Zeit is an open-source GUI tool for scheduling jobs via “crontab” and “at”. It is written in C++ and released under GPL-3.0 License. It is an easy to use tool that provides a simple interface to either schedule a one-time job or iterative jobs. Zeit also comes with an alarm and timer which uses sound and notify the user.
Zeit Features
- Schedule, modify or remove CRON jobs.
- Schedule or remove AT jobs.
- Schedule, modify or remove Timer/Alarm.
- Modify environment variables.
How to Install Zeit in Linux
For Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distributions, a stable release can be installed by adding the PPA repository as mentioned below.
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:blaze/main $ sudo apt update $ sudo apt install zeit
You can also try the development version of Zeit by adding the following PPA repository.
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:blaze/dev $ sudo apt update $ sudo apt install zeit
For other Linux distributions, you can build it from sources as shown.
$ git clone https://github.com/loimu/zeit.git $ mkdir build && cd build $ cmake .. $ make -j2 $ ./src/zeit
To launch Zeit, simply type.
$ zeit &
![Start Zeit Tool](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Start-Zeit-Tool.png)
Run Non-Periodic Commands Using at Command
Non-periodic commands allow the scheduling command to run one time. Yes, you are right. It is using the “at” command. Go to “VIEW → SELECT NONPERIODIC COMMANDS” or Press “CTRL+N”.
![Non-Periodic Commands](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Non-Periodic-Commands.png)
Choose “Add Command” as shown in the below image and add the entry. I am scheduling a command to run at 17:35. This command will create an empty log file in the Downloads folder with today’s date added to the file name as shown below.
NOW=$(date +%F); touch /home/tecmint/Downloads/log_${NOW}.txt
![Schedule a Command](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Schedule-a-Command.png)
Now there is an entry added. You cannot modify the scheduled command but it is possible to delete the command before it runs using “Delete Command“.
![Delete a Command](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Delete-a-Command.png)
At 17:35 my command ran fine and created an empty log file.
![Command Executed Successfully](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Command-Executed-Successfully.png)
Run Periodic Tasks Using Cron Jobs
To schedule Cron jobs, choose “periodic task” or press “CTRL + P“. By default zeit will launch with “Periodic task“.
![Schedule Periodic Tasks](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Schedule-Periodic-Tasks.png)
Enter a description, command, and scheduled time and press ok to add the entry to crontab.
![Schedule a Command to Run](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Job-Description.png)
Now my job is scheduled to run daily at 13:00.
![Scheduled Task](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Scheduled-Task.png)
You can check the crontab using “crontab -l” where the entry will be added automatically.
$ crontab -l
![List Cron Jobs](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/List-Cron-Jobs.png)
In addition to “at” and “crontab“, there is two feature to use alarm/timer which reminds us by invoking the sound. This entry will also be added to the crontab.
![Set Alarm to Scheduled Task](https://www.tecmint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Set-Alarm-to-Scheduled-Task.png)
That’s it for this article. Explore Zeit and share your feedback with us.
It would be great if the developer would add a custom icon to Zeit since right now it just shows a generic icon in my launcher in Pop!_OS 20.04 LTS.
Why will this not run as root? I would like to manage some root cron jobs.
I couldn’t figure out how to add a periodic task every two minutes.
Zeit wouldn’t allow me to add */2 into the minutes’ field.
I added a job under the user www-data for nextcloud. How can I see that job in Zeit?
First you need to do:
then you ‘tutorial’ can start.
But this will soon result in:
E: The depot “http://ppa.launchpad.net/blaze/main/ubuntu hirsute Release” does not contain a release file.
N: Updating from such a depot cannot be done in a safe way, so it is disabled by default.
N: Further details on the creation of package repositories and their user configuration can be found in the manual page apt-secure (8).
So no luck on Debian 10 which is the mother of all “ubuntu-based Linux distributions”
@Spacko,
Remove this following PPA from the system and then try the commands given in the article…
I did not notice a key for this repository. Can you provide the path/link?
@Golightly,
The key will be automatically fetched by the PPA…