Notification Examples

These examples use the default v1.5.3 formatters. Optional fields disappear when their setting is disabled or the DVR does not return the matching metadata. A custom notification template can replace the default title and body.

Channel Watching

Default title:

Channels DVR - Watching TV

Default body with all fields and stream counting available:

📺 ABC
Channel: 7
Program: Good Morning America
Device: Living Room
Device IP: 192.168.1.101
Source: HDHR
Total Streams: 2

Stream Counting is a Channel Watching sub-feature. When enabled, the current count is included in the alert data and internal logs. It does not create a separate alert.

VOD Watching

Default title:

🎬 Channels DVR - Watching DVR Content

Example body:

Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Duration: 58m 46s / 1h 42m 11s
Device Name: Living Room
Device IP: 192.168.1.100

Chev Chelios seeks revenge after someone steals his nearly indestructible heart.

Rating: R · Genres: Action, Thriller
Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam

Disk Space

The title carries the severity. The body uses the same fields for warning and critical alerts.

Warning

Title: ⚠️ Low Disk Space Warning

Free Space: 200.59 GB / 1.82 TB (10.8%)
Used Space: 1.62 TB
DVR Path: /shares/DVR

Critical

Title: 🚨 Low Disk Space Critical

Free Space: 18.42 GB / 1.82 TB (1.0%)
Used Space: 1.80 TB
DVR Path: /shares/DVR

Test alerts insert [TEST] after the severity emoji.

Recording Events

Recording lifecycle alerts use this default title:

Channels DVR - Recording Event

The body changes with the state. A scheduled example is:

📺 ACTION NETWORK
Channel: 137
Status: 📅 Scheduled
Program: Batman (1989)
Caped Crusader saves Gotham City from the Joker.
-----------------------
Scheduled: Today at 8:54 AM EDT
Duration:  2 hours 16 minutes

Started, completed, cancelled, stopped, failed, skipped, missed, and interrupted events use their matching status text and fields. Fresh installs use the Important Only preset, which enables cancelled, failed, skipped, missed, and interrupted outcomes while leaving scheduled, started, and completed notifications disabled.

Note

Provider apps can render whitespace, link previews, and attached images differently. The text fields above come from ChannelWatch’s default formatters; the final client layout belongs to the provider.

Testing your setup

Use the Notifications section of the Tests card in Diagnostics to send a test through your configured providers. For a container command, run the matching alert type:

docker exec -it channelwatch python -m core.main --test-alert ALERT_CHANNEL_WATCHING
docker exec -it channelwatch python -m core.main --test-alert ALERT_VOD_WATCHING
docker exec -it channelwatch python -m core.main --test-alert ALERT_DISK_SPACE
docker exec -it channelwatch python -m core.main --test-alert ALERT_RECORDING_EVENTS