How can I use send-keys to send the escape key, the "i" key and then my command into a pane?

[nickjj]

Hi,

I wrote a little send-keys script which inputs commands into every tmux pane open across all sessions and windows.

The simplified version of that is this. It runs in a dedicated bash script:

# tmux-shell-cmd
tmux list-panes -a -F "#{session_name}:#{window_index}.#{pane_index} #{pane_pid}" | while read -r pane pid; do
  tmux send-keys -t "${pane}" "${COMMAND}" "C-m"
done

${COMMAND} in this case can be any script such as whoami or echo 'hello world'. It works. You can use it like tmux-shell-cmd "echo ok".

Here's the new situation that I'm struggling with. I started to use https://github.com/jeffreytse/zsh-vi-mode which enables Vim modes in the terminal. For example you can be in either normal or insert mode.

Text can only be inserted when in insert mode. Each pane's shell can be in either mode and I wouldn't know that beforehand.

The easiest way to go about this is probably to send escape, followed by "i" and then send-keys the command itself. This forces all panes to consistently be in insert mode ready to accept a command.

I tried all sorts of things like tmux send-keys -t "${pane}" "C-[" "i${COMMAND}" "C-m" but that produces echo\sok when the command variable is echo ok. I also tried "C-[i${COMMAND}" which of course produces the literal strings for those characters.

Even if I remove that plugin and use zsh's default Vim key binds the same problem persists since it also has the concept of being in either normal or insert mode.

[nicm]

You'll probably need to have a delay after the Escape so the program recognises it as Escape then i and not as M-i.

[nickjj]

Thanks, tmux send-keys -t "${pane}" "C-[" && sleep 0.1 && tmux send-keys -t "${pane}" "i${COMMAND}" "C-m" does work. Is there a way to optimize this to avoid needing to send-keys twice? I wasn't sure what you meant by run -d.

Given this loop runs in each pane sequentially, it does delay everything from completing. Across 40 panes that adds 4 seconds of sleep delay.

[nicm]

tmux send Escape \; run -d 0.1 \; send foo

You could bind switching mode in your shell to some other key (as well as Escape) that is unambiguous like F1 or C-e, then you would probably not need the delay.

[nicm]

If you do this then tmux shouldn't wait for each to complete before running the next run -bC 'send Escape; run -d 0.1; send foo'.

[nicm]

Or tmux send Escape \; run -bCd 0.1 'send foo' would be better.

[nickjj]

Would you be able to provide a full command example of what you're proposing? Is this using a feature other than send-keys?