GeekTool logs "command not found" for commands that work fine in Terminal

Question

I'm trying to run simple commands so I can have GeekTool output date/time etc. to my desktop. Should be simple enough to do but it never actually outputs anything into the boxes. Console log shows it's getting spammed by GeekTool to say 'command not found', though the same command (e.g. date +"%H:%M") works fine in Terminal.

All I want to achieve is the ability to output a clock displaying time/date on my desktop that fits into my wallpaper. I've tried changing the format of the commands, using the built-in editor window as well as the command line box on the Properties tab. I had a look at the permissions in '/' (because GeekTool runs commands from there) and nothing unusual comes up. None of these solved the issue. When I use a command that simply echo's a string it works (e.g. echo "hello" displays the word hello).

Does anyone have experience with GeekTool, and understand why it won't run basic commands? As I say, it's spamming my console with 'command not found' despite them working in terminal...

Running OS X 10.6.6 on a MacBook Pro (mid-2010).

Answer 1

Try entering whole path for command. You can figure it out by running

which date

in your terminal.

Answer 2

You need to use single quotes, so use

date +'%H:%M' 

and it will work :-)

Here is a screenshot, how my Shell geeklet is configured; besides name, position, and "default group" yours should look quite similar: