learntmux.dev
Task 5 of 8
Level 1 · BasicsOverview
  1. 1Start your first session
  2. 2The prefix key and new windows
  3. 3Find any key with the help list
  4. 4Run commands from the command prompt
  5. 5Detach and come back
  6. 6Read the session list and juggle sessions
  7. 7Split the window into panes
  8. 8Split with flags
  9. 9Move between panes
  10. 10Kill the server
  11. 11Challenge: morning on the build boxchallenge
Level 2 · IntermediateOverview
  1. 1Change the current window
  2. 2Rename the session and a window
  3. 3Kill a pane, a window and a session
  4. 4Zoom a pane
  5. 5Resize panes
  6. 6Apply window layouts
  7. 7Mark and swap panes
  8. 8Move and renumber windows
  9. 9Browse in tree mode
  10. 10Tag and kill from the tree
  11. 11Kick out a stale client
  12. 12Challenge: tidy a messy sessionchallenge
Level 3 · AdvancedOverview
  1. 1Copy text in copy mode
  2. 2Scroll, search the scrollback and paste
  3. 3Choose and delete buffers in buffer mode
  4. 4Name, save and load buffers
  5. 5Find a window by its content or name
  6. 6Use the mouse
  7. 7Break out, join and send keys
  8. 8Challenge: recover the secret from the logschallenge
Level 4 · ConfigureOverview
  1. 1Show, set and unset options
  2. 2Write the configuration file
  3. 3Add and remove key bindings
  4. 4Change the prefix key
  5. 5Customize the status line
  6. 6Formats and embedded styles
  7. 7Embedded shell commands
  8. 8Configure the pane border
  9. 9Use vi keys in copy mode
  10. 10Mouse copying behaviour
  11. 11Challenge: write your own tmux.confchallenge
Cheat sheet

Find a window by its content or name

Goal

The connection refused window was found by filter, then docs by tree search.

Two ways to find a window you cannot see — by what it shows, or by what it is called:

C-b f
ask for text, then open tree mode showing only panes whose visible content, title or window name matches
C-s in any tree
search names
n
jump to the next match

The filter reads what is on screen now, not the scrollback. When something matches, the line above the preview says filter: active; when nothing does, the full tree shows with filter: no matches.

Do this

Press C-b f, type connection refused, Enter.

The tree shows one pane, with filter: active.

The session line is selected, not the match. Press Down to the db row below it, then Enter.

db is current.

Press C-b w, then C-s, type docs, Enter, then Enter again.

The selection jumps to docs, and the second Enter makes it current.

Keys that work in every tree

C-s and n are ordinary tree mode keys, so they work whether or not a filter is on.

Stuck on this one?

This is a live terminal. Typing goes to the machine, including Tab. Press Shift and Tab together to move focus back out to the page.

A real terminal, in this tab

about 15 MB, once

session learn

Done when

not started
  1. The current pane is showing the find-window filter in tree mode— not done yet
  2. Window 4 (db, the one that printed connection refused) is current— not done yet
  3. Window docs is current, found by name from tree mode— not done yet