screenrc – easy way to improve screen usability
I’ve used a custom ~/.screenrc file for at least a year now. I find that this snippet helps improve the usability for me.
#Custom Stuff
caption always "%{= wb}$USER @ %H >> %-Lw%{= r}%50>%n* %t%{-}%+Lw%< %-=<< (%c.%s)"
activity "%c activity -> %n%f %t"
bell "%c bell -> %n%f %t^G"
vbell_msg " *beep* "
startup_message off
defscrollback 500
multiuser off
# Always start screen with utf8 enabled. (screen -U)
defutf8 on
Output (caption at bottom):
Screen is good, but tmux is better!
Screen is good, but tmux is better!
Wow, you can say that again! I can FINALLY detach and reattach without losing my window splits (not to mention the splitting behavior is much better) and the keybindings can be easily set to match screen….GENIUS!
~jtriley
Here’s mine. I bind some F-keys to open/switch/rename windows, that makes screen even more user friendly in my opinion.
# skip the startup message
startup_message off
# Automatically detach on hangup.
autodetach on
# If a screen dies, don’t freeze the whole screen waiting for it.
nonblock on
# UTF-8 is necessary.
defutf8 on
# Change default scrollback value for new windows
defscrollback 10000
# scrollback 10000
# start with visual bell as default
vbell off
vbell_msg “Bell on %t (%n)”
# look and feel
# caption always “%3n %t%? @%u%?%? [%h]%?%=%c”
# termcapinfo xterm ‘hs:ts=\E]2;:fs=07:ds=\E]2;screen07′
hardstatus alwaysignore
# hardstatus alwayslastline ‘%{g}%-w%{b}%n %t%{-}%+w %<%{kk}'
hardstatus alwayslastline '%{bk}%-w%<%{gk}%n %t%{-}%+w %<%{kk}'
activity "Activity in %t (%n)"
bindkey -k k7 prev
bindkey -k k8 next
bindkey -k k9 title
bindkey -k k5 screen
What coincidence – tonight I uninstalled screen and replaced it with tmux on all my systems.