This tutorial assumes you�re using cPanel, one of the most popular hosting control panels. If you�re on a shared hosting plan, there�s a good chance your host uses cPanel (some popular hosts, like DreamHost and GoDaddy, don�t). But even if you don�t have cPanel, your control panel will probably let you create cron jobs without knowing Unix, in a way similar to what I�ll describe below.
Note:If you�re looking for a host, it�s a good idea to find one that uses cPanel; once you become familiar with it, it�s easier to change hosts if you find out yours sucks and you have to move to another one (be sure to read How to Find a Web Host That Doesn�t Suck).
Let�s get started. Log in to your cPanel and look for the Cron Jobs icon:
cPanel Cron Jobs
Click on the image and you�ll be asked to choose your experience level. If you�re reading this, you want to click on Standard.
Creating a Cron Job
Now that you�re at the Standard Cron Manager, let�s create a cron job. You can set a job to run at a specific interval or at a specific times. Creating a cron job requires only three simple steps (see picture below):
Cron job
1. Enter your email address where it says: Please enter an email address where the cron output will be sent. Cron will send you a message when the job is executed, so you�ll know if there are any errors.
2. In the Command to run: field, enter the full path to your script (you may need to check with your host for this).
If you want to run a php file, the command will begin with php. For example, if you want to run RSS Import to update your Pligg feeds, you�d enter php and the path to your import_feeds.php file.
On AN Hosting, your path would look something like this:
If you want to run the automatic backup script, which backs up your MySQL database and emails a copy to you (see 8 MySQL Backup Strategies for WordPress Bloggers (And Others), strategy #7), you�d enter /bin/sh (since this is a shell script), and the path to your script.
On AN Hosting, your path would look something like this:
/bin/sh /home/[your username]/etc/upstart_cron_backup.sh
3. Now you need to set the schedule.
* Set the Minute(s). You can set a short interval here, or minutes of the hour (you can select multiple items in this�and the other� boxes by using the Shift and Command keys). If you don�t care about minutes, leave this set to 0).
If you want to test things, set this to run Every Five Minutes. This is a good interval for running the script, checking your email for errors, and changing settings before your inbox gets inundated with cron messages.
* Set the Hour(s). If you�re creating a cron job to run RSS Import, you might want to set this to Every Hour. If you�re setting up a backup script, you might choose an hour in the middle of the night for nightly backups.
* Set the Day(s). You�ll probably want to leave this set to Every Day, but you can also choose specific days of the month.
* Set the Weekday(s).
* Set the Month(s).
When you�ve set the schedule, your cron job is done. Click the Save Crontab button. If you set it to a short interval for testing, you should have an email with your output within a few minutes. If there�s an error (usually a problem with your path), check your settings.
