learntmux.dev
Task 12 of 12
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
Challenge · no new keys

Challenge: tidy a messy session

Goal

Session project: 0:editor with four panes in main-vertical, unzoomed; 1:logs on tail; the stray client on old detached.

Nothing new. Every fix is a command from this level:

C-b z
unzoom
C-b $ / C-b ,
rename the session / the current window
select-layout main-vertical
reflow the panes
C-b &
kill a window
C-b D
drop a client
movew -r
close the gaps in the index list

The new part is reading the mess off the status line before you touch anything. It tells you almost everything: Z after a window name means zoomed, the window list shows names and index gaps, and C-b D lists every client on the server, not just yours.

Do this

Starting from messy, reach this state:

Session renamed to project.

Window 0 named editor, unzoomed, four panes in main-vertical.

The empty window killed.

The window running tail named logs.

The client attached to session old detached.

Windows renumbered so only 0:editor and 1:logs remain.

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 session messy has been renamed to project— not done yet
  2. Window 0 is named editor and is not zoomed— not done yet
  3. Window 0 has four panes arranged as main-vertical— not done yet
  4. No client is attached to session old any more— not done yet
  5. Session project has exactly two windows, 0:editor and 1:logs— not done yet