Open a new terminal tab from the command line (Mac OS X)

Question

Can I open a new tab in a Mac OS X terminal from the command line on an open tab?

I know that the key combination for opening a new tab in the terminal is "CMD + t", but I am looking for a script based solution executed on the command line.

Answer 1

Try the following:

osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal" to activate' -e 'tell application "System Events" to tell process "Terminal" to keystroke "t" using command down' 

Answer 2

Update . This answer gained popularity based on the shell function described below, which still works with OSX 10.10 (except for the -g option).
However, a more fully functional, more reliable, tested version of the script is now available in the npm registry as CLI ttab , which also supports iTerm2 :

• If you have Node.js installed, just run:

   npm install -g ttab 

  (depending on how you installed Node.js, you may need to add sudo ).

• Otherwise, follow these instructions .

• After installation, run ttab -h for a summary of usage or man ttab to view the manual.

---

Based on the accepted answer, below is the bash convenience function to open a new tab in the current terminal window and, optionally, execute a command (as a bonus, there is a variant function for creating in a new window).

If a command is given, its first token will be used as the new tab header.

Sample Calls:

  # Get command-line help. newtab -h # Simpy open new tab. newtab # Open new tab and execute command (quoted parameters are supported). newtab ls -l "$Home/Library/Application Support" # Open a new tab with a given working directory and execute a command; # Double-quote the command passed to `eval` and use backslash-escaping inside. newtab eval "cd ~/Library/Application\ Support; ls" # Open new tab, execute commands, close tab. newtab eval "ls \$HOME/Library/Application\ Support; echo Press a key to exit.; read -s -n 1; exit" # Open new tab and execute script. newtab /path/to/someScript # Open new tab, execute script, close tab. newtab exec /path/to/someScript # Open new tab and execute script, but don't activate the new tab. newtab -G /path/to/someScript 

CAVEAT . When you start newtab (or newwin ) from a script, the initial working folder of the script will be the working folder in the new tab / window, even if you change the working folder inside the script before calling newtab / newwin - pass eval with the cd as a workaround (see example above).

Source code (for example, paste in your bash profile):

 # Opens a new tab in the current Terminal window and optionally executes a command. # When invoked via a function named 'newwin', opens a new Terminal *window* instead. function newtab { # If this function was invoked directly by a function named 'newwin', we open a new *window* instead # of a new tab in the existing window. local funcName=$FUNCNAME local targetType='tab' local targetDesc='new tab in the active Terminal window' local makeTab=1 case "${FUNCNAME[1]}" in newwin) makeTab=0 funcName=${FUNCNAME[1]} targetType='window' targetDesc='new Terminal window' ;; esac # Command-line help. if [[ "$1" == '--help' || "$1" == '-h' ]]; then cat <<EOF Synopsis: $funcName [-g|-G] [command [param1 ...]] Description: Opens a $targetDesc and optionally executes a command. The new $targetType will run a login shell (ie, load the user shell profile) and inherit the working folder from this shell (the active Terminal tab). IMPORTANT: In scripts, \`$funcName\` *statically* inherits the working folder from the *invoking Terminal tab* at the time of script *invocation*, even if you change the working folder *inside* the script before invoking \`$funcName\`. -g (back*g*round) causes Terminal not to activate, but within Terminal, the new tab/window will become the active element. -G causes Terminal not to activate *and* the active element within Terminal not to change; ie, the previously active window and tab stay active. NOTE: With -g or -G specified, for technical reasons, Terminal will still activate *briefly* when you create a new tab (creating a new window is not affected). When a command is specified, its first token will become the new ${targetType} title. Quoted parameters are handled properly. To specify multiple commands, use 'eval' followed by a single, *double*-quoted string in which the commands are separated by ';' Do NOT use backslash-escaped double quotes inside this string; rather, use backslash-escaping as needed. Use 'exit' as the last command to automatically close the tab when the command terminates; precede it with 'read -s -n 1' to wait for a keystroke first. Alternatively, pass a script name or path; prefix with 'exec' to automatically close the $targetType when the script terminates. Examples: $funcName ls -l "\$Home/Library/Application Support" $funcName eval "ls \\\$HOME/Library/Application\ Support; echo Press a key to exit.; read -s -n 1; exit" $funcName /path/to/someScript $funcName exec /path/to/someScript EOF return 0 fi # Option-parameters loop. inBackground=0 while (( $# )); do case "$1" in -g) inBackground=1 ;; -G) inBackground=2 ;; --) # Explicit end-of-options marker. shift # Move to next param and proceed with data-parameter analysis below. break ;; -*) # An unrecognized switch. echo "$FUNCNAME: PARAMETER ERROR: Unrecognized option: '$1'. To force interpretation as non-option, precede with '--'. Use -h or --h for help." 1>&2 && return 2 ;; *) # 1st argument reached; proceed with argument-parameter analysis below. break ;; esac shift done # All remaining parameters, if any, make up the command to execute in the new tab/window. local CMD_PREFIX='tell application "Terminal" to do script' # Command for opening a new Terminal window (with a single, new tab). local CMD_NEWWIN=$CMD_PREFIX # Curiously, simply executing 'do script' with no further arguments opens a new *window*. # Commands for opening a new tab in the current Terminal window. # Sadly, there is no direct way to open a new tab in an existing window, so we must activate Terminal first, then send a keyboard shortcut. local CMD_ACTIVATE='tell application "Terminal" to activate' local CMD_NEWTAB='tell application "System Events" to keystroke "t" using {command down}' # For use with -g: commands for saving and restoring the previous application local CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_APPNAME='tell application "System Events" to set prevAppName to displayed name of first process whose frontmost is true' local CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_APP='activate application prevAppName' # For use with -G: commands for saving and restoring the previous state within Terminal local CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_WIN='tell application "Terminal" to set prevWin to front window' local CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_WIN='set frontmost of prevWin to true' local CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_TAB='tell application "Terminal" to set prevTab to (selected tab of front window)' local CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_TAB='tell application "Terminal" to set selected of prevTab to true' if (( $# )); then # Command specified; open a new tab or window, then execute command. # Use the command first token as the tab title. local tabTitle=$1 case "$tabTitle" in exec|eval) # Use following token instead, if the 1st one is 'eval' or 'exec'. tabTitle=$(echo "$2" | awk '{ print $1 }') ;; cd) # Use last path component of following token instead, if the 1st one is 'cd' tabTitle=$(basename "$2") ;; esac local CMD_SETTITLE="tell application \"Terminal\" to set custom title of front window to \"$tabTitle\"" # The tricky part is to quote the command tokens properly when passing them to AppleScript: # Step 1: Quote all parameters (as needed) using printf '%q' - this will perform backslash-escaping. local quotedArgs=$(printf '%q ' "$@") # Step 2: Escape all backslashes again (by doubling them), because AppleScript expects that. local cmd="$CMD_PREFIX \"${quotedArgs//\\/\\\\}\"" # Open new tab or window, execute command, and assign tab title. # '>/dev/null' suppresses AppleScript output when it creates a new tab. if (( makeTab )); then if (( inBackground )); then # !! Sadly, because we must create a new tab by sending a keystroke to Terminal, we must briefly activate it, then reactivate the previously active application. if (( inBackground == 2 )); then # Restore the previously active tab after creating the new one. osascript -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_APPNAME" -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_TAB" -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$CMD_NEWTAB" -e "$cmd in front window" -e "$CMD_SETTITLE" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_APP" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_TAB" >/dev/null else osascript -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_APPNAME" -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$CMD_NEWTAB" -e "$cmd in front window" -e "$CMD_SETTITLE" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_APP" >/dev/null fi else osascript -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$CMD_NEWTAB" -e "$cmd in front window" -e "$CMD_SETTITLE" >/dev/null fi else # make *window* # Note: $CMD_NEWWIN is not needed, as $cmd implicitly creates a new window. if (( inBackground )); then # !! Sadly, because we must create a new tab by sending a keystroke to Terminal, we must briefly activate it, then reactivate the previously active application. if (( inBackground == 2 )); then # Restore the previously active window after creating the new one. osascript -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_WIN" -e "$cmd" -e "$CMD_SETTITLE" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_WIN" >/dev/null else osascript -e "$cmd" -e "$CMD_SETTITLE" >/dev/null fi else # Note: Even though we do not strictly need to activate Terminal first, we do it, as assigning the custom title to the 'front window' would otherwise sometimes target the wrong window. osascript -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$cmd" -e "$CMD_SETTITLE" >/dev/null fi fi else # No command specified; simply open a new tab or window. if (( makeTab )); then if (( inBackground )); then # !! Sadly, because we must create a new tab by sending a keystroke to Terminal, we must briefly activate it, then reactivate the previously active application. if (( inBackground == 2 )); then # Restore the previously active tab after creating the new one. osascript -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_APPNAME" -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_TAB" -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$CMD_NEWTAB" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_APP" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_TAB" >/dev/null else osascript -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_APPNAME" -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$CMD_NEWTAB" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_APP" >/dev/null fi else osascript -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$CMD_NEWTAB" >/dev/null fi else # make *window* if (( inBackground )); then # !! Sadly, because we must create a new tab by sending a keystroke to Terminal, we must briefly activate it, then reactivate the previously active application. if (( inBackground == 2 )); then # Restore the previously active window after creating the new one. osascript -e "$CMD_SAVE_ACTIVE_WIN" -e "$CMD_NEWWIN" -e "$CMD_REACTIVATE_PREV_WIN" >/dev/null else osascript -e "$CMD_NEWWIN" >/dev/null fi else # Note: Even though we do not strictly need to activate Terminal first, we do it so as to better visualize what is happening (the new window will appear stacked on top of an existing one). osascript -e "$CMD_ACTIVATE" -e "$CMD_NEWWIN" >/dev/null fi fi fi } # Opens a new Terminal window and optionally executes a command. function newwin { newtab "$@" # Simply pass through to 'newtab', which will examine the call stack to see how it was invoked. } 

Answer 3

Here's how bash_it does it :

 function tab() { osascript 2>/dev/null <<EOF tell application "System Events" tell process "Terminal" to keystroke "t" using command down end tell application "Terminal" activate do script with command "cd \"$PWD\"; $*" in window 1 end tell EOF } 

After adding this to your .bash_profile, you should use the tab command to open the current working directory in a new tab.

See: https://github.com/revans/bash-it/blob/master/plugins/available/osx.plugin.bash#L3

Answer 4

 osascript -e 'tell app "Terminal" do script "echo hello" end tell' 

This opens a new terminal and executes the echo hello command inside it.

Answer 5

If you use oh-my-zsh (which every fashionable geek should use), after activating the osx plugin in .zshrc simply enter the tab command; it will open a new tab and cd in the directory you were in.

Answer 6

I added them to my .bash_profile to have access to tabname and newtab

 tabname() { printf "\e]1;$1\a" } new_tab() { TAB_NAME=$1 COMMAND=$2 osascript \ -e "tell application \"Terminal\"" \ -e "tell application \"System Events\" to keystroke \"t\" using {command down}" \ -e "do script \"printf '\\\e]1;$TAB_NAME\\\a'; $COMMAND\" in front window" \ -e "end tell" > /dev/null } 

So, when you are on a specific tab, you can simply enter

 tabname "New TabName" 

to organize all open tabs. This is much better than getting information on a tab and changing it there.

Answer 7

The cmd-t keyboard opens a new tab, so you can pass this keystroke to the OSA command as follows:

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events"' -e 'keystroke "t" using command down' -e 'end tell'

Answer 8

when you are in the terminal window, the command + n => opens a new terminal and command + t => opens a new tab in the current terminal window

Answer 9

If you are using iTerm , this command will open a new tab:

 osascript -e 'tell application "iTerm" to activate' -e 'tell application "System Events" to tell process "iTerm" to keystroke "t" using command down' 

Answer 10

How about this simple snippet based on the standard script (echo) command:

 # set mac osx terminal title to "My Title" echo -n -e "\033]0;My Title\007" 

Answer 11

With X installed (for example, from homegrown or quartz) a simple "xterm &" (almost) trick, it opens a new terminal window (but not a tab).

Answer 12

 open -n -a Terminal 

and you can pass the target directory as parameter

 open -n -a Terminal /Users