Tmux is a terminal multiplexer that allows users to split their terminal screen into multiple panes and access multiple independent terminal sessions inside a single terminal window. It provides benefits like availability anywhere, terminal independence, high customizability, and persistent sessions. The document discusses tmux basics like key bindings and commands, customizing configurations, using sessions, and plugins for session persistence and vim integration.

1. TMUX
Development workflow

2. What does it do?

3. Multiple panes

4. Multiple windows

5. Multiple sessions
…we’ll get to that.

6. Hierarchy
• Sessions contain windows
• Windows contain panes
• Panes contain your junk
Sessions > Windows > Panes

7. More familiarly…

8. Benefits
• Available anywhere
• Terminal independent
• Highly customisable
• Sessions are awesome (…we’ll still get to that)
• Integrates well with vim (or emacs, I guess)

9. Getting started

10. Install tmux
$ brew install tmux # OS X
$ sudo pacman -S tmux # Arch
$ sudo apt-get install tmux # Debian
$ apt-cyg install tmux # FML

11. Use tmux
$ tmux # dumps you into a new session
# or, to give your new session a name:
$ tmux new -s foo

12. Basics
• Interact with commands
• Prefix: CTRL+b
• Command mode: <prefix> :

13. Windows
• New window: <prefix> c
• Next window: <prefix> n
• Previous window: <prefix> p
• Go to window by number: <prefix> 0..9
• List windows: <prefix> w
• Rename window: <prefix> ,

14. Panes
• Horizontal split: <prefix> “
• Vertical split: <prefix> %
• Switch pane: <prefix> ← / → / ↑ / ↓
• Go to pane: <prefix> q

15. Intermission
Let’s customise!

16. Customising mappings
• You work with windows and panes all the time
• Default key mappings are clunky
• tmux makes it easy to change stuff
• Config file lives in ~/.tmux.conf

17. Starting point
• http://tiny.cc/licotmux
• Sane defaults (UTF-8, vi-keys, status line)
• Easier splits (C-h/j/k/l, M--, M-)
• Easier window navigation (M-j/k)
• Easier session navigation (M-8, M-9/0)
• Some other junk (but not too much)

18. Sessions
• Sessions can run headlessly
• Close your terminal (or tab), re-attach later:
tmux attach -t foo
• Quickly switch context

19. Session persistence
For those rare crashes and reboots

20. Options
• tmuxinator
https://github.com/tmuxinator/tmuxinator
• tmux-resurrect
https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect
• tmuxifier (not covered)
https://github.com/jimeh/tmuxifier

21. tmuxinator
+ Fine-grained control
+ Portable
+ Easy to copy to a similar project
- Awkward to write
- Awkward to change

22. tmux-resurrect
+ Nothing to write
+ Quick & easy to use
+ Restores vim sessions
+ I prefer it, so you should too!
- Not as portable
- Can’t copy settings from context to context

23. tmux-resurrect installation
• Install TPM, the tmux plugin manager
https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm
• Install tmux-resurrect as a plugin
https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect
• Just RTFMs.

24. tmux-resurrect usage
1. Do stuff
2. <prefix> <C-s> # save
3. … PC crashes …
4. Start tmux
5. <prefix> <C-r> # restore
6. Smile :-)

25. Vim integration

26. Splits & panes
• Install christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator
https://github.com/christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator
• Move between vim splits and tmux panes with C-
h/j/k/l.

27. Send command to pane
• Install benmills/vimux
https://github.com/benmills/vimux
• :VimuxRunCommand “foo”
• Check out the GitHub page for related plugins.

28. Run specs in pane
• Install thoughtbot/vim-rspec
https://github.com/thoughtbot/vim-rspec
• let g:rspec_command = '
call VimuxRunCommand(
"clear && bundle exec rspec {spec}")'
• :call RunNearestSpec()

29. You gotta map this stuff
nnoremap <leader>sf :call RunCurrentSpecFile()<CR>
nnoremap <leader>ss :call RunNearestSpec()<CR>
nnoremap <leader>sl :call RunLastSpec()<CR>
nnoremap <leader>sa :call RunAllSpecs()<CR>

30. I think that’s about it.

31. Other stuff
tmux-continuum
Automates restoring tmux-resurrect sessions
https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm
tmux-cheatsheet
Great list of mappings. Also try <prefix> ?
https://gist.github.com/MohamedAlaa/2961058
Consider remapping prefix
What if you’re running tmux over ssh in tmux?
Slides
http://www.slideshare.net/jschembri/tmux-development-workflow