Terminal Workspaces

Manage multiple terminal sessions with split panes, tabs, and workspace organization for efficient multitasking

Netcatty’s workspace system lets you organize multiple terminal sessions with split panes, tabs, and persistent layouts that restore automatically between sessions.

Understanding Workspaces

A workspace is a collection of terminal sessions organized in a specific layout:

• Panes: Individual terminal sessions that can be split horizontally or vertically
• Tabs: Multiple workspaces within the main window
• Layouts: Split configurations that define pane positions and sizes
• Sessions: Active SSH/terminal connections within panes

Creating Workspaces

New Workspace Tab

Create a new workspace:

1. Click the + button in the tab bar
2. Or press ⌘+T (macOS) / Ctrl+T (Windows/Linux)

This creates a blank workspace where you can add terminal sessions.

Quick Connect

Connect to a host in a new workspace:

1. Double-click a host in the vault
2. Or right-click → Connect
3. The connection opens in the current workspace or creates a new tab

From Snippets

Create workspaces from saved snippet configurations:

1. Right-click a snippet with workspace definition
2. Select Open Workspace
3. Netcatty creates the layout and connects to specified hosts

Split Panes

Split terminal sessions for side-by-side multitasking:

Horizontal Split

Split the current pane horizontally (top/bottom):

• Right-click terminal → Split Horizontal
• Or press ⌘+D (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+D (Windows/Linux)

┌────────────────┐
│   Pane 1       │
│   (top)        │
├────────────────┤
│   Pane 2       │
│   (bottom)     │
└────────────────┘

Vertical Split

Split the current pane vertically (left/right):

• Right-click terminal → Split Vertical
• Or press ⌘+Shift+D (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows/Linux)

┌────────┬────────┐
│        │        │
│ Pane 1 │ Pane 2 │
│ (left) │ (right)│
│        │        │
└────────┴────────┘

Nested Splits

Create complex layouts with nested splits:

┌────────┬────────┐
│        │ Pane 2 │
│ Pane 1 ├────────┤
│        │ Pane 3 │
└────────┴────────┘

Each pane can be split further to create custom layouts.

Resizing Panes

Adjust pane sizes:

1. Hover over the divider between panes
2. Cursor changes to resize handle
3. Click and drag to resize
4. Release to apply new size

Panes maintain relative proportions when the window is resized.

Focus and Navigation

Focus Panes

Switch focus between panes:

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Next pane	⌘+]	Ctrl+]
Previous pane	⌘+[	Ctrl+[
Pane 1	⌘+1	Ctrl+1
Pane 2	⌘+2	Ctrl+2
Pane 3-9	⌘+3...9	Ctrl+3...9

The focused pane has a highlighted border and receives all keyboard input.

Navigate Tabs

Switch between workspace tabs:

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Next tab	⌘+Shift+]	Ctrl+Tab
Previous tab	⌘+Shift+[	Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Tab 1-9	⌘+Alt+1...9	Ctrl+Alt+1...9
Close tab	⌘+W	Ctrl+W

View Modes

Netcatty supports two view modes for workspaces:

Split View

Default mode showing all panes simultaneously:

{
  "viewMode": "split"
}

Best for:

• Monitoring multiple systems
• Comparing outputs side-by-side
• Running commands in parallel

Focus View

Maximize a single pane while keeping others accessible:

{
  "viewMode": "focus",
  "focusedSessionId": "session-123"
}

Toggle focus view:

• Press ⌘+Shift+F (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+F (Windows/Linux)
• Or right-click pane → Maximize Pane

Best for:

• Deep work on one system
• Reading long outputs
• Editing files in SFTP

Session Management

Active Sessions

Each pane contains an active session with:

• Session ID: Unique identifier for the connection
• Host reference: Link to vault host configuration
• Working directory: Current remote directory
• Connection state: Connected, connecting, or disconnected

Close Pane

Close the current pane:

• Right-click → Close Pane
• Or press ⌘+Shift+W (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+W (Windows/Linux)

Closing a pane terminates the SSH session. Use exit in the terminal to disconnect gracefully before closing.

Reconnect

If a session disconnects, reconnect without recreating the pane:

1. Click the Reconnect button in the disconnected pane
2. Or right-click → Reconnect
3. Netcatty attempts to reestablish the connection

Workspace Persistence

Netcatty automatically saves workspace state:

Auto-Save

Workspaces are saved automatically:

• When you close the app
• When you switch workspaces
• Periodically during use

Saved state includes:

• Pane layout (split configuration)
• Host connections for each pane
• Tab names and order
• View mode (split/focus)
• Working directories

Restore on Launch

When you launch Netcatty:

1. Load Workspace State

   Netcatty reads the saved workspace configuration from local storage.

2. Recreate Layout

   Panes and splits are recreated with the same positions and sizes.

3. Reconnect Sessions

   Each pane automatically reconnects to its last host (if configured to do so in settings).

Disable auto-reconnect in Settings → Sessions → Restore sessions on launch if you prefer to manually connect.

Broadcast Mode

Send input to multiple panes simultaneously:

Enable Broadcast

1. Click the Broadcast button in the toolbar
2. Or press ⌘+B (macOS) / Ctrl+B (Windows/Linux)
3. The broadcast icon appears in all panes

Use Cases

Package Updates

Run apt update && apt upgrade on multiple servers at once.

Configuration Changes

Edit config files simultaneously across a cluster.

Monitoring

Run top or htop on all servers to compare resource usage.

Log Tailing

Tail logs on multiple nodes: tail -f /var/log/app.log

Be careful with destructive commands in broadcast mode. Double-check you’re connected to the intended hosts before running commands like rm, systemctl restart, or database migrations.

Workspace Shortcuts

Complete keyboard shortcut reference:

Pane Management

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New pane (duplicate)	⌘+N	Ctrl+N
Split horizontal	⌘+D	Ctrl+Shift+D
Split vertical	⌘+Shift+D	Ctrl+Shift+E
Close pane	⌘+Shift+W	Ctrl+Shift+W
Focus next	⌘+]	Ctrl+]
Focus previous	⌘+[	Ctrl+[
Maximize pane	⌘+Shift+F	Ctrl+Shift+F

Tab Management

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New tab	⌘+T	Ctrl+T
Close tab	⌘+W	Ctrl+W
Next tab	⌘+Shift+]	Ctrl+Tab
Previous tab	⌘+Shift+[	Ctrl+Shift+Tab
Go to tab 1-9	⌘+Alt+1...9	Ctrl+Alt+1...9

Other

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
Toggle broadcast	⌘+B	Ctrl+B
Quick switcher	⌘+K	Ctrl+K
SFTP browser	⌘+Shift+O	Ctrl+Shift+O

Best Practices

Organize by Purpose

Group related servers in one workspace:

• Web Cluster: Load balancer + app servers
• Database Setup: Primary + replicas
• Monitoring: Metrics servers + log aggregator

Use Meaningful Tab Names

Rename workspace tabs for clarity:

1. Right-click the tab
2. Select Rename Tab
3. Enter a descriptive name like “Production Deployment” or “Dev Environment”

Save Layouts as Snippets

Create reusable workspace layouts:

1. Set up your ideal layout with splits and connections
2. Save as a snippet with workspace configuration
3. Launch the layout instantly from the snippets panel

Limit Broadcast Scope

When using broadcast mode:

• Close or separate panes that shouldn’t receive broadcasted input
• Verify all panes show the correct hosts before broadcasting
• Test with a safe command like pwd first

Troubleshooting

Workspace Not Restoring

If workspace state doesn’t restore on launch:

• Check Settings → Sessions → Restore sessions on launch is enabled
• Verify local storage is not full or corrupted
• Try manually saving workspace: File → Save Workspace

Split Not Working

If split commands don’t create new panes:

• Ensure a terminal is focused (not vault or settings)
• Check you have an active session in the current pane
• Try splitting from the context menu instead of keyboard shortcut

Broadcast Affecting Wrong Panes

If broadcast sends input to unexpected panes:

• Disable broadcast and re-enable to reset
• Close unintended panes or move them to a separate tab
• Use pane numbers (⌘+1, ⌘+2) to verify focus before broadcasting

Related Topics

Split Terminals Guide

Detailed guide to split pane layouts and navigation

Workspace Sessions

Learn about session persistence and restoration

Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete keyboard shortcut reference

Host Configuration

Configure hosts for optimal workspace usage