, Inc / SGI-One step ahead

[Note: aaan...@sgi.com and zedw...@sgi.com aren't for humans ]

Robert Mortimer

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Feb 25, 2003, 5:47:07 PM2/25/03
to
allegedly Scott Henry wrote <yd8znok...@hoshi.engr.sgi.com> :

>>>>>> "j" == jonny morrisuk <jonny_m...@yahoo.co.uk> writes:
>j> What I want to do is have a picture produced once every ten minutes or
>j> so (the time is not too important, but it must be regular) with a view
>j> to creating a movie file out of them - kind of like one of those
>j> speeded up sunrise-to-sunset clips.
> Check out the fw_securitylite package from <URL:http://freeware.sgi.com/>.
> It does what you want it to, and more. I haven't played with it for
> years, but I recall it being very configurable. At the least, it
> would give you a starting point for customizing.

Alternatively the snapshot script from the outofbox webpages would
also provide a good styarting point for customisation.

--
Robm
873
"Ask not what I can do for the stupid,
but what the stupid can do for me" - Graeme Garden

Randolph J. Herber

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Feb 26, 2003, 10:51:55 AM2/26/03
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The following header lines retained to effect attribution:
|Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 13:04:56 -0800
|From: Jonathan <jonny_m...@yahoo.co.uk>
|Subject: Using cron to take regular Indy/O2 cam pictures
|To: info-ir...@ARL.ARMY.MIL

|Hi

|I have tried in the past to create a script which makes use of cron
|(or the system time) to fire up mediarecorder or some other little
|program to take a snap shot using the camera, but with very limited
|success. I gave up in the end but would like to try again. Any help
|please?

|I also tried scheduling it using crontab, but I think my problem is
|that I don't fully understand it & loops etc in shell scripts (despite
|spending quite some time trying to learn!)

|What I want to do is have a picture produced once every ten minutes or


|so (the time is not too important, but it must be regular) with a view

|to creating a movie file out of them - kind of like one of those

|speeded up sunrise-to-sunset clips.

|Thanks!

You do not need a loop in your shell script.

The most common ``mystery'' in cron and at job usage is that the script
does not run in a login environment and the initial environment is Bourne
shell and not the csh or tcsh shell environment that most naive users tend
to expect <<lesson: learn a proper shell: ksh93 is now open source and
executables for SGI and Linux are readily available>>. The user has to
build the expected environment manually or use full path names to files.

cron can handle the ``loop'' requirement for you.

7,17,27,37,47,57 * * * * /path/to/my/image/grabing/shell/script

Randolph J. Herber, her...@fnal.gov, +1 630 840 2966, CD/CDFTF PK-149F,
Mail Stop 318, Fermilab, Kirk & Pine Rds., PO Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510-0500,
USA. (Speaking for myself and not for US, US DOE, FNAL nor URA.) (Product,
trade, or service marks herein belong to their respective owners.)

Rainer Latka

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Feb 26, 2003, 2:51:31 PM2/26/03
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Am 25.02.03, 22:04:56, schrieb jonny_m...@yahoo.co.uk (Jonathan) :


> Hi


> Thanks!

There is a collection of scripts near the end of
http://lachlan.bluehaze.com.au/dlskycam.html
which you may find useful for this

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