tmux
tmux (terminal multiplexer) is a program that enables a number of terminals (or windows), each running a separate program, to be created, accessed, and controlled from a single screen or terminal window. tmux may be detached from a screen and continue running in the background, then later reattached.[1]
Users familiar with GNU Screen may find tmux as a suitable alternative.
Installation
USE flags
USE flags for app-misc/tmux Terminal multiplexer
debug
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Enable extra debug codepaths, like asserts and extra output. If you want to get meaningful backtraces see https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Quality_Assurance/Backtraces |
jemalloc
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Use dev-libs/jemalloc for memory management |
selinux
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!!internal use only!! Security Enhanced Linux support, this must be set by the selinux profile or breakage will occur |
systemd
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Enable use of systemd-specific libraries and features like socket activation or session tracking |
utempter
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Include libutempter support |
vim-syntax
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Pulls in related vim syntax scripts |
Emerge
Install app-misc/tmux:
root #emerge --ask app-misc/tmuxConfiguration
Standard installation of tmux will not install a global (/etc/tmux.conf) or user (~/.tmux.conf) configuration file. Examples are provided in the /usr/share/doc/tmux-VERSION/example_tmux.conf file and can be copied to a user and system locations.
Configuration Files
- /etc/tmux.conf — the system-wide configuration file.
- $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/tmux/tmux.conf — The user specific tmux configuration file.
- ~/.tmux.conf — The legacy single-user tmux configuration file location.
Example config
~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf /etc/tmux.conf# Run users default shell, which for example could expand to '/bin/bash', often used to prevent tmux starting login shells.
#set -g default-command "${SHELL}"
# The opposite can be useful to launch other shells with appropriate options
#set -g default-command "fish -l"
# Match session numbers to number row
set -g base-index 1
# Set TERM, the default is "screen", "screen-256color" can be tried if "tmux-256color" doesn't work.
set -g default-terminal "tmux-256color"
# Set prefix to 'a' with ctl-a > a to send ctrl-a to the terminal
#set -g prefix C-a
#bind-key a send-prefix
# Set prefix2 to the default 'b'
#set -g prefix2 C-b
# Enable mouse
set -g mouse on
# Disable drag action in normal mode if your pointer causes problems with
unbind -n MouseDrag1Pane
# Also disable in copy mode
#unbind -Tcopy-mode MouseDrag1Pane
# Turn on title updates
set -g set-titles on
# Set the bar and inactive borders to blue, highlighting current in green.
#set-option -g status-style fg=black,bg=blue
#set-window-option -g window-status-current-style bg=green
#set-option -g pane-border-style fg=blue
#set-option -g pane-active-border-style fg=green
To reload the configuration file from a terminal run:
user $tmux source-file ~/.tmux.confAlternatively, modifications to the file can be loaded from within tmux via:
:source-file ~/.tmux.confAutomatic connection
Running tmux with exec and the -ADX options will cause tmux to replace the current shell and create a session, or if one exists connect to it and both detach and exit the other client. This provides a very consistent way of working with remote sessions, and it can be run automatically:
Bash
user $test -n "$PS1" && test -z "$TMUX" -a -n "$SSH_TTY" && exec tmux new -ADXFish
user $status is-interactive ; and test -z "$TMUX" -a -n "$SSH_TTY" ; and exec tmux new -ADXPlugins
A few plugins are available for tmux. See the sections below for available options.
tpm
tpm is a tmux plugin manager. See the tpm sub-article for more details on the installation process.
tmux-mem-cpu-load
tmux-mem-cpu-load is a small program designed to monitor system activity in the status line of tmux. See the tmux-mem-cpu-load sub-article for more details on the installation process.
Tmux Resurrect
tmux-resurrect persists tmux environments across system restarts. See the resurrect sub-article for more details on the installation process.
Usage
Key bindings
tmux can be controlled from an attached client by using a key combination of a prefix key stroke (Ctrl+b by default) followed by a command key.
After pressing Ctrl+b the following key combinations can be used:
General
- ? = List all key bindings.
- d = Detach the current client.
- : = Enter the tmux command prompt.
Creating and managing windows
- c = Create a new window
- n = Change to the next window.
- p = Change to the previous window.
- l = Move to the previously selected window.
- 0-9 = Select windows 0 to 9.
- ' = Prompt for a window index to select. Then enter a number or title to switch to that window.
- , = Rename the current window.
- w = Choose the current window interactively.
- :, then type list-windows enter = Display the list of windows.
Creating and managing panes
- " = Split the current pane into two, top and bottom.
- % = Split the current pane into two, left and right.
- o = Select the next pane in the current window.
- ; = Move to the previously active pane.
- { = Swap the current pane with the previous pane.
- } = Swap the current pane with the next pane.
- Ctrl+o = Rotate the panes in the current window forwards.
- Alt+1 to Alt+5 = Arrange panes in one of the five preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-vertical, or tiled.
- x = Kill the current pane.
- ! = Break the current pane out of the window.
Copy, paste, and scroll operations
The keys available depend on whether emacs (default) or vi mode is selected. The mode-keys option can be set in .tmux.conf for vi mode.
- [ = Enter copy mode to copy text or view output history via the scrollback buffer. Once in copy mode, pressing j or k will move the cursor down or up lines respectively, while { and } will move down or up on in per-paragraph chunks.
- ] = Paste the most recently copied buffer of text.
- # = List all paste buffers.
- - = Delete the most recently copied buffer of text.
Session control
Start session
Once started tmux creates a socket for the session in /tmp/S-<UID>/<Session Name>
tmux can be started with the following command:
user $tmuxOr, to give the session a name on start up, run:
user $tmux new-session -s portageListing sessions
List tmux sessions to see existing session information:
user $tmux ls0: 1 windows (created Thu Apr 9 09:09:03 2015) [180x65] (attached)
When listing sessions the name of the session should appear as the first item in the session information line. It is possible to see from the output above the session was created without a name, hence the session is to be referenced as 0.
Another way to list sessions is by typing out the long list-sessions argument.
user $tmux list-sessions0: 1 windows (created Thu Apr 9 09:09:03 2015) [180x65] (attached)
The exact same output as the previous list command is displayed.
Renaming a session
Simply using tmux to start a session will not provide the session with a nice, human readable name.
If the default session name is not descriptive enough (0 does not tend to describe much), then a session can be renamed. Suppose Larry the cow started tmux without specifying a session name on start up. He begins working on compiling a new version of Portage, and wants to change the session name to reflect his current task. To change the session name he would first assume control of tmux by pressing the magic key stroke: Ctrl+b, then : which will drop focus into the tmux control line. By default the line should turn yellow. Once there he would issue:
:rename-session -t 0 portageWhere 0 is the existing (default) session name and portage is the desired new name for the session. To rename when detached from a tmux session issue:
user $tmux rename-session -t 0 portageResuming a session
After the session is detached, all the active terminals remain active and so do commands that did not finish yet. To resume a session use attach -t <session_name>.
user $tmux a -t portageOr use the long way of attaching to an existing session:
user $tmux attach -t portageDaemon-like operation
To start a command in a tmux session without attaching to the session (like a daemon) use new-session -d followed by the command to execute in quotes:
user $tmux new-session -d 'emerge -uDNvp @world'See also
- Recommended_tools#Terminal_multiplexers — other terminal multiplexers.
- Screen — a program that enables the creation of multiple sessions and virtual terminals within a single terminal.
External resources
- Making tmux Pretty and Usable — A Guide to Customizing your tmux.conf.
- https://tmuxcheatsheet.com/.
- An excellent tmux primer.
- The Tao of tmux, eBook by Tony Narlock, creator of libtmux and tmuxp.
- gpakosz/.tmux To make things easier.