{"record":{"id":"6cb3b42afc34644a","repo":"puppetlabs/puppet","slug":"cannot-write-the-path-user-s-crontab-the-user","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"Cannot write the %{path} user's crontab: The user does not exist","messagePattern":"Cannot write the %(.+?) user's crontab: The user does not exist","errorType":"exception","errorClass":"Puppet::Error","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"lib/puppet/util/filetype.rb","lineNumber":233,"sourceCode":"    # Remove a specific @path's cron tab.\n    def remove\n      cmd = \"#{cmdbase} -r\"\n      if %w[Darwin FreeBSD DragonFly].include?(Puppet.runtime[:facter].value('os.name'))\n        cmd = \"/bin/echo yes | #{cmd}\"\n      end\n\n      Puppet::Util::Execution.execute(cmd, failonfail: true, combine: true)\n    end\n\n    # Overwrite a specific @path's cron tab; must be passed the @path name\n    # and the text with which to create the cron tab.\n    #\n    # TODO: We should refactor this at some point to make it identical to the\n    # :aixtab and :suntab's write methods so that, at the very least, the pipe\n    # is not created and the crontab command's errors are not swallowed.\n    def write(text)\n      unless Puppet::Util.uid(@path)\n        raise Puppet::Error, _(\"Cannot write the %{path} user's crontab: The user does not exist\") % { path: @path }\n      end\n\n      # this file is managed by the OS and should be using system encoding\n      IO.popen(\"#{cmdbase()} -\", \"w\", :encoding => Encoding.default_external) { |p|\n        p.print text\n      }\n    end\n\n    private\n\n    # Only add the -u flag when the @path is different.  Fedora apparently\n    # does not think I should be allowed to set the @path to my own user name\n    def cmdbase\n      if @uid == Puppet::Util::SUIDManager.uid || Puppet.runtime[:facter].value('os.name') == \"HP-UX\"\n        \"crontab\"\n      else\n        \"crontab -u #{@path}\"\n      end","sourceCodeStart":215,"sourceCodeEnd":251,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/puppetlabs/puppet/blob/e227c27540975c25aa22d533a52424a9d2fc886a/lib/puppet/util/filetype.rb#L215-L251","documentation":"Error \"Cannot write the %{path} user's crontab: The user does not exist\" thrown in puppetlabs/puppet.","triggerScenarios":"Thrown at lib/puppet/util/filetype.rb:233 when the library encounters an invalid state.","commonSituations":"See trigger scenarios.","solutions":[],"exampleFix":null,"handlingStrategy":null,"validationCode":null,"typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":null,"preventionTips":[],"tags":[],"backgroundTag":null,"analyzedSha":"e227c27540975c25aa22d533a52424a9d2fc886a","analyzedAt":"2026-08-21T20:49:46.650Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-08-21T23:17:16.201Z"}