Switching windows in tmux with default config
=============================================

Default configuration
---------------------
Some time ago I started a kind of challenge: use tmux without a
configuration file.

The idea is that tmux comes with a default setup, which is
most likely a sound configuration.

At the time I switched from GNU Screen to tmux I immediately
copied some configuration settings off the internet, and never
looked back. You could say, I never give the default configuration
a chance.

Now I am learning the hard way how to use the default config :)

Understand the status line
--------------------------
tmux shows a green status line at the bottom of the screen.
By default, the status line is enabled and one line in height.

Each window is labeled with a number, a colon, and a title.
tmux adds flags to the listing:

    * The current window
    - The last window (previously selected)
    # Window activity is monitored and activity has been detected.
    Z The window's active pane is zoomed.

More possible flags can be found in the documentation (man tmux).

"Ctrl-b ," can be used to modify the title of the currently open
window.

Efficient window selection
--------------------------
When the number of windows exceeds nine, a challenge arises:
how to choose the windows with numbers greater than nine?

Some ways to switch to any window:

* When the window number is nine or less, just use "Ctrl-b <number>"
* Choose a window from the list: hit "Cltr-b w"  
  This displays a list of windows, and as you scroll down the
  list, a partial preview of the active choice is displayed.
* Get a prompt with Cltr-b '
  "Cltr-b '" causes tmux to prompt you for a window number.
  This also applies to window numbers greater than nine.
* Use "Cltr-b l" (lowercase L) to switch back to the last active
  window (shown with the flag '-' in the window list)

Renumbering windows
-------------------
There are gaps in the window numbering when some windows are
closed. The command "movew -r" causes tmux to renumber the
windows.
To do this, type "Cltr-b :" followed with "movew -r".


Last edited: $Date: 2023/11/13 18:38:40 $