tmuxstart
Tmuxstart can be used to create reusable configurations for named tmux
sessions. To use tmuxstart add a binding to your .tmux.conf file like:
bind S command-prompt -p "Make/attach session:" "new-window 'tmuxstart \'%%\''"
With the above binding, pressing <PREFIX> S will prompt you for a session
name. <PREFIX> is CTRL-b by default.
Installation
Just copy the tmuxstart file to one of the directories in your $PATH.
I suggest either /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin, or ~/bin.
Session Files
To create a default configuration for a named session create a file named after
the session under the directory ~/.tmuxstart. These session files will
have the shell variable $session available to them.
Session files are just sourced shell scripts. This makes them more flexible than tmuxinator sessions. There are no dependencies for tmuxstart so it can easily be used on any machine with tmux installed.
Helper functions
To make the process of writing session files easier some helper functions are included in the tmuxstart script. The available helper functions are:
new_session
new_session creates a new auto-named session. This should usually be the
first command called in a session file. This function accepts the same
arguments as tmux new-session. Examples:
new_session # Just create the session new_session -n top htop # Initial window named "top" running htop
new_window
new_window creates a new window in the new session. This function accepts
the same arguments as tmux new-window. Examples:
new_window # Just create a new window new_window -n edit emacs # Create a new window named "edit" running emacs
rename
rename renames an existing window. This function accepts the same arguments
as tmux rename-window.
send_keys
send_keys sends keys to a given window number in the new session. This
function accepts the same arguments as tmux send-keys. Examples:
send_keys 1 "echo hello" "Enter" # Run "echo hello" in window 1 send_keys 2 C-c # Send Ctrl-C key combination to window 2
send_line
send_line sends a line of input to a given window number in the session.
This function accepts the same arguments as send_keys but adds "Enter" as
an additional argument to each call. Examples:
send_line 1 "echo hello" # Same as example above, but no need for "Enter"
select_window
select_window selects the given window number in the new session. This
function accepts the same arguments as tmux select-window. Example:
select_window 1 # Select window 1
select_pane
select_pane selects the given window and pane number in the new session.
This function accepts the same arguments as tmux select-pane. Examples:
select_pane 2.1 # Select pane 1 in window 2 select_pane 1.2 # Select pane 2 in window 1
select_layout
select_layout applies a given layout to the selected window. This
function accepts the same arguments as tmux select-layout. Example:
select_layout 2 main-vertical # Arrange window 2 in the main-vertical layout
kill_window
kill_window kills the given window number in the new session. This
function accepts the same arguments as tmux kill-window. Example:
kill_window 1 # Kills window 1
set_env
set_env sets an environment variable for the new session. This function
accepts the same arguments as tmux set-environment. Example:
set_env EDITOR acme # Set EDITOR environment variable to "acme"
set_path
set_path sets the default working directory for new panes in the new
session. This function access the same arguments as tmux default-path.
Example:
set_path ~/repos/personal/my_project
split
split splits the given window or pane based on the arguments given. This
function accepts the same arguments as tmux split-window. Example:
split 2 -h # Split window 2 horizontally split 2.1 -l 2 # Split pane 1 in window 2 vertically using 2 text lines split 1 -p -v "10%" # Split window 1 vertically using 10% of given space
swap
swap swaps the given pane with another pane. This function accepts the
same arguments as tmux swap-pane. Example:
swap 2.1 -D # Swap pane 1 in window 2 with the next pane swap 3.2 -U # Swap pane 2 in window 3 with the previous pane swap 4.3 -s 2.1 # Swap pane 3 in window 4 with pane 1 in window 2
Example session files
The following session file will create a window called "htop" which will run
the htop command and then create a window containing a shell which will be
selected when the session starts:
new_session -n htop htop new_window
This session file will start a session with a Django server in the first
window and open a vim browser and Django shell in the second window.
Virtualenvwrapper is used via the workon command for virtualenv
management:
# Go to the Django repository directory and start the session cd "$HOME/repos/$session" new_session -n server # Run the Django server in the first window send_keys 1 "workon $session" "Enter" send_keys 1 "python manage.py runserver" "Enter" # Create a second window with a vim file browser open new_window -n edit "vim ." # Create 20% split at bottom of window 2 and run Django shell in it split 2 -v -p "20" send_keys 2.2 "workon $session" "Enter" send_keys 2.2 "python manage.py shell" "Enter" # Select pane 1 in window 2 select_pane 2.1
CLI usage
- Arguments
$ tmuxstart session_name
Will search for a session file called "session_name" in $TMUXSTART_DIR if
set, otherwise in ~/.tmuxstart and load it. If no such file is found, it
will start a new tmux session named "session_name".
$ tmuxstart -h
Show help dialog.
$ tmuxstart -l
List all available session files.
$ tmuxstart -v
Print tmuxstart version number.
Contributing & Help
Feel free to contribute new helper functions, features/bug fixes, documentation, or usage examples. Pull requests are welcome.
If you need help please open an issue, or comment on my tmuxstart announcement if you find a bug or you need help with tmuxstart.
License
Tmuxstart is provided under an MIT license: http://th.mit-license.org/2012
Related Projects
Inspirations and similar projects: