Termix

Appearance

Configuration ​

Termix is designed to work perfectly out of the box with sensible defaults. However, there are several ways to customize your experience and optimize Termix for your specific needs.

Command Line Options ​

Icon Control ​

Control whether Termix displays file type icons:

bash
# Launch with icons (default)
termix

# Launch without icons (ASCII mode)
termix --no-icons

The --no-icons flag is useful when:

  • Your terminal doesn't support Nerd Fonts
  • You prefer a minimal ASCII-only interface
  • Working over slow network connections
  • Using terminals with poor Unicode support

Environment Variables ​

PATH Configuration ​

Ensure Termix is accessible from anywhere by verifying your PATH includes the .NET tools directory:

Windows:

cmd
echo %PATH%
# Should include: %USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools

macOS/Linux:

bash
echo $PATH
# Should include: ~/.dotnet/tools

If the path is missing, add it to your shell profile:

Bash/Zsh:

bash
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.dotnet/tools"

Fish:

fish
set -gx PATH $PATH $HOME/.dotnet/tools

Terminal Configuration ​

Font Setup ​

For the best experience, configure your terminal to use a Nerd Font:

  • FiraCode Nerd Font: Excellent for coding with ligatures
  • JetBrains Mono Nerd Font: Clean, readable design
  • Cascadia Code Nerd Font: Microsoft's modern programming font
  • Hack Nerd Font: Optimized for source code

Terminal-Specific Setup ​

Windows Terminal:

json
{
  "profiles": {
    "defaults": {
      "fontFace": "FiraCode Nerd Font",
      "fontSize": 12
    }
  }
}

iTerm2 (macOS):

  1. Preferences → Profiles → Text
  2. Change font to a Nerd Font variant
  3. Ensure "Use ligatures" is checked for coding fonts

VS Code Integrated Terminal:

json
{
  "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "FiraCode Nerd Font"
}

Terminal Behavior ​

Unicode Support ​

Ensure your terminal supports Unicode properly:

Windows:

  • Use Windows Terminal or PowerShell 7+
  • Enable UTF-8 support in terminal settings

macOS:

  • Modern terminals support Unicode by default
  • Verify locale is set to UTF-8: locale | grep UTF-8

Linux:

  • Most modern terminals support Unicode
  • Verify with: echo $LANG (should include UTF-8)

Git Integration ​

.gitignore Configuration ​

Termix automatically respects .gitignore files. To optimize the experience:

Project-Level .gitignore ​

Add common patterns to your project's .gitignore:

gitignore
# Build outputs
bin/
obj/
dist/
build/

# Dependencies  
node_modules/
packages/

# IDE files
.vs/
.vscode/settings.json
*.swp
*.swo

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

Global .gitignore ​

Set up a global gitignore for system-wide patterns:

bash
# Create global gitignore
touch ~/.gitignore_global

# Configure git to use it
git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global

Add system-wide patterns:

gitignore
# OS generated files
.DS_Store
.DS_Store?
._*
.Spotlight-V100
.Trashes
ehthumbs.db
Thumbs.db

# Editor files
*~
*.swp
*.swo
.vscode/

Performance Optimization ​

Large Directory Performance ​

For projects with very large directory structures:

Ignore Patterns ​

Add performance-critical ignore patterns to .gitignore:

gitignore
# Large dependency directories
node_modules/
.git/
__pycache__/
.pytest_cache/

# Build and cache directories
target/
.gradle/
.maven/

Search Optimization ​

  • Use specific search terms rather than broad queries
  • Clear search filters when done to improve navigation
  • Avoid searching from filesystem root directories

Memory Management ​

Termix automatically manages memory efficiently:

  • Directory contents are cached temporarily
  • Search results are managed to prevent memory leaks
  • Preview generation is optimized for common file types

Workflow Customization ​

Shell Aliases ​

Create aliases for common Termix usage patterns:

Bash/Zsh:

bash
# Quick launch aliases
alias t='termix'
alias ta='termix --no-icons'  # ASCII mode

# Project-specific launches  
alias twork='cd ~/work && termix'
alias tcode='cd ~/code && termix'

PowerShell:

powershell
# PowerShell profile functions
function t { termix }
function ta { termix --no-icons }
function twork { Set-Location ~/work; termix }

Fish:

fish
# Fish shell aliases
alias t 'termix'
alias ta 'termix --no-icons'
alias twork 'cd ~/work; and termix'

Project Integration ​

NPM Scripts ​

Add Termix to your project's package.json:

json
{
  "scripts": {
    "browse": "termix",
    "files": "termix --no-icons"
  }
}

Makefile Integration ​

makefile
.PHONY: browse
browse:
	@termix

.PHONY: files  
files:
	@termix --no-icons

Color and Theme Configuration ​

Terminal Color Schemes ​

Termix adapts to your terminal's color scheme. For optimal appearance:

Dark Themes ​

  • Dracula: Excellent contrast with Termix's color choices
  • Nord: Clean, modern appearance
  • One Dark: Popular dark theme with good readability

Light Themes ​

  • Solarized Light: Well-balanced light theme
  • GitHub Light: Clean, familiar appearance
  • Atom One Light: Bright, clear display

Syntax Highlighting ​

Termix's preview pane uses built-in syntax highlighting that adapts to:

  • Your terminal's color capabilities
  • Light vs dark theme detection
  • Available color palette

Advanced Configuration ​

Development Environment Integration ​

VS Code Integration ​

Create a VS Code task to launch Termix:

json
{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Open Termix",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "termix",
      "group": "build",
      "presentation": {
        "echo": true,
        "reveal": "always",
        "focus": false,
        "panel": "new"
      }
    }
  ]
}

JetBrains IDE Integration ​

Add Termix as an external tool:

  1. File → Settings → Tools → External Tools
  2. Add new tool:
    • Name: Termix
    • Program: termix
    • Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$

Troubleshooting Configuration ​

Common Issues ​

Icons not displaying:

  • Install a Nerd Font in your terminal
  • Use --no-icons flag as fallback
  • Verify Unicode support in terminal

Slow performance:

  • Check .gitignore patterns
  • Avoid searching from filesystem root
  • Close other resource-intensive applications

PATH issues:

  • Verify .NET tools directory is in PATH
  • Restart terminal after PATH changes
  • Use full path as temporary workaround: ~/.dotnet/tools/termix

Diagnostic Commands ​

Check your configuration:

bash
# Verify Termix installation
dotnet tool list --global | grep termix

# Check .NET version
dotnet --version

# Verify PATH includes .NET tools
echo $PATH | grep -o '[^:]*dotnet[^:]*'

# Test Unicode support
echo "📁 🔍 ⚡️"

Default Behavior ​

File Type Recognition ​

Termix automatically recognizes these file types for preview and icons:

Code Files:

  • .cs, .fs, .vb (C#, F#, VB.NET)
  • .js, .ts, .jsx, .tsx (JavaScript/TypeScript)
  • .py, .pyx (Python)
  • .java, .kt (Java, Kotlin)
  • .go, .rs (Go, Rust)
  • .c, .cpp, .h, .hpp (C/C++)

Configuration Files:

  • .json, .yaml, .yml
  • .toml, .ini, .conf
  • .xml, .config

Documentation:

  • .md, .txt, .rst
  • .pdf (basic info display)

Ignore Patterns ​

Built-in ignore patterns (always active):

.git/
node_modules/
bin/
obj/
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
__pycache__/
.pytest_cache/
target/
.gradle/

Next Steps ​

With your configuration optimized:

Configuration Philosophy

Termix follows the principle of "sensible defaults with easy customization." Most users never need to configure anything, but power users have options when needed.

Configuration Persistence

Currently, Termix doesn't support persistent configuration files. All customization is done through command-line options, environment variables, and external tool integration. A configuration file system is planned for future releases.

Released under the MIT License

Copyright © 2025 amrohan