Tips & Tricks

Become a Termix power user with these tips and tricks. This guide covers advanced workflows, efficiency hacks, and hidden features to help you get the most out of Termix.

Advanced Workflows

Search → Operate → Return Cycle

This is the ultimate power user workflow:

1. Search (s): Find a set of files (e.g., all .tsx components).
2. Navigate: Move through the filtered results.
3. Operate: Perform an action (e.g., yank a file with y).
4. Navigate Away: Go to a different directory to paste.
5. Return (b): Press b to instantly return to your search results.

This cycle is incredibly efficient for refactoring, organizing files, or working with distributed code.

Quick Project Scaffolding

Create a new project structure in seconds:

# Create project root
a → my-new-project/ → Enter

# Navigate into it
Enter

# Create source and test directories
a → src/ → Enter
a → tests/ → Enter

# Create initial files
a → src/index.js → Enter 
a → README.md → Enter

Efficient Refactoring

When renaming a component and its related files:

1. Search (s): Find all files related to the component (e.g., OldComponent).
2. Rename (r): Rename each file (NewComponent.tsx, NewComponent.test.tsx).
3. Open: Use Enter or l to open files in your default editor for content changes.
4. Return (b): Use b to come back to your search results after editing.

Efficiency Hacks

Chaining Commands

Combine Termix commands for faster operations:

• Create and Enter: a → new-folder/ → Enter → Enter
• Jump and Open: G → Enter (open last file)
• Vim-style Dive: j → j → l → l (down, down, enter, enter)

Text Input Tricks

When creating files with a:

• Auto-extension: Type file to get file.txt.
• Directory creation: End with / to create a directory.
• Nested paths: path/to/file creates directories automatically.

Clipboard Management

• Quick Move: x → navigate → p
• Quick Yank: y → navigate → p
• Yank Path: Y (Shift + y) copies the absolute path to the system clipboard.
• Clear Clipboard: Esc when in normal mode with an active clipboard.

Hidden Features

Parent Directory Preview

Select the .. entry to see information about the parent directory, including its full path and last modified time.

Cross-Drive Move Magic

When you move a file across different drives (e.g., from / to a mounted drive), Termix automatically performs a copy-then-delete operation, complete with progress tracking.

Smart File Naming

Termix handles long filenames gracefully by truncating them with ..., preserving the file extension so you can still identify the file type.

Customization and Integration

Shell Aliases for Speed

Create shell aliases for lightning-fast access:

# zsh/bash in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
alias t='termix'
alias td='cd ~/Downloads && termix'

# Fish in ~/.config/fish/config.fish
alias t termix
alias td 'cd ~/Downloads; and termix'

Integrate with Other Tools

Termix opens files in your system's default application. You can leverage this for powerful integrations:

• Image Editing: Select an image and press Enter to open in your default image editor.
• Code Editing: Select a code file to open in your favorite IDE/editor.
• Document Viewing: Open PDFs, documents, and more.

Scripting with Termix

While Termix is interactive, you can use it in scripts:

# Open Termix in a specific directory
(cd /path/to/project && termix)

# Use Termix as part of a larger script
echo "Organizing project files..."
termix
echo "File organization complete."

Performance Tips

Optimize for Large Repositories

If Termix feels slow in a very large repository:

1. Check your .gitignore: Ensure node_modules, build, and other large directories are ignored.
2. Search specifically: Broad searches in large repos can be slow. Use specific queries.
3. Navigate first: Navigate to a subdirectory before searching to limit the scope.

Memory Usage

Termix is memory-efficient, but you can further optimize:

• Clear filters: Press Esc to clear search filters when done.
• Clear clipboard: Esc also clears the clipboard.
• Restart session: For very long sessions, a quick restart can clear all caches.

User Interface Tricks

Reading the Status Bar

The status bar is your guide to what's happening:

• Normal Mode: Shows essential shortcuts and help prompt (?).
• Search Mode: Shows your current query.
• Clipboard Active: Shows what you've yanked/cut.
• Progress Indicator: Shows progress for long operations.

Interpreting Icons

• 📁: Directory
• 📄: Text file
• 💻: Code file
• 🖼️: Image file
• ⚙️: Config file
• ..: Parent directory

(Icons require a supported Nerd Font)

Understanding Colors

• Yellow: Input prompts, warnings
• Green: Success messages
• Red: Error messages
• Cyan: Keyboard shortcuts
• Fuchsia: Status messages

Troubleshooting Tips

UI Glitches or Flickering

• Cause: Often due to terminal emulator limitations.
• Solution:
  • Use a modern terminal like Windows Terminal, iTerm2, or Alacritty.
  • Ensure your terminal has good Unicode and color support.
  • Try launching with termix --no-icons.

Slow Search Performance

• Cause: Large, un-ignored directories.
• Solution:
  • Add directories like node_modules to your .gitignore.
  • Navigate to subdirectories before searching.

Final Power User Advice

The most effective way to use Termix is to let it handle file navigation and organization, while letting your other tools (IDE, editor, etc.) handle file content.

Use Termix to find, move, and organize. Use your editor to code. This combination creates a seamless and powerful development experience.

Next Steps

• Review the full Keyboard Shortcuts reference.
• Visit Troubleshooting for help with common issues.

The Ultimate Combo

Combine s (Search) with b (Back to results). It's the most powerful navigation pattern in Termix. Master it, and you'll fly through your filesystem.