UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

This breaks down to two tasks:

1) create a script that transfers the file to Windows

2) have it executed every day at a certain time.

For the second goal there is a thing called "cron" on most Unix-systems. Every user(-account) can have a list of repeating tasks (called "crontab" - the input file for "cron") which is manipulated by the "crontab" command. You will find ample documentation on the net searching for these keywords. Be aware, though, that it is possible to forbid (generally or on a per-user basis) the use of "cron". This is sometimes done, therefore you will have to find out if that is the case on your system. If it is, your system administrator can lift the restriction for you.

Another thing is: when writing such a script be aware that the environment (system variables like PATH, which serves the same purpose in Windows as in Unix, pre-set to certain values) a script gets differs when the script is called from an interactive session (like you logging on, then executing the script) and from "cron". This difference in inherited environment is what leads to what i call "Corn Problem Number One", because many of the threads here deal with exactly this problem and its consequences.

For the first goal: try doing it manually first. If you have a working command which transfers the file, simply put this command in a text file, make it executable (use the "chmod" command to do so) and you have a (very very basic) script. It will not be the best of scripts and a seasoned script programmer would now start to add all sorts of checks, diagnostic output, security measures and what not, but it will be a first start. Add a "shebang line" (look that up on the net too) as the very first line to the script to make sure it is always executed by the same shell.