The basic syntax for editing crontab files is:

crontab [ -u user ] { -l | -r [ -i ] | -e }

This means:

• -u user: Specifies which user's crontab to modify (requires sudo)
• -e: Edit the crontab
• -l: List the crontab contents
• -r: Remove the crontab

With sudo privileges, you should use:

sudo crontab -u jake -e

This will open jake's crontab in your default editor (usually vim or nano).

These incorrect formats will all fail:

crontab jake -e  # Wrong: user must be specified with -u
crontab [jake] -e  # Wrong: brackets are not literal
crontab [-u jake] -e  # Wrong: don't include brackets

Here are some common operations you might need:

To view jake's crontab:

sudo crontab -u jake -l

To completely remove jake's crontab (with confirmation):

sudo crontab -u jake -r -i

To add a new entry for jake without interactive editing:

(echo "0 3 * * * /home/jake/backup.sh") | sudo crontab -u jake -

• Always use sudo when modifying another user's crontab
• The -u option must come before the operation (-e, -l, etc.)
• System crontabs are stored in /var/spool/cron/crontabs/ but you shouldn't edit them directly
• After editing, the crontab service will automatically reload the changes

If you get permission errors even with sudo:

sudo -u jake crontab -e

This alternative syntax sometimes works better with certain sudo configurations.

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The correct syntax for editing another user's crontab requires using the -u flag followed by the username, then the operation flag (-e for edit). The square brackets in the man page indicate optional parameters, not literal syntax.

# Correct format:
crontab -u username -e

The error "usage error: no arguments permitted after this option" occurs because:

• crontab jake -e - The username must follow -u
• crontab [jake] -e - Square brackets aren't literal syntax
• crontab [-u jake] -e - Same issue with brackets

To edit user 'jake's crontab with sudo privileges:

sudo crontab -u jake -e

If you need to script this operation:

# View crontab
sudo crontab -u jake -l

# Edit crontab (opens default editor)
sudo crontab -u jake -e

# Replace entire crontab from file
sudo crontab -u jake /path/to/new/crontab/file

Remember that:

• You must have sudo privileges
• The target user must exist on the system
• The /etc/cron.allow file (if present) must include your username
• Your user shouldn't be listed in /etc/cron.deny

Here's how to add a daily backup job for user 'jake':

sudo crontab -u jake -e
# Add this line:
0 2 * * * /home/jake/scripts/backup.sh
# Save and exit

If you encounter problems:

# Verify cron service is running
sudo systemctl status cron

# Check logs for cron errors
sudo tail -f /var/log/syslog | grep CRON

• Always use absolute paths in cron jobs
• Consider using /etc/cron.d/ for system-wide jobs
• Limit sudo access to crontab modification
• Review user crontabs regularly