# Cron+ settings. \* vs ? help please

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/cron-settings-vs-help-please/40632>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [8 February 2021 21:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/cron-settings-vs-help-please/40632 "2021-02-08T21:25:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Trying\_to\_learn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/trying_to_learn/32/28400_2.png) [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)\
**Post date:** [8 February 2021 21:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/cron-settings-vs-help-please/40632/1 "2021-02-08T21:25:16Z")

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I'm trying to keep things separate.

I've been pointed in the direction of `cron+` and in the config line I saw this:

`0 30 6 * * ? *`

Digging I find this:

```auto
* Asterisks indicate that the cron expression matches for all values of the field. For example, "*" in the minute field means every minute

? Question marks are used to specify 'no specific value' and is allowed for the day-of-month and day-of-week fields. It is used instead of the asterisk (*) for leaving either day-of-month or day-of-week blank.

```

(My hand is up)  
What's the difference?  
I see the words, but their meaning is lost for me.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bobo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/bobo/32/8401_2.png) [@Bobo](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Bobo)\
**Post date:** [9 February 2021 05:53 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/cron-settings-vs-help-please/40632/2 "2021-02-09T05:53:11Z")

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[Free Online Cron Expression Generator and Describer - FreeFormatter.com](https://www.freeformatter.com/cron-expression-generator-quartz.html) for output

and for explanation [Scheduling tasks with Cron - Raspberry Pi Documentation](https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/linux/usage/cron.md)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve-Mcl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/steve-mcl/32/4826_2.png) [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)\
**Post date:** [9 February 2021 07:27 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/cron-settings-vs-help-please/40632/3 "2021-02-09T07:27:32Z")

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\* means **every**.

? means **don't care**.

So when you have 10 in day-of-month AND \* in day-of-week they contradict each other. Do you want the 10th? or every day of the week? It's a contradiction.

So in essence, the ? Says "I am not relevant, use the other values to make sense of the Cron schedule"

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [10 April 2021 07:27 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/cron-settings-vs-help-please/40632/4 "2021-04-10T07:27:44Z")

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