tmux

Getting Started with tmux

Before diving into commands, make sure tmux is installed on your system. Most Linux distributions include it in their package managers. For example:

• Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt update && sudo apt install tmux
• Fedora/CentOS/RHEL: sudo dnf install tmux
• Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S tmux

Once installed, simply type tmux in your terminal to launch it. You’ll now be in a tmux session.

Navigating and Managing Panes

Tmux employs a simple keybinding system using the prefix key, usually Ctrl+b (configurable). Let’s look at essential pane commands:

Creating Panes:

• Ctrl+b %: Splits the current pane horizontally.
• Ctrl+b ": Splits the current pane vertically.

Switching Panes:

• Ctrl+b arrow keys: Navigate between adjacent panes.
• Ctrl+b o: Cycle through panes in a circular order.

Resizing Panes:

• Ctrl+b Shift+arrow keys: Resize the current pane.

Example: Setting up a development environment

Let’s imagine you’re working on a project requiring multiple terminal sessions. You might use tmux to set this up:

1. Start tmux: tmux
2. Create a vertical split: Ctrl+b "
3. In the left pane, run your web server: python3 -m http.server
4. In the right pane, run your application code: python3 my_app.py

Now you have both your server and application running side-by-side, easily managed within a single tmux session.

Managing Windows and Sessions

Tmux allows you to work with multiple windows within a session, further enhancing organization.

Creating Windows:

• Ctrl+b c: Creates a new window. You’ll be prompted to name it.

Switching Windows:

• Ctrl+b n: Switch to the next window.
• Ctrl+b p: Switch to the previous window.
• Ctrl+b <number>: Switch to window number <number>.

Killing Windows:

• Ctrl+b &: Kills the current window.

Example: Organizing tasks

Suppose you have many different tasks: database management, code editing, and system monitoring. You could use different windows for each:

1. Start tmux
2. Create a new window with Ctrl+b c and name it “Database”
3. In the “Database” window, connect to your database using psql
4. Create a new window with Ctrl+b c and name it “Code”
5. In the “Code” window, start your code editor.
6. Create a new window with Ctrl+b c and name it “Monitoring”
7. In the “Monitoring” window, run top or another system monitoring tool.

Now you have a clearly organized workspace with each task in its own window.

Detaching and Reattaching

One of tmux’s most powerful features is the ability to detach from a session and reattach later. This saves your work even if you close your terminal.

Detaching:

• Ctrl+b d: Detaches from the current tmux session.

Reattaching:

• tmux attach: Reattaches to your last session. If you have multiple sessions, you might need to use tmux attach-session -t <session_name> to specify.

Listing sessions:

• tmux ls: Lists all active tmux sessions.

Customizing tmux

Tmux offers extensive configuration options through the ~/.tmux.conf file. You can customize your prefix key, keybindings, and much more. For example, to change the prefix key to Ctrl+a:

set -g prefix C-a

This file allows for powerful customization of your tmux experience. Exploring the possibilities within this configuration file can improve your productivity.