10 KiB
Enhanced Terminal v3.0 - Usage Guide
🎯 Quick Start
-
Build the application:
./build.sh -
Launch the terminal:
open EnhancedTerminal.app -
Start using it! The terminal works just like your regular terminal, but with superpowers.
🌟 Key Features
1. Command History Search (Cmd+R)
The most powerful feature for productivity!
How to use:
- Press
Cmd+Rto open the history search panel - Start typing to search through your command history
- The search is fuzzy - it finds commands containing your search terms
- Double-click a command or press Enter to use it
- The command is inserted at your cursor position
Example:
- Type "docker" to find all docker-related commands
- Type "git commit" to find all git commit commands
- Type "find pdf" to find commands that searched for PDFs
Tips:
- History is saved between sessions
- Recent commands appear first
- Search is case-insensitive
2. Auto-Suggestions (Like Fish Shell)
As you type, the terminal suggests commands from your history.
How it works:
- Start typing a command
- If you've used a similar command before, it appears in gray text
- Press
Tabto accept the suggestion - Continue typing to ignore it
Example:
$ git st█
status ← suggestion appears in gray
Press Tab to complete to git status
Toggle on/off:
- Go to Settings (Cmd+,)
- Check/uncheck "Enable Auto-suggestions"
3. Multiple Tabs (Cmd+T)
Run multiple terminal sessions simultaneously.
How to use:
Cmd+T- Open a new tab- Click tab buttons to switch between tabs
Cmd+W- Close current tab- Each tab has its own independent shell session
Use cases:
- Monitor logs in one tab while working in another
- Run a development server in one tab, git commands in another
- Keep different project directories in separate tabs
4. AI Command Generation (Cmd+K)
Generate terminal commands from natural language descriptions.
Setup (choose one):
Option A: Ollama (Free, Local, Recommended)
# Install Ollama
brew install ollama
# Pull a model
ollama pull llama3.2:latest
# Ollama runs automatically in the background
Then in Enhanced Terminal:
- Press
Cmd+,for Settings - Select "Ollama" as AI Provider
- Verify URL:
http://localhost:11434 - Set model:
llama3.2:latest
Option B: OpenAI (Requires API Key)
- Get API key from https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
- Press
Cmd+,for Settings - Select "OpenAI" as AI Provider
- Enter your API key
How to use:
- Press
Cmd+K - Describe what you want to do in plain English
- Click "Generate" or press Enter
- Review the generated command
- Click "Use Command" to insert it
- Press Enter to execute
Examples:
-
"find all PDF files larger than 10MB" →
find . -type f -name "*.pdf" -size +10M -
"show me the 10 largest files in this directory" →
du -ah . | sort -rh | head -10 -
"kill all processes using port 8080" →
lsof -ti:8080 | xargs kill -9 -
"compress all log files older than 7 days" →
find . -name "*.log" -mtime +7 -exec gzip {} \;
5. Command Snippets (Cmd+P)
Quick access to commonly used commands.
How to use:
- Press
Cmd+P - Browse or search for a snippet
- Double-click or press Enter to use it
Built-in categories:
- Files: List files, find large files, disk usage
- Git: Status, log, commit, branch operations
- Docker: Container and image management
- Network: Port management, network connections
- System: Process management, system information
Add your own snippets:
- Press
Cmd+P - Click "Add New"
- Enter name, command, category, and description
- Your snippet is saved permanently
Example custom snippets:
-
Name: "Deploy to production" Command:
git push origin main && ssh prod 'cd /app && ./deploy.sh'Category: "Deployment" -
Name: "Backup database" Command:
pg_dump mydb > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sqlCategory: "Database"
6. Themes
Choose from 4 beautiful themes:
Dracula (Default)
- Modern dark purple background
- High contrast, easy on the eyes
- Popular among developers
Solarized Dark
- Scientifically designed color scheme
- Low contrast, reduces eye strain
- Perfect for long coding sessions
Nord
- Arctic-inspired color palette
- Cool, calming colors
- Great for focus
Classic
- Retro green-on-black terminal
- Nostalgic hacker aesthetic
- High contrast
Change theme:
- Press
Cmd+,for Settings - Select theme from dropdown
- Changes apply immediately to all tabs
7. Font Size Adjustment
Keyboard shortcuts:
Cmd+Plus- Increase font sizeCmd+Minus- Decrease font sizeCmd+0- Reset to default (14pt)
Or in Settings:
- Press
Cmd+, - Enter font size (8-72)
- Changes apply to all tabs
⌨️ Complete Keyboard Shortcuts
Tabs & Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+T |
New tab |
Cmd+W |
Close current tab |
| Click tabs | Switch between tabs |
Search & Tools
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+R |
Search command history |
Cmd+K |
AI Command Generator |
Cmd+P |
Command Snippets |
Tab |
Accept auto-suggestion |
View
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+Plus |
Increase font size |
Cmd+Minus |
Decrease font size |
Cmd+0 |
Reset font size |
Cmd+F |
Toggle fullscreen |
Edit
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+C |
Copy selected text |
Cmd+V |
Paste |
Cmd+A |
Select all |
Settings & Help
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+, |
Open Settings |
Cmd+Q |
Quit application |
Type help |
Show help in terminal |
💡 Pro Tips
1. Combine Features
- Use
Cmd+Rto find a complex command you used before - Modify it slightly for your current need
- It gets added to history for next time
2. Build Your Snippet Library
- Whenever you create a complex command, save it as a snippet
- Add good descriptions and tags for easy searching
- Share snippets with your team
3. Use AI for Learning
- Generate commands with AI
- Study the generated command to learn new techniques
- Modify and experiment with the suggestions
4. Organize with Tabs
- Keep one tab for each project
- Use descriptive tab names (shown in tab bar)
- Switch quickly between contexts
5. Customize Your Experience
- Adjust font size for your display
- Choose a theme that matches your workflow
- Enable/disable auto-suggestions based on preference
🔧 Troubleshooting
AI Not Working
Ollama:
- Check if Ollama is running:
ollama list - Verify the model is downloaded:
ollama pull llama3.2:latest - Check the URL in Settings: should be
http://localhost:11434
OpenAI:
- Verify your API key is correct
- Check you have credits in your OpenAI account
- Test the key at https://platform.openai.com/playground
Auto-suggestions Not Appearing
- Make sure they're enabled in Settings (Cmd+,)
- You need to have command history first
- Suggestions only appear for commands you've used before
History Search Empty
- History builds up as you use the terminal
- Try running some commands first
- History persists between sessions
Tab Not Responding
- Each tab runs an independent shell
- If a command hangs, close the tab (Cmd+W)
- Open a new tab (Cmd+T) to continue
Window Not Showing
- Try
Cmd+Tabto switch to the app - Check if it's in fullscreen mode
- Quit and restart the application
🎓 Learning Resources
Getting Started with Terminal
If you're new to terminal commands:
- Type
helpin the terminal for built-in help - Use AI (Cmd+K) to learn commands
- Browse snippets (Cmd+P) to see examples
Common Commands to Try
# Navigation
ls # List files
cd folder # Change directory
pwd # Print working directory
# File operations
cat file.txt # View file contents
cp src dest # Copy file
mv old new # Move/rename file
rm file # Delete file
# System info
date # Show date/time
whoami # Show current user
df -h # Disk space
top # Process monitor (press q to quit)
# Git basics
git status # Check repository status
git log # View commit history
git diff # See changes
🚀 Advanced Usage
Custom Shell Configuration
The terminal uses your existing shell configuration:
.zshrcfor zsh (default on macOS).bashrcfor bash- All your aliases and functions work
Environment Variables
All your environment variables are available:
echo $PATH
echo $HOME
echo $USER
Piping and Redirection
Full support for Unix pipes and redirection:
ls -la | grep ".txt"
cat file.txt | wc -l
echo "hello" > output.txt
Background Jobs
Run commands in the background:
long_running_command &
Note: The terminal handles job control properly, so you won't see "fg: no job control" errors.
📊 Performance Tips
For Large Output
- Use
lessormorefor large files - Pipe to
headortailto limit output - Clear screen regularly with
clearor Cmd+K
For Many Tabs
- Close unused tabs to free memory
- Each tab runs a separate shell process
- Recommended: Keep 5-10 tabs maximum
History Management
- History is limited to 1000 commands
- Clear history if needed: Tools → Clear History
- Old commands are automatically removed
🎨 Customization Ideas
Create Workflow Snippets
Save entire workflows as snippets:
# Development workflow
git pull && npm install && npm run dev
# Deployment workflow
npm run build && npm test && git push
# Backup workflow
tar -czf backup.tar.gz project/ && scp backup.tar.gz server:~/
Use AI for Complex Tasks
Let AI help with:
- Complex find commands
- Advanced git operations
- System administration tasks
- Data processing with awk/sed
Theme Switching
Switch themes based on:
- Time of day (dark themes at night)
- Task (Classic for focused work)
- Mood (Nord for calm, Dracula for energy)
Need more help? Type help in the terminal or check the README.md file.
Enjoy your enhanced terminal experience! 🚀