How to Use the Command 'pueue log' (with Examples)

pueue log is a command used within the Pueue task management system to facilitate better visibility over the execution logs of tasks. Pueue is a command-line based task management tool that allows users to manage tasks in queues, run them in parallel, and prioritize their execution conveniently. The pueue log command is particularly useful for retrieving the output logs of tasks, which can be useful for debugging, monitoring the progress of tasks, or simply reviewing what has been done.

Use Case 1: Show the Last Few Lines of Output from All Tasks

Code:

pueue log

Motivation:

Retrieving the last lines of output for all tasks at once is particularly useful when you want to quickly review recent actions and outcomes across multiple tasks in your queue. This is an efficient way to get an overview without diving into the full logs of each task, which can be useful for spotting errors or confirming successful task completion.

Explanation:

Simply running pueue log without additional arguments will fetch the tail end of the log output for each task currently in your task queue. This snippet of log data provides a snapshot that can help you quickly assess what each task has done most recently.

Example Output:

Task 1: finished
[2023-10-02T14:00:01] Running command: echo "Hello from task 1"
Hello from task 1

Task 2: running
[2023-10-02T14:01:00] Running command: sleep 100
...

Use Case 2: Show the Full Output of a Task

Code:

pueue log task_id

Motivation:

Viewing the full output log of a specific task is crucial when you need detailed information about a task’s execution. This may be necessary for debugging, thorough audits, or verifying the task’s entire output against expected outcomes. It’s useful when something goes wrong, or when you need to ensure that every step of the task’s process was executed correctly and completely.

Explanation:

Here, you substitute task_id with the identifier of the task you are interested in. The command retrieves and presents the complete log output associated with that particular task, from start to end.

Example Output:

Task 3: finished
[2023-10-02T13:59:30] Running command: ls -la
total 20
drwxr-xr-x 3 user user 4096 Oct  2 13:59 .
drwxr-xr-x 4 user user 4096 Oct  2 13:58 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user    0 Oct  2 13:59 file1
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user    0 Oct  2 13:59 file2

Use Case 3: Show the Last Few Lines of Output from Several Tasks

Code:

pueue log task_id task_id

Motivation:

Fetching the most recent output lines from several tasks provides a balance between analyzing the entire queue and reviewing individual tasks. This is particularly beneficial when you are concurrently managing several tasks and want to ensure a few specific ones are on track without overwhelming yourself with the full logs of each.

Explanation:

This command accepts multiple task_id arguments. By specifying more than one task identifier, you can access the latest lines of log output for each of these specified tasks, making it easier to track their respective statuses or results uniquely.

Example Output:

Task 1: finished
[2023-10-02T14:00:01] Running command: echo "Hello from task 1"
Hello from task 1

Task 4: running
[2023-10-02T14:02:05] Running command: wget http://example.com/file
...

Use Case 4: Print a Specific Number of Lines from the Tail of Output

Code:

pueue log --lines number_of_lines task_id

Motivation:

There are times when you need more than just the last line or two of the log output but not necessarily the entire output. Customizing the number of log lines retrieved can make troubleshooting faster, as you get just the right amount of context to understand a task’s state. This is helpful when you suspect there’s a problem but have yet to pinpoint it.

Explanation:

The --lines number_of_lines flag allows you to specify the exact number of lines you want from the end of the task’s output, while task_id indicates which task’s log to examine. It streamlines the output to exactly what you need for efficient analysis.

Example Output:

Task 5: finished
[2023-10-02T14:03:21] Running command: echo "Line 1"
Line 1
[2023-10-02T14:03:22] Running command: echo "Line 2"
Line 2

Conclusion:

The pueue log command provides an intuitive means to access task logs in a variety of ways tailored to your needs. Whether monitoring, debugging, or auditing, these use cases demonstrate the flexibility and practicality of managing task outputs in Pueue efficiently. By understanding how to adjust your command scope from all tasks to specific lines and tasks, you can optimize your task management workflow with Pueue.