Organized Development With Tmux

by Doug Bell
(he, him, his)
@preaction
preaction

preaction.me/tmux
CC-BY-SA 4.0

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Tmux

`screen`

Installing

Starting Tmux

To start Tmux, we need to run the tmux command

Terminal window with the command 'tmux' typed-in

Tmux window with session name highlighted

Over in the bottom left in square brackets we have the session name, which defaults to 0. We'll talk about using session names later.

Tmux window with window information highlighted

0:zsh*

Next to that we have window information. >> We have one window, >> window 0, currently running zsh (my shell), >> and the asterisk says it is the selected window. Creating and managing windows is the most useful part of Tmux, and we'll spend a lot of time talking about them.

Tmux window with bottom right corner highlighted

Tmux window with 'ps u' typed in a shell prompt

Tmux window with 'exit' typed in a shell prompt

Detach

Attach

`Ctrl+b d`

Terminal showing as detached from tmux session 0

Terminal showing "tmux attach-session" typed in a prompt

SSH

Detached Tasks

Windows

Terminal window showing the vim startup screen

`Ctrl+b c`

Tmux window showing a command prompt and two windows in the status bar

Tmux window with the new window in the status bar highlighted

1:zsh*

Tmux window with the previous window in the status bar highlighted

0:vim-

`Ctrl+b l` `Ctrl+b p` `Ctrl+b 0`

`Ctrl+b l` `Ctrl+b n` `Ctrl+b 1`

Tmux window showing the manual page for Tmux

Tmux window showing the word "exit" typed into the command prompt

Tmux window showing our first window with Vim after the second window is destroyed

Tmux window highlighting the area of the status bar where the destroyed window was

Scroll Buffer

Tmux window showing a "ps au" command typed in

Tmux window showing the bottom of the output of "ps
au"

Terminal window with a Tmux status bar in the middle instead of on the
bottom

Copy Mode `Ctrl+b [`

Tmux window highlighting the window name in the status bar enclosed in
square brackets

1:[tmux]*

Tmux window highlighting the scroll position indicator in the upper
right

[0/198]

`⬅️ ⬇️ ⬆️ ➡️` `PgUp PgDn`

`h j k l` `Ctrl+f Ctrl+b` `g G`

`?` `/`

Tmux window showing (search up) in the status
bar

Tmux window showing (search up) in the status bar,
highlighted

(search up) `tmux`

Tmux window showing search results highlighted

Tmux window highlighting the highlighted search
results

Tmux window highlighting the search status bar at the
top

`n` `N`

Tmux window showing cursor on the next
result

Tmux window showing cursor on the next
result, highlighted

`q`

`Space`

`Ctrl+w` `Enter`

`Ctrl+b ]`

Tmux window showing vim with pasted text
inside

Window Panes

`Ctrl+b %`

Tmux window split vertically showing vim on the left, a shell on the
right

`Ctrl+b "`

Tmux window split vertically with the right pane split
horizontally

Tmux window split vertically, with the right pane split horizontally,
and then the right-bottom pane split vertically

Tmux window split vertically, with the right pane split horizontally,
the right-bottom pane split vertically, and then the right-bottom-right
pane split horizontally

`Ctrl+b ⬅️` `⬅️ ⬇️ ⬆️ ➡️`

Tmux window split vertically showing vim on the left, a shell on the
right, with the cursor in the vim window

`Ctrl+b z`

Tmux window with editor pane zoomed showing window in status bar
highlighted

0:vim*Z

The Basics of Tmux

Start / Stop

Attach / Detach

Windows

Scroll buffer

Panes

Configuration

Examples

Config File

`~/.tmux.conf`

The Tmux configuration file is .tmux.conf in our home directory. If you've never configured Tmux, you'll have to create this file.

Setting the Prefix

Tmux

`Ctrl+b`

Screen

`Ctrl+a`

Custom

`Ctrl+s`

vim window editing ~/.tmux.conf, a new
file

`set -g prefix C-s`

To change the prefix, >> we use the set command. >> we give a -g option to make it a global setting >> and we set the "prefix" >> to "C-s". The >> capital-C is "control"

vim window showing set prefix in config file

`unbind C-b`

After we change the prefix, we have to do two more things. First, the default behavior for pressing "Ctrl+b" twice is to send "Ctrl+b" to the currently-running program. We can stop that behavior by >> using the unbind command to >> stop "Ctrl+b" from doing anything.

vim window showing unbind command added to config
file

`bind C-s send-prefix`

vim window showing bind for send-prefix added to
config

Window Index

1 2 3 ... 0

0 1 2 ... 9

1 2 3 ... 0

0 1 2 ... 9

`set -g base-index 1`

Escape Time

Escape Sequence

`Esc [D`
`Esc [C`
`Esc [1m`

🏃 ^[D

🚶 ^ [ D

🕺 ^ [ D

Vim + Tmux

`set -g escape-time 20`

⬅️	⬇️	⬆️	➡️
H	J	K	L

`bind h select-pane -L` `bind j select-pane -D` `bind k select-pane -U` `bind l select-pane -R`

vim window showing binds for
select-pane

`bind -n M-h select-pane -L` `bind -n M-j select-pane -D` `bind -n M-k select-pane -U` `bind -n M-l select-pane -R`

Reloading Config

`Ctrl+b :`

We can load a config file using Tmux's "source" command. This command isn't bound to a key, but we can use Tmux's command prompt to use it. To show the command prompt, >> press Ctrl+b and then the colon key (:).

tmux window highlighting the command
bar

:`source` `~/.tmux.conf`

Theming

vim window highlighting the tmux status bar

vim window highlighting the right status area

`set -g status-bg black` `set -g status-fg white`

vim window showing config file with status-bg and
status-fg

`set -g status-left-length 20` `set -g status-right-length 20`

vim window showing config file with status left/right
length

`Ctrl+b :`

`:source ~/.tmux.conf`

vim window showing new colors and layout

vim window highlighting the bottom right status
area

Mouse 🐭 Tmux

`set -g mouse on`

Organizing Sessions and Windows

Terminal window with <code>tmux</code> command typed-in

If we just run tmux again without trying to attach...

Tmux window with session 1 in the bottom left

Notice in the lower left of the Tmux status bar, our session is now 1

Terminal window showing detached from session
1

Terminal window showing "tmux attach" typed-in

When we run tmux attach...

But now how do we get to our first session, session 0? If we use tmux attach with the -t option, we can specify the target session we want to attach to. In this case, session 0.

Tmux window showing error for trying to attach inside
tmux

Terminal window showing <code>tmux attach -t 0</code> typed
in

Okay, so then I run tmux attach -t 0...

Terminal window showing <code>tmux ls</code> typed-in

If you want to know what Tmux sessions exist, or even whether Tmux is running, you can run tmux ls.

Terminal window showing output from <code>tmux ls</code>

Naming Sessions

But in order for us to use multiple sessions effectively, we need to do something better than leaving them named as 0 and 1. We can instead give our sessions descriptive names: The project we're working on, or the issue number we're working on.

`Ctrl+b :`

`Ctrl+b $`

We can rename a session we've created by using the rename-session command. We can either use the Tmux prompt >> (Ctrl+b :) to run rename-session, or we can use >> Ctrl+b $. I tend to end up using the Tmux prompt a lot more, because it's easier to remember that I rename sessions with rename-session than it is to remember I rename sessions with Ctrl+b $

:`rename-session` `talk`

So we just need to type >> Ctrl+b, colon... >> rename-session and then the session's name. >> Let's call it "talk".

Tmux window showing 'rename-session' command
typed-in

Terminal window showing <code>tmux ls</code> output with new session
name

It now also shows up in

tmux
ls

...

Terminal window showing <code>tmux ls</code> output with new session name
highlighted

Terminal window showing <code>tmux ls</code> output with attached
highlighted

Also notice that tmux ls tells us that this session is attached. I took this screenshot in another window while my other window was attached to this session.

Terminal window showing <code>tmux new</code> typed in

`tmux new-session`

We can also create new sessions with a name by using >>

tmux
new-session

`tmux new -s bugfix`

... (or, for brevity, >> tmux new). >> The -s option lets us specify a >> name when we create the session.

Tmux window showing 'bugfix' session
name

Session Organization

Terminal window showing tmux ls with multiple
sessions

Naming Windows

Tmux window showing vim and 2 zsh windows

`Ctrl+b ,`

`:rename-window`

To rename a window, we can use >> Ctrl+b and comma, or the >> rename-window command. This one I use so often that I remember the shortcut.

`(rename-window)` `zsh` `edit`

Tmux window showing windows named "edit", "test", and
"docs"

Tmux window highlighting the "edit" window

Tmux window highlighting the "test" window

Tmux window highlighting the "docs" window

Automation

Tmux Session

Blog Session

Backend Session

tmux session named "backend" with one window named "edit", and another
named "test"

CMS Session

tmux session named "yancy" with three windows, "edit", "test", and
"db"

Tedious Setup

Don't Forget!

Automatic Session

Tmux Commands

Run

Tmux Commands

Anywhere

`tmux new -s yancy -d`

So I create a new session, name it "Yancy", and then pass -d to immediately "detach".

Shell window with "tmux new" command executed"

Shell window with "tmux ls" command executed"

Shell Script


if ! tmux has-session -t yancy; then

tmux new -s yancy -d

  tmux new-window -t yancy:2

  tmux split-window -t yancy:2 -v

  tmux send-keys -t yancy:1 vim Enter

  tmux send-keys -t yancy:2.0 \
    morbo bin/yancy Enter

  tmux send-keys -t yancy:2.1 \
    export TEST_YANCY_EXAMPLES=1 Enter

  tmux new-window -t yancy:3 \
    postgres -D perl/Yancy/db/pg

  tmux split-window -t yancy:3 \
    mysqld --datadir=$HOME/db/mysql

fi

tmux attach -t yancy

Wrap-Up

Questions?

Full slides: http://preaction.me/tmux

Organized Development With Tmux

Tmux

screen

Installing

Starting Tmux

0:zsh*

Detach

Attach

Ctrl+b d

SSH

Detached Tasks

Windows

Ctrl+b c

1:zsh*

0:vim-

Ctrl+b l Ctrl+b p Ctrl+b 0

Ctrl+b l Ctrl+b n Ctrl+b 1

Scroll Buffer

Copy Mode Ctrl+b [

1:[tmux]*

[0/198]

⬅️ ⬇️ ⬆️ ➡️ PgUp PgDn

h j k l Ctrl+f Ctrl+b g G

? /

(search up) tmux

n N

q

Space

Ctrl+w Enter

Ctrl+b ]

Window Panes

Ctrl+b %

Ctrl+b "

Ctrl+b ⬅️ ⬅️ ⬇️ ⬆️ ➡️

Ctrl+b z

0:vim*Z

The Basics of Tmux

Start / Stop

Attach / Detach

Windows

Scroll buffer

Panes

Configuration

Examples

Config File

~/.tmux.conf

Setting the Prefix

Tmux

Ctrl+b

Screen

Ctrl+a

Custom

Ctrl+s

set -g prefix C-s

unbind C-b

bind C-s send-prefix

Window Index

1 2 3 ... 0

0 1 2 ... 9

1 2 3 ... 0

0 1 2 ... 9

set -g base-index 1

Escape Time

Escape Sequence

Esc [D Esc [C Esc [1m

🏃 ^[D

🚶 ^ [ D

🕺 ^ [ D

Vim + Tmux

set -g escape-time 20

bind h select-pane -L bind j select-pane -D bind k select-pane -U bind l select-pane -R

bind -n M-h select-pane -L bind -n M-j select-pane -D bind -n M-k select-pane -U bind -n M-l select-pane -R

Reloading Config

Ctrl+b :

:source ~/.tmux.conf

Theming

set -g status-bg black set -g status-fg white

set -g status-left-length 20 set -g status-right-length 20

Ctrl+b :

:source ~/.tmux.conf

`screen`

`Ctrl+b d`

`Ctrl+b c`

`Ctrl+b l` `Ctrl+b p` `Ctrl+b 0`

`Ctrl+b l` `Ctrl+b n` `Ctrl+b 1`

Copy Mode `Ctrl+b [`

`⬅️ ⬇️ ⬆️ ➡️` `PgUp PgDn`

`h j k l` `Ctrl+f Ctrl+b` `g G`

`?` `/`

(search up) `tmux`

`n` `N`

`q`

`Space`

`Ctrl+w` `Enter`

`Ctrl+b ]`

`Ctrl+b %`

`Ctrl+b "`

`Ctrl+b ⬅️` `⬅️ ⬇️ ⬆️ ➡️`

`Ctrl+b z`

`~/.tmux.conf`

`Ctrl+b`

`Ctrl+a`

`Ctrl+s`

`set -g prefix C-s`

`unbind C-b`

`bind C-s send-prefix`

`set -g base-index 1`

`Esc [D`
`Esc [C`
`Esc [1m`

`set -g escape-time 20`

`bind h select-pane -L` `bind j select-pane -D` `bind k select-pane -U` `bind l select-pane -R`

`bind -n M-h select-pane -L` `bind -n M-j select-pane -D` `bind -n M-k select-pane -U` `bind -n M-l select-pane -R`

`Ctrl+b :`

:`source` `~/.tmux.conf`

`set -g status-bg black` `set -g status-fg white`

`set -g status-left-length 20` `set -g status-right-length 20`

`Ctrl+b :`

`:source ~/.tmux.conf`

`set -g mouse on`

`Ctrl+b :`

`Ctrl+b $`

:`rename-session` `talk`

`tmux new-session`

`tmux new -s bugfix`

`Ctrl+b ,`

`:rename-window`

`(rename-window)` `zsh` `edit`

`tmux new -s yancy -d`