tmuxomatic
Automated window layout and session management for tmux, with a simple definition file that is powerful and flexible.
- Install:
pip install tmuxomatic - Release: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/tmuxomatic
- Development: https://github.com/oxidane/tmuxomatic
- Discussions: Version 1.0.12 @ HN
Introduction
Existing session managers for tmux are needlessly complex and inflexible. From the ridiculous amount of documentation and interface options, to the expectation that panes should be defined by a complicated nesting of splits and sizing. I wanted a session manager that's flexible and powerful, yet so easy that anybody could use it after seeing just one example. Something that empowers and gets out of the way.
Enter tmuxomatic. It uses the windowgram, a new approach to tmux sessions. The windowgram is a rectangle comprised of alphanumeric characters (0-9, a-z, A-Z). Each character identifies the shape and position of a pane (up to 62 panes per window). It should take only one example to illustrate the simplicity and flexibility the windowgram has to offer:
window an_example # <-- A new window begins like this, spaces in names are acceptable
HHHOOOOOVVVVXXXXAAAA # <-- This is a windowgram, it defines shapes and positions of panes
HHHOOOOOTTTTXXXXAAAA # <-- You make your own, any size and arrangement, 62 panes maximum
HHHqqqqqqqqkkkkkAAAA
jjjqqqqqqqqkkkkkAAAA
jjjqqqqqqqqkkkkk1234
jjjqqqqqqqqkkkkk5678
0000llllllllllaaaaaa
tmuxllllllllllaaaaaa
foc # <-- 3 three letter commands to remember: Focus, Directory, Run
dir ~ # <-- An unlinked command becomes the default for all panes
a run echo "pane a" # <-- A linked command to run on pane a
q run echo "pane q"
q foc
A run echo "pane A"
The above comes from the file session_example, included with tmuxomatic. Run this session with tmuxomatic session_example, and here's the result:
With tmuxomatic, you'll never have to manually split, position, or size a pane again. If you change your window dimensions, tmuxomatic scales it to fit, just as you might expect. Setting pane commands and attributes is similarly easy, you may not even need documentation.
A windowgram scale feature is built into the tmuxomatic command line. With it, you may scale a windowgram up or down as needed to fine-tune your session layouts. This is really helpful if you want very small panes on your windows. See --help for details on the --scale feature.
Support for YAML session files coming soon.
Requirements
Usage
The example shown above may be reproduced with: tmuxomatic session_example.
To reattach after a disconnection, simply run again: tmuxomatic session_example.
To force a session recreation, add -r or --recreate: tmuxomatic session_example -r.
For easier expansion of window layouts, use the scale option: tmuxomatic session_example --scale 1 3x 2x.
Finally, run tmuxomatic --help to get a full list of command line options.
Examples
This project includes a few more examples. The most notable is session_practical that shows how someone might really use tmuxomatic.
Notes
Although you don't have to know how to use tmux to use tmuxomatic, it is essential for customizing the tmux status bar, or changing the default key bindings. These features are extraneous to tmuxomatic and are typically added to your personalized .tmux.conf file.
Copyright and License
Copyright 2013-2014, Oxidane. All rights reserved.
Distributed under the BSD 3-Clause license. The copyright and license must be included with any use, modification, or redistribution of the source. See the license for details.