Multi Gnome Terminal User's Guide: Multi Gnome Terminal 1.5.0
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# A. Appendix: Command Examples

This following will include some examples of things that can be done with `Multi Gnome Terminal`'s Edit Commands feature. The following examples are the "command" input field (third field) at the top of the Window. You will have to supply your own Command name, and path if wanted.

Starting shells:

Example A-1. Start a login shell

The most typical usage is to start a normal, interactive shell. The `--login` bash command line option above is optional.

`bash --login`

Example A-2. Start a remote shell with `ssh`

But we can also start a remote shell on another host:

`ssh some_host.example.com`

Example A-3. Start a mail reader

We can also start any text based program automatically, like a mail reader, or news reader:

`pine`

Example A-4. Specify a specific mailbox

You can watch multiple mailboxes with multiple instances of your mail reader. This way the Tab labels will change color to alert you to new mail in that mail box.

`mutt -f ~/Mail/inbox`

And another command for another mailbox:

`mutt -f ~/Mail/multignometerm-usability`

We could get really fancy and create a special Class, maybe titled "mail", and create a custom start-up Tab for each mailbox we want to access.

Example A-5. Start a text web browser

`w3m ~/my_bookmarks`

In fact, you could create a sub-menu with your "favorite" links all in their own sub-menu:

> w3m/freshmeat
> w3m/slashdot
> w3m/sourceforge
> w3m/user friendly

Example A-6. Start a remote shell and start a program on the remote host

`ssh -t some_host.example.com pine`

Example A-7. 'watch' netstat connections

`watch netstat -tn`

Example A-8. Watch the "message" log

`tail -f /var/log/messages`

The Tab labels will also change colors every time a new entry is made to the log.

To this point, all our examples have been single shell commands with arguments (though the arguments in some cases are other commands). If we want to combine commands, like piping `ps` to `less`:

`/bin/ps ax | less`

then it is useful to put these types of commands in a shell script, and then invoke the script from Edit Commands. Much more can be done this way.

Some ideas:

Example A-9. A Google search

      #!/bin/sh
      txt_browser=w3m

      read -e -p "search google for: " search_str
      [ -z "$search_str" ] && exit
      $txt_browser \
      "http://www.google.com/linux?num=50&restrict=linux&\
      hl=en&lr=lang_en&q=%22$search_str%22&btnG=Google+Search"

This uses the shell "`read`" command to get user input, which is passed to a text web browser. If the user enters nothing, or after the web browser exits, then the script exits also, effectively closing the Tab. (The google search parameters also include some personal preferences that might be customized as well.)

Example A-10. Look up a word in a Dictionary

      #!/bin/sh
      txt_browser=w3m

      read -e -p "Look up: " word
      [ -z "$word" ] && exit
      $txt_browser "http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va\
       =$(echo "$word" | sed 's/ /+/')"

This looks up any word in the Merriam-Webster on line dictionary, also using `read` and a text browser, like above.

Example A-11. A better netstat watcher

Above we had an example of `watch netstat -tn` that displays a continually self updating display of all our network connections. But `watch` wants to put a clock on the screen, and as it updates the Tab titles alternate from `blue` to `red` every 2 seconds as the screen updates. Very annoying IMO!

So here is a short script to do most of the same thing. It just writes the `netstat` output to a file, and only dumps this file to screen when and if the `netstat` output changes. It also uses some filters to eliminate some things we (errr, I) did not want to be bothered with (e.g. `CLOSE_WAIT` condition, see the `netstat` man page).

      #!/bin/sh
      # display netstat output only if it changes

       tmp_file=/tmp/_netstat
       exclude='127\.0\.0.*127\.0\.0\|_WAIT'
       command="netstat -tn |grep -v \"$exclude\""
       eval $command |tee $tmp_save.sav
       while :; do
         eval $command > $tmp_file.tmp
         ! diff $tmp_file.tmp $tmp_save.sav && clear && cat $tmp_file.tmp |tee $tmp_save.sav
         sleep 2
       done

Now the Tab title will only change color when the connections change, and we are alerted accordingly.

Example A-12. Starting with Split Tab

To have `Multi Gnome Terminal` start with a split Tab, create a short script like below. Name it something like `add-htab.sh`.

      #!/bin/sh
       multi-gnome-terminal --add-tab --hsplit

Now go into Edit Commands, and add a new startup Tab (lower listbox). Use `add-htab.sh` as the command to open the Tab. Save and apply changes, and make sure "Don't open startup tabs" is unchecked. Now, when `Multi Gnome Terminal` is started, it will be started with a split window. Remember too, you can have different startup commands for different classes.

Maybe you prefer just typing simple commands rather than going through the GUI, or defining a keyboard shortcut? Sometimes this is simpler. Some ideas using bash "aliases" ...

A simple `bash` alias to just create a new Tab in the current Window:

      alias m="multi-gnome-terminal  --add-tab"

Now, create a Tab and running the `vim` editor at the same time:

      alias me="multi-gnome-terminal  --add-tab  --tname=Vim  -x vim"

The Tab, of course, closes neatly whenever you exit `vim`.

Now, a open a man page in its own Tab:

      alias mm="multi-gnome-terminal  --add-tab  --tname=Man  -x  /usr/bin/man"

Maybe we want to work in one terminal, and be able to read the man page in the same Window at the same time. So we will do the same here, except just split the current Tab:

      alias mmh="multi-gnome-terminal  --hsplit  -x /usr/bin/man"

Maybe you have better ideas ;-)

If you have any cool command tricks, please submit to: `<multignometerm-devel@lists.sourceforge.net>`.

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