How to use the command 'pueue kill' (with examples)

The pueue kill command is part of the Pueue task management tool, which helps you manage processes on your system seamlessly. Pueue allows you to queue, manage, and execute tasks both sequentially and concurrently. The pueue kill command is specifically used to terminate active tasks or entire groups of tasks, providing flexibility in controlling running processes. By integrating this command into your workflow, you can handle unexpected behavior of processes, free up system resources, or realign tasks with shifting priorities.

Use case 1: Kill all tasks in the default group

Code:

pueue kill

Motivation:

There are situations when you need to immediately stop all processes due to an urgent resource reallocation or shift in priority. Imagine you have several non-critical tasks queued up and executing, but suddenly a high-priority task needs the same resources. Instead of manually terminating each task, you can use pueue kill to quickly stop all tasks in the default group. This is an efficient way to free up resources without detrimentally affecting ongoing critical projects.

Explanation:

• pueue: This is the command-line utility to interact with the Pueue task management tool.
• kill: This subcommand specifies that you want to terminate tasks.

Example output:

All tasks in the default group have been terminated.

Use case 2: Kill a specific task

Code:

pueue kill task_id

Motivation:

Let’s say one of your tasks is behaving abnormally, consuming more resources than anticipated, or hanging and causing delays for other queued tasks. You identify this task using its unique task_id. Terminating this specific task without affecting others is crucial to maintaining the workflow’s health and efficiency. The pueue kill task_id command lets you target and terminate a problem area precisely.

Explanation:

• task_id: This represents the unique identifier of the task you want to kill. Each task managed by Pueue is assigned an ID which allows for precise manipulation.

Example output:

Task with ID 3 has been terminated.

Use case 3: Kill a task and terminate all its child processes

Code:

pueue kill --children task_id

Motivation:

In cases where a task spawns additional child processes, simply killing the parent may not free up all the resources, as the child processes can continue running independently. This scenario is common in tasks that execute scripts or programs capable of spawning subprocesses. By using pueue kill --children task_id, you can ensure that all associated subprocesses are also stopped, thus restoring system stability and ensuring that no single task unnecessarily hogs resources.

Explanation:

• --children: This flag is used to specify that all child processes related to the specified task should be terminated along with the parent process.
• task_id: As before, it denotes the specific ID of the task in question.

Example output:

Task with ID 7 and all its child processes have been terminated.

Use case 4: Kill all tasks in a group and pause the group

Code:

pueue kill --group group_name

Motivation:

Managing categorized tasks often requires stopping an entire set of processes, especially when focusing on group-specific tasks that might be causing disruptions or need rescheduling. This is particularly useful if you need to instantly halt a development environment or a batch processing job to investigate an issue or reallocate resources. Using pueue kill --group group_name, you efficiently control and pause all tasks within a defined group, preventing further execution until you’re ready.

Explanation:

• --group: This option specifies that the command should target all tasks within a particular group.
• group_name: This pertains to the name of the group you have defined in Pueue that categorizes several tasks.

Example output:

All tasks in the group 'development' have been terminated and the group is now paused.

Use case 5: Kill all tasks across all groups and pause all groups

Code:

pueue kill --all

Motivation:

When you need to perform a full system maintenance or a critical update that must suspend all operations, quickly halting every task across all groups becomes crucial. By using pueue kill --all, you issue a shutdown to all processes, ensuring that nothing else interferes with these operations. This command is a safety measure, granting you an immediate and complete stop of all processes managed by Pueue, facilitating a controlled environment for maintenance activities.

Explanation:

• --all: This flag instructs Pueue to affect all tasks and groupings. Everything managed by Pueue will be terminated and halted.

Example output:

All tasks across all groups have been terminated and all groups are now paused.

Conclusion:

The pueue kill command provides comprehensive control over task management, offering both precision and broad-stroke actions to efficiently handle processes. Whether you need to stop a rogue task or freeze the entire system for some crucial downtime, Pueue’s command suite ensures you have the necessary tools to manage your workflows dynamically and responsively.