How to use the command 'dunstctl' (with examples)

The dunstctl command is a control command for the dunst notification daemon. It allows you to pause and unpause notifications, close all notifications, and display help for the command.

Use case 1: Pause notifications

Code:

dunstctl set-paused true

Motivation: Sometimes you may need to temporarily pause all notifications to avoid interruptions during a specific task or when you need some focused time without any distractions.

Explanation: The set-paused argument is used to pause or unpause notifications in dunst. The value true indicates that the notifications should be paused.

Example output:

Notifications paused successfully.

Use case 2: Un-pause notifications

Code:

dunstctl set-paused false

Motivation: After pausing the notifications, you may want to resume receiving them when you are ready to be notified again.

Explanation: The set-paused argument is used to pause or unpause notifications in dunst. The value false indicates that the notifications should be un-paused.

Example output:

Notifications un-paused successfully.

Use case 3: Close all notifications

Code:

dunstctl close-all

Motivation: Sometimes you may have a large number of notifications and want to close them all at once to declutter your desktop.

Explanation: The close-all argument is used to close all notifications that are currently displayed by dunst on your desktop.

Example output:

All notifications closed successfully.

Use case 4: Display help

Code:

dunstctl --help

Motivation: If you need to quickly access the help documentation for dunstctl to understand its usage or find more information about the available commands, this is useful.

Explanation: The --help argument is used to display the help documentation for the dunstctl command, providing information on its usage and available options.

Example output:

Usage: dunstctl COMMAND

Control command for dunst.

  -h, --help            Show this help message and exit

Commands:
  close               Close a notification.
  close-all           Close all notifications.
  history             Print the notification history.
  history-pop         Close and print the latest notification, or error if none.
  is-paused           Print if dunst is currently paused.
  set-paused [true|false] Pauses/Unpauses dunst.
  show               Show a notification.
  context-menuizjhhkahucfh
                      Open context menu at given position.
  

Conclusion:

The dunstctl command provides a convenient way to control notifications in the dunst notification daemon. You can pause and unpause notifications, close all notifications, and access the help documentation to understand the available commands and their usage. Whether you need to temporarily pause notifications, declutter your desktop by closing all notifications, or explore the command’s capabilities, dunstctl offers the necessary functionality.