Can I modify the current Workrave mode from a script in Ubuntu 13.10? For example, run a command that sets the current mode to normal / quiet / suspended.

The results from `workrave --help-all` indicate there isn't a command-line option to do this. Do I need to adjust dconf settings, and if so will they affect a running Workrave process?

(My specific use case is to use a Cuttlefish reflex to modify the Workrave state. For example, when application X starts, suspend Workrave; when it stops, resume Workrave. See https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/cuttlefish/ for a description.)

I have attempted to do this with the CLI dconf tool. This works for some settings (for example, setting /org/workrave/gui/main-window/enabled to true/false) but not Workrave status (/org/workrave/general/operation-mode).

Steps to reproduce (on Ubuntu 13.10, Workrave 1.10 from PPA):

 * Open dconf editor, navigate to /org/workrave/general and locate operation-mode
 * Set Workrave to Normal mode
 * Confirm operation-mode is set to 0 in dconf editor
 * dconf write /org/workrave/general/operation-mode 1

What should happen:

 * operation-mode is set to 1 in dconf editor
 * Workrave is set to suspended mode (for example, this should be reflected in Unity appindicator, and breaks should stop)

What happens instead:

 * operation-mode is set to 1 in dconf editor (correct)
 * Workrave remains in normal mode (including still prompting for breaks)

Notes:

 * Changing usage-mode works (ticks/unticks "Reading mode" in appindicator)
 * Could it be related to a discrepancy I noticed in backend/src/CoreConfig.cc  and backend/src/GSettingsConfigurator.cc ... the dconf path is set to "general/operation-mode" in one file and "gui/operation-mode" in the other. You can see them side-by-side in https://github.com/rcaelers/workrave/search?q=operation-mode

You could use dbus. For example:

dbus-send --type=method_call --dest=org.workrave.Workrave
/org/workrave/Workrave/Core
 org.workrave.CoreInterface.SetOperationMode string:'normal'

I will check why the operation mode is not responding to configuration changes.

The "gui/operation-mode" is incorrect. Change it to "general/operation-mode" fixes the dconf problem. Thanks!

(git commit 3c386043f489fc2ff9f449d612ef279d0fe0df73)

Using dbus worked, many thanks.