Tmux Tips – How to Change Default New Window Directory

gnu-screenlinuxtmux

I recently moved from GNU screen to tmux.
I find it quite similar but with bigger support (I switched due to problem with escape-time in neovim– resolution was only for tmux).

Unfortunately in tmux I'm unable to find a similar command to this:

screen -X eval "chdir $(some_dir)"

The command above changed the default directory for new window/screen/pane from within the GNU screen so when I pressed Ctrl+a (similar to tmux Ctrl+b)- new window opened in the $(some_dir) directory.

Is there a similar thing in tmux?

ANSWER:
I have used @Lqueryvg answer and combined it with @Vincent Nivoliers suggestion froma a comment and that gave me a new binding for a command attach -c "#{pane_current_path}" which sets my current directory as a default one.
Thanks.

Best Answer

Start tmux as follows:
```
(cd /aaa/bbb; tmux)
```
Now, any new windows (or panes) you create will start in directory /aaa/bbb, regardless of the current directory of the current pane.
If you want to change the default directory once tmux is up and running, use attach-session with -c.

Quoting from the tmux man page for attach-session:
```
-c will set the session working directory (used for new windows)
to working-directory.
```
For example:
- Ctrl+b :
- attach -c /ddd/eee
New windows (or panes) will now start in directory /ddd/eee, regardless of the directory of the current pane.

Related Solutions

N equivalent of GNU Screen’s “log” command in tmux

Let me see if I have deciphered your screen configuration correctly:

You use something like logfile "%t-screen.log" (probably in a .screenrc file) to configure the name of the log file that will be started later.
You use the title <hostname> (C-a A) screen command to set the title of a new window, or
you do screen -t <hostname> ssh0 <hostname> to start a new screen session.
You use the C-a H (C-a :log) screen command to toggle logging to the configured file.

If so, then is nearly equivalent (requires tmux 1.3+ to support #W in the pipe-pane shell command; pipe-pane is available in tmux 1.0+):

In a configuration file (e.g. .tmux.conf):

bind-key H pipe-pane -o "exec cat >>$HOME/'#W-tmux.log'"

Use tmux rename-window <hostname> (C-b ,) to rename an existing window, or
use tmux new-window -n <hostname> 'ssh <hostname>' to start a new tmux window, or
use tmux new-session -n <hostname> 'ssh <hostname>' to start a new tmux session.
Use C-b H to toggle the logging.

There is no notification that the log has been toggled, but you could add one if you wanted:

bind-key H pipe-pane -o "exec cat >>$HOME/'#W-tmux.log'" \; display-message 'Toggled logging to $HOME/#W-tmux.log'

Note: The above line is shown as if it were in a configuration file (either .tmux.conf or one you source). tmux needs to see both the backslash and the semicolon; if you want to configure this from the a shell (e.g. tmux bind-key …), then you will have to escape or quote both characters appropriately so that they are delivered to tmux intact. There does not seem to be a convenient way to show different messages for toggling on/off when using only a single binding (you might be able to rig something up with if-shell, but it would probably be ugly). If two bindings are acceptable, then try this:

bind-key H pipe-pane "exec cat >>$HOME/'#W-tmux.log'" \; display-message 'Started logging to $HOME/#W-tmux.log'
bind-key h pipe-pane \; display-message 'Ended logging to $HOME/#W-tmux.log'

Tmux equivalent of “screen -D -R”

Yes:

$ tmux attach -d || tmux new

-d is necessary to behave like screen -D, ie, detach everybody else.

Connect by ssh, then attach or create could be something like:

$ cat bin/stmux
#!/bin/sh
exec ssh -t $@ 'tmux attach -d || tmux new'

$ stmux my.remote.box

Best Answer

Related Solutions

N equivalent of GNU Screen’s “log” command in tmux

Tmux equivalent of “screen -D -R”

Related Question