One Action, Multiple Terminal Windows Running Stuff

Many developers rely on multiple terminal windows for managing various development tasks. Think npm run start, Docker containers, Rails servers, and Webpack – all running concurrently. This isn't inherently bad, but it can be cumbersome. Remembering commands and arranging the terminal environment efficiently can be a challenge. Personally, I prefer split panes over tabs, though tabs work fine for separate projects.

Seeking solutions on Twitter yielded several options:

• tmux: This was the most popular suggestion. It creates virtual panes within a single terminal session, allowing simultaneous execution of different commands. Its versatility is impressive, and its use in a new dev environment by my CodePen co-founder further validated its capabilities. tmuxinator offers improved configuration management for tmux.

• kitty: Described by one user as a more advanced tmux alternative, kitty supports custom layouts and startup commands.

• Native Terminal Apps: Each operating system offers native solutions:

  • macOS: iTerm2 excels at split panels and session management, though lacks built-in command triggering for pre-defined layouts. The default macOS Terminal also supports tabs and splitting, but feels less robust.
  • Linux: Terminator is a popular choice.
  • Windows: The default Windows Terminal provides pane support.

• npm Task Runners: Tools like concurrently and npm-run-all streamline running multiple npm scripts. However, they're limited to npm scripts and don't inherently support separate pane output, making them better suited for short-running tasks. While you could create npm scripts for other commands, the output management remains a limitation.

As a macOS user, I focused on iTerm2 solutions. While lacking built-in command-triggered layouts, iTerm2's scriptability proved useful. While AppleScript support is being phased out in favor of Python, AppleScript currently works well.

Here's an AppleScript example:

iTerm2 AppleScript

tell application "iTerm"

  tell current window

    create window with default profile
    tell current session of current tab
      set name to "run.sh"
      write text "cd '/Users/chriscoyier/GitHub/CPOR'"
      write text "./run.sh"
    end tell

    create tab with default profile
    tell current session of current tab
      set name to "Rails"
      write text "cd '/Users/chriscoyier/GitHub/CPOR'"
      write text "nvm use"
      write text "yarn"
      write text "bundle install"
      write text "yarn run rails"
    end tell

    create tab with default profile
    tell current session of current tab
      set name to "webpack"
      write text "cd '/Users/chriscoyier/GitHub/CPOR'"
      write text "nvm use"
      write text "yarn"
      write text "yarn run dev"
    end tell

    (* split vertically - requires further investigation *)
    (* tell application "System Events" to keystroke "d" using command down *)
    (* delay 1 *)

    (* split horizontally - requires further investigation *)
    (* tell application "System Events" to keystroke "d" using {shift down, command down} *)
    (* delay 1 *)

    (* moving panes - requires permission *)
    (* tell application "System Events" to keystroke "]" using command down *)

  end tell

end tell

This script successfully launches the desired processes in separate tabs. The commented-out sections represent attempts at programmatic pane splitting, which require further exploration. The reliance on keystrokes feels less elegant, and investigating Python-based scripting for more direct control is a future goal. The lack of easy compilation into a standalone app is also noteworthy.

Another macOS option is Alfred, a powerful workflow automation tool capable of managing complex terminal setups.

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