Workspace Overview

Workspace Overview

Tuim is designed around a single unified workspace that integrates an Explorer, Git changes, an integrated terminal, native settings, and language tools into a coherent interface. Everything is accessible via both keyboard and mouse.

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1. The Layout

The Tuim workspace consists of five core regions:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ < Workspace   Explorer   [Commands F1]                      │ 1. Header & Navigation
├────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 📁 Explorer    │ main.zig                                   │
│ ────────────── │                                            │
│ > src          │ 1 pub fn main() void {                     │ 2. Sidebar &
│   📄 main.zig  │ 2     // Code editing                      │    3. Editor Viewport
│   📄 app.zig   │ 3 }                                        │
│                │                                            │
├────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ❯_ Terminal                                            [x]  │ 4. Integrated Terminal
│ $ zig build test                                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [NORMAL] main.zig                                  utf-8    │ 5. Footer & Statusline
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Header & Breadcrumb Bar

• < Workspace: Clickable breadcrumb navigation that takes you back from specific panels (Explorer, Git, AI, Extensions) to the top-level Workspace list.
• View Title: Shows the active panel or open tool name.
• [Commands F1]: Clickable button to open the command palette.

2. Workspace Sidebar

The sidebar hosts your primary project tools. Click an entry or press Enter to open:

• Explorer: Browse project files and folders in a tree view.
• Git: View changed files, inspect diffs, stage/unstage, and commit.
• Extensions: Manage installed plugins, browse the marketplace, and configure specs.
• Language Tools: Health status, Mason package manager, LSP servers, and formatters.
• AI Assistants: Launch terminal-based coding assistant CLIs (Antigravity, Claude, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, Copilot).
• Settings: Open native application preferences.

3. Editor Viewport

The primary editing pane, powered by Neovim. Supports:

• Vertical and horizontal splits (Ctrl+W v, Ctrl+W s)
• Syntax highlighting via Tree-sitter
• Autocompletion popups via blink.cmp
• In-line diagnostics and LSP hover popups

4. Integrated Terminal

• A persistent shell session docked below the editor.
• Toggle visibility anytime with Ctrl+T without interrupting running commands.
• Supports keyboard scrollback navigation with Vim motions and mouse drag selection.

5. Status Footer

• Displays the active editing mode (NORMAL, IDE, or ZEN).
• Shows file path, encoding, and line/column position.
• Click the mode badge to switch between editing modes.

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2. Navigating Between Regions

Tuim introduces seamless keyboard-driven region switching:

Shortcut	Action
F6	Focus the next region (Editor → Sidebar → Terminal → Editor).
Shift+F6	Focus the previous region.
Ctrl+E	Toggle the Sidebar on or off.
Ctrl+T	Toggle the Terminal panel on or off.
Esc	In a tool panel, returns to the top-level Workspace list; pressed again, returns focus to the Editor.

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3. Resizing Splits & Panels

You can adjust panel widths and heights dynamically using your keyboard:

Shortcut	Action
Alt+←	Resize panel boundary to the left
Alt+→	Resize panel boundary to the right
Alt+↑	Resize panel boundary upward
Alt+↓	Resize panel boundary downward

Note

You can also click and drag the divider borders between the sidebar, editor, and terminal panel using your mouse.

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4. Responsive & Compact Behavior

• Automatic Sidebar Collapse: If your terminal window is narrower than 40 columns, the sidebar automatically collapses to preserve editor readability. All sidebar tools and commands remain 100% accessible via the F1 command palette.
• Side-by-Side vs Focused Views: In wider terminals (e.g. 100+ columns), dialogs such as Extensions display list and detail panes side by side. In compact terminals, they automatically adapt to a single focused view with smooth back navigation.

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Next Steps

Learn about Tuim's three distinct editing modes in Editing Modes.