Tmux - work cases and tune-up

1. how to scroll rows in tmux terminal splited windows
2. how to save sessions, layout, dirs and even progs state in tmux
3. how to change horizontal split to vertical split in tmux
4. how to add horizontal and vertical splits in tmux + key bindings
5. how to exit tmux but leave session working 
6. how to attach session to tmux
7. how to know how many sessions you have
8. how to kill sessions
9. how to swith-between sessions
10. how to rename sessions and panes (panes are small part of the window - splatted in tmux)
11. How to reload tmux configuration from tmux

For those who don't  aware what is it - this is terminal shell and you can install it for your distro like sudo apt-get install tmux  (for Debian like Ubuntu etc.)

1. How to scroll rows in tmux terminal spitted windows

To scroll rows within a specific tmux split window (pane), you must first enter copy mode. This allows you to navigate and review the pane's scrollback buffer. 

Scrolling with Keyboard

1. Enter copy mode: Press your tmux prefix (default is Ctrl+b), then immediately press the [ key. An indicator in the top right of the pane will show the current line number.
2. Scroll:
   • Use the arrow keys (↑ and ↓) to move one line at a time.
   • Use Page Up and Page Down (or Shift+Page Up/Shift+Page Down in some terminal emulators) to jump an entire page.
3. Exit copy mode: Press the q key or Esc to return to normal mode. 

Scrolling with Mouse

For those who prefer using the mouse wheel, you need to enable mouse mode in your ~/.tmux.conf configuration file. 

1. Edit your ~/.tmux.conf file with an editor like nano or vim.
2. Add the following line (for tmux versions 2.1 and up):

   set -g mouse on
   

   For older versions, use set -g mode-mouse on.
3. Reload your tmux configuration using the command line within a tmux session:
   • Press the prefix Ctrl+b.
   • Type : to enter the tmux command prompt.
   • Type source-file ~/.tmux.conf and press Enter.
4. Scroll: You should now be able to use your mouse scroll wheel directly within any pane, even in split windows. This also enables clicking to select panes and resize them with the mouse.

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2 . To save a tmux layout,

the recommended method is to use the tmux-resurrect plugin, as tmux does not have a built-in feature for saving sessions to a file by default. 

Using the tmux-resurrect Plugin

The tmux-resurrect plugin saves all session details, including window and pane layouts, current working directories, and even running programs, to a file that can be restored later. 

1. Installation (using Tmux Plugin Manager - TPM)

Install TPM first if you don't have it. Instructions can be found on the TPM GitHub page.

 Add the tmux-resurrect plugin to your ~/.tmux.conf file:

set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'

Run the plugin manager by pressing prefix + I (capital I, where prefix is Ctrl + b by default) inside a tmux session to fetch and source the plugin. 

 2. Saving the Layout

To manually save your current tmux environment, press prefix + Ctrl + s.

A notification message 'tmux environment saved' will briefly appear in the status bar. 

 3. Restoring the Layout

To restore the last saved environment, press prefix + Ctrl + r.

The saved sessions, windows, and pane layouts will be restored. 

 Alternative Methods

Automatic Saving/Restoring: For continuous, automatic saving (e.g., every 15 minutes) and automatic restoration on startup, you can use the complementary tmux-continuum plugin alongside tmux-resurrect. 

Add set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-continuum' to your ~/.tmux.conf 

 and press prefix + I to install it.

Scripting: You can also write a custom bash script that uses tmux commands to recreate a specific, predefined layout.

 The list-windows command can display layout data that you can use in your scripts.

Tmuxinator/Tmuxp: For project-specific layouts defined in YAML files, tools like Tmuxinator or Tmuxp can be used to launch predefined workspaces with a single command.

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3.  how to change horizontal split to vertical split in tmux

You can change an existing horizontal split to a vertical split in tmux by cycling through the preset layouts with a keyboard shortcut or by using the select-layout command. There is no direct command to "transpose" an existing single horizontal split to a single vertical one while keeping the same panes.

Method 1: Cycle through preset layouts 

The quickest method is to use the default keybinding to cycle through the available window layouts. This will rearrange your panes into one of the predefined configurations, including even-horizontal and even-vertical. 

1. Press your prefix key (by default, Ctrl + b).
2. Press the spacebar (Space). 

Repeat this until you reach the desired vertical layout.

Method 2: Use a specific preset layout command 

If you want to apply a specific layout immediately, you can use a command or a keybinding that targets a particular preset. The default bindings for these are often mapped to Alt (or Meta) keys combined with numbers. 

• Press your prefix key (Ctrl + B), release, and then press Alt + 2 to arrange panes in an even-vertical layout.
• Alternatively, you can access the tmux command prompt:
  1. Press your prefix key (Ctrl + b).
  2. Press the colon key (:).
  3. Type select-layout even-vertical and press Enter or select-layout even-horizontal . 

Method 3: Move a pane to create a vertical split (for specific cases) 

If you have a complex layout and want more control over which pane goes where, you can move specific panes. This is more involved and generally requires using the command line within tmux. 

1. Identify pane numbers: Press your prefix key Ctrl + b  and then Q to briefly display pane numbers.
2. Use swap-pane: For example, to swap the current pane's position with an "up" or "down" pane in the index order, press your prefix key Ctrl + b  followed by { or }. 

For a full explanation of advanced options, including how to configure custom key bindings in your ~/.tmux.conf file, you can consult the tmux man page.

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4. how to add horizontal and vertical splits in tmux + key bindings

Tmux Split Pane Keybindings

• Vertical Split (Side-by-Side): Press Ctrl + b then %.
• Horizontal Split (Top/Bottom): Press Ctrl + b then ".
• Close Current Pane: Press Ctrl + b then x.
• Switch Between Panes: Press Ctrl + b then arrow keys.
• Toggle Layouts: Press Ctrl + b then Space to cycle through layout arrangements. 

Command Line Alternatives

You can also run these commands directly in your terminal or via the tmux command prompt (Ctrl + b followed by :): 

• Vertical: tmux split-window -v.
• Horizontal: tmux split-window -h. 

Customizing Key bindings

To make splits more intuitive (e.g., using | for vertical and - for horizontal), add these to your ~/.tmux.conf file: 

creating new windows:

bind | split-window -h

bind - split-window -v

changing the layout (evenly - all windows will be in the same size!):

bind H select-layout even-horizontal

bind V select-layout even-vertical

accidentally i found similar article on LinkedIn 

accidentally i found similar article on LinkedIn link

5. How to exit tmux but leave session working
        Press Ctrl + b then d

6 . How to attach session to tmux
        in console type tmux attach if you have only one session or
        tmux attach -t <session_number>

7. How to know how many sessions you have

        type in console tmux list-sessions

8.  How to kill sessions

• Press your prefix key, then type :kill-session and press Enter.
• Alternatively, you can press the prefix key followed by &  This prompts for confirmation to close the current window, which in turn kills the session if it's the last window.

Kill a specific session (by name/number) from your current session:

• Press your prefix key, then type : This opens the tmux command prompt.
• Type kill-session -t <session-name> and press Enter.
• First, you may want to list sessions to find the exact name/number using the command :list-sessions or the shortcut Prefix + s.

Kill all other sessions except the current one:

• Press your prefix key, then type :
• Type kill-session -a and press Enter

Pressing C-b & prompts for confirmation then kills (closes) the current window. All panes in the window are killed at the same time. 

 C-b x kills only the active pane. These are bound to the kill-window and kill-pane commands.

9. How to switch between sessions

Navigate between sessions using keybindings:

• Press Prefix + s to open an interactive menu showing all sessions, windows, and panes. Use arrow keys to navigate and press Enter to switch.
• Press Prefix + ( to switch to the previous session.
• Press Prefix + ) to switch to the next session.
• Press Prefix + L (capital L) to switch to the last used session, functioning like an "alt-tab" for sessions.

Switch to a specific session by name:

• Press your prefix key, then type :
• Type switch-client -t <session-name> and press Enter

10. How to rename sessions and panes (panes are small part of the window - splatted in tmux)

Naming Sessions and Panes

1. Use these commands or shortcuts to provide descriptive names:

• Rename a Session:
  • Shortcut: Press Prefix + $.
  • Command: Use tmux rename-session -t current_name new_name from the shell.
• Rename a Pane:
  • Command: Enter Prefix + : then type select-pane -T "your_pane_name".
  • Enable Display: To actually see these names, you must enable pane borders in your ~/.tmux.conf:

    set -g pane-border-status top
    set -g pane-border-format " [ #P #T ] "
    

    Use code with caution.
  • Note: Some shells or programs may overwrite these titles automatically. 
    
    

2. Switching Interactively

The most efficient way to switch between named items is through the built-in tree view:

• Interactive Tree View: Press Prefix + w.
  
  
  • This opens a navigable list of all sessions, windows, and panes.
  • Use Arrow Keys or j/k to move through the list.
  • Press Enter to jump to the selected pane.
    
    
• Display Pane Numbers: Press Prefix + q. Large numbers will appear briefly over each pane; type the corresponding number to jump to it instantly. 
  
  

3. Switching by Name

• Sessions: Use Prefix + s to show an interactive session-only list, or use tmux switch-client -t session_name from the command prompt.
• Windows: Use Prefix + f to search for a window by its name.

11. How to reload tmux configuration from tmux

1. From within a tmux session

1. Enter command mode: Press the prefix key (by default, Ctrl + b).
2. Type the command: Press : (colon) to bring up the command prompt at the bottom of the screen.
3. Execute the source command: Type source-file ~/.tmux.conf (or source ~/.tmux.conf in most modern versions) and press Enter.

2. From your shell/terminal (outside of tmux)

           Run the following command in your terminal prompt:

tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Additional useful keybindings (add them in .tmux.conf):

Quick-Toggle Pane Titles:

bind b set-option -g pane-border-status

          Renaming pane without typing command in command line:
          bind-key T command-prompt -p "Pane Title:" "select-pane -T '%%'"

          To reload ~/.tmux.conf file quickly
          bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf \; display "Config reloaded!"