.tmux

Self-contained, pretty and versatile .tmux.conf configuration file.

Installation

Requirements:

• tmux >= 2.1 running inside Linux, Mac, OpenBSD, Cygwin or WSL (Bash on Ubuntu on Windows)
• outside of tmux, $TERM must be set to xterm-256color

To install, run the following from your terminal: (you may want to backup your existing ~/.tmux.conf first)

$ git clone https://github.com/chaosma/tmuxconfig
$ cd /path/to/tmuxconfig
$ cp .tmux.conf ~/.tmux.conf
$ cp .tmux.conf.local ~/.tmux.conf

Then proceed to customize your ~/.tmux.conf.local copy.

If you're a Vim user, setting the $EDITOR environment variable to vim will enable and further customize the vi-style key bindings (see tmux manual).

If you're new to tmux, I recommend you read tmux 2: Productive Mouse-Free Development by @bphogan.

Troubleshooting

• I'm running tmux HEAD and things don't work properly. What should I do?

  Please open an issue describing what doesn't work with upcoming tmux. I'll do my best to address it.

• Status line is broken and/or gets duplicated at the bottom of the screen. What gives?

  This particularly happens on Linux when the distribution provides a version of glib that received Unicode 9.0 upgrades (glib >= 2.50.1) while providing a version of glibc that didn't (glibc < 2.26). You may also configure LC_CTYPE to use an UTF-8 locale. Typically VTE based terminal emulators rely on glib's g_unichar_iswide() function while tmux relies on glibc's wcwidth() function. When these two functions disagree, display gets messed up.

  This can also happen on macOS when using iTerm2 and "Use Unicode version 9 character widths" is enabled in Preferences... > Profiles > Text

  For that reason, the default ~/.tmux.conf.local file stopped using Unicode characters for which width changed in between Unicode 8.0 and 9.0 standards, as well as Emojis.

• I installed Powerline and/or (patched) fonts but can't see Powerline symbols.

  First, you don't need to install Powerline. You only need fonts patched with Powerline symbols or the standalone PowerlineSymbols.otf font. Then make sure your ~/.tmux.conf.local copy uses the right code points for tmux_conf_theme_left_separator_XXX values.

• The terminal row is mis-matched. There is a gray bar below the status bar.

  This is caused by UTF-8 character width defined different for terminal and tmux. In my MacOS terminal, the error is caused by battery charging symbol width mis-match. To fix it, use iTerm2 instead iTerm and turn off "use Unicode version 9 widths".

• iTerm2 light scheme is not compatible with oh-my-zsh color scheme. Especially, the directory color is not contrast in light scheme This is not a tmux issue, but I just added here.

  ISO 6429 color sequences are composed of sequences of numbers separated by semicolons. The most common codes are:

           0   to restore default color
           1   for brighter colors
           4   for underlined text
           5   for flashing text
          30   for black foreground
          31   for red foreground
          32   for green foreground
          33   for yellow (or brown) foreground
          34   for blue foreground
          35   for purple foreground
          36   for cyan foreground
          37   for white (or gray) foreground
          40   for black background
          41   for red background
          42   for green background
          43   for yellow (or brown) background
          44   for blue background
          45   for purple background
          46   for cyan background
          47   for white (or gray) background
  

  Define LS_COLORS="di=0;47:ln=35;47:so=32;47:pi=33;47:ex=31;47:bd=34;46:cd=34;43:su=0;41:sg=0;46:tw=0;42:ow=0;43:" or adjust it accordingly.

• C-a acts as secondary prefix, while keeping default C-b prefix
• visual theme inspired by Powerline
• maximize any pane to a new window with <prefix> +
• SSH/Mosh aware username and hostname status line information
• mouse mode toggle with <prefix> m
• automatic usage of reattach-to-user-namespace if available
• laptop battery status line information
• uptime status line information
• optional highlight of focused pane (tmux >= 2.1)
• configurable new windows and panes behavior (optionally retain current path)
• SSH/Mosh aware split pane (reconnects to remote server) on macOS, xsel or xclip on Linux)
• Facebook PathPicker integration if available
• Urlview integration if available

The "maximize any pane to a new window with <prefix> +" feature is different from builtin resize-pane -Z as it allows you to further split a maximized pane. It's also more flexible by allowing you to maximize a pane to a new window, then change window, then go back and the pane is still in maximized state in its own window. You can then minimize a pane by using <prefix> + either from the source window or the maximized window.

Bindings

tmux may be controlled from an attached client by using a key combination of a prefix key, followed by a command key. This configuration uses C-a as a secondary prefix while keeping C-b as the default prefix. In the following list of key bindings:

• <prefix> means you have to either hit Ctrl + a or Ctrl + b
• <prefix> c means you have to hit Ctrl + a or Ctrl + b followed by c
• <prefix> C-c means you have to hit Ctrl + a or Ctrl + b followed by Ctrl + c

This configuration uses the following bindings:

• <prefix> e opens ~/.tmux.conf.local with the editor defined by the $EDITOR environment variable (defaults to vim when empty)

• <prefix> r reloads the configuration

• C-l clears both the screen and the tmux history

• <prefix> C-c creates a new session

• <prefix> C-f lets you switch to another session by name

• <prefix> C-h and <prefix> C-l let you navigate windows (default <prefix> n and <prefix> p are unbound)

• <prefix> Tab brings you to the last active window

• <prefix> - splits the current pane vertically

• <prefix> _ splits the current pane horizontally

• <prefix> h, <prefix> j, <prefix> k and <prefix> l let you navigate panes ala Vim

• <prefix> H, <prefix> J, <prefix> K, <prefix> L let you resize panes

• <prefix> < and <prefix> > let you swap panes

• <prefix> + maximizes the current pane to a new window

• <prefix> m toggles mouse mode on or off

• <prefix> U launches Urlview (if available)

• <prefix> F launches Facebook PathPicker (if available)

Configuration

While this configuration tries to bring sane default settings, you may want to customize it further to your needs. Instead of altering the ~/.tmux.conf file and diverging from upstream, the proper way is to edit the ~/.tmux.conf.local file.

Please refer to the default ~/.tmux.conf.local file to know more about variables you can adjust to alter different behaviors. Pressing <prefix> e will open ~/.tmux.conf.local with the editor defined by the $EDITOR environment variable (defaults to vim when empty).

Enabling the Powerline look

Powerline originated as a status-line plugin for Vim. Its popular eye-catching look is based on the use of special symbols:

To make use of these symbols, there are several options:

• use a font that already bundles those: this is e.g. the case of the 2.030R-ro/1.050R-it version of the Source Code Pro font
• use a pre-patched font
• use your preferred font along with the Powerline font (that only contains the Powerline symbols): this highly depends on your operating system and your terminal emulator

Please see the Powerline manual for further details. Also can install the otf file and enable it by terminal (for macOS, Terminal->Preference->Text->change font).

Then edit the ~/.tmux.conf.local file (<prefix> e) and adjust the following variables:

tmux_conf_theme_left_separator_main=''
tmux_conf_theme_left_separator_sub=''
tmux_conf_theme_right_separator_main=''
tmux_conf_theme_right_separator_sub=''

Configuring the status line

Contrary to the first iterations of this configuration, by now you have total control on the content and order of status-left and status-right.

Edit the ~/.tmux.conf.local file (<prefix> e) and adjust the tmux_conf_theme_status_left and tmux_conf_theme_status_right variables to your own preferences.

This configuration supports the following builtin variables:

• #{battery_bar}: horizontal battery charge bar
• #{battery_percentage}: battery percentage
• #{battery_status}: is battery charging or discharging?
• #{battery_vbar}: vertical battery charge bar
• #{circled_session_name}: circled session number, up to 20
• #{hostname}: SSH/Mosh aware hostname information
• #{hostname_ssh}: SSH/Mosh aware hostname information, blank when not connected to a remote server through SSH/Mosh
• #{loadavg}: load average
• #{pairing}: is session attached to more than one client?
• #{prefix}: is prefix being depressed?
• #{root}: is current user root?
• #{synchronized}: are the panes synchronized?
• #{uptime_d}: uptime days
• #{uptime_h}: uptime hours
• #{uptime_m}: uptime minutes
• #{uptime_s}: uptime seconds
• #{username}: SSH/Mosh aware username information
• #{username_ssh}: SSH aware username information, blank when not connected to a remote server through SSH/Mosh

Beside custom variables mentioned above, the tmux_conf_theme_status_left and tmux_conf_theme_status_right variables support usual tmux syntax, e.g. using #() to call an external command that inserts weather information provided by wttr.in:

tmux_conf_theme_status_right='#{prefix}#{pairing}#{synchronized} #(curl wttr.in?format=3) , %R , %d %b | #{username}#{root} | #{hostname} '