How to start terminal windows tiled linux mint ubuntu

There are several ways to start a group of terminal tools in Linux Mint and have the terminal windows tiled, depending on your workflow and the level of automation you want.

Manual Tiling with Built-in Features

Linux Mint Cinnamon offers built-in window tiling using keyboard shortcuts:

• Drag windows to screen edges: Drag a terminal window to the left or right edge of the screen to tile it to half the screen. Drag to a corner to tile to a quarter of the screen.
• Keyboard shortcuts: Use the Super (Windows) key plus arrow keys (e.g., Super+Left or Super+Right) to quickly tile windows.
• Multiple workspaces: Use workspaces to organize multiple sets of tiled windows.

Enhanced Tiling with Extensions

For more advanced or grid-based tiling, use the gTile extension:

• Install gTile: Available via Cinnamon Spices or your package manager.
• Usage:
  • Press Super + G to open the gTile grid.
  • Use arrow keys and Shift+arrows to select the tiling area.
  • Press Space or Enter to tile the selected window.
  • Use number keys to switch between different grid layouts.

This allows you to precisely arrange terminal windows (or any windows) into custom layouts.

Automating Terminal Launch and Tiling

To automatically open several terminal windows running different tools, and tile them:

1. Create a Bash Script to launch each tool in its own terminal window:

   #!/bin/bash
   gnome-terminal -- bash -c "htop; exec bash"
   gnome-terminal -- bash -c "mc; exec bash"
   gnome-terminal -- bash -c "cava; exec bash"
   

   Adjust the commands as needed for your tools and terminal emulator[6].

2. Automate Window Placement (Optional):

   • Use tools like xdotool to move and resize windows after launch, scripting their positions for a tiled effect[6].
   • Example:

     #!/bin/bash
     gnome-terminal -- bash -c "htop; exec bash" &
     sleep 1
     xdotool search --name htop windowmove 0 0 windowsize 960 540
     # Repeat for other windows with different positions/sizes
     

3. Add Script to Startup:

   • Place your script in the “Startup Applications” section of Linux Mint so your group of terminals launches automatically[6].

Alternative: Dedicated Tiling Window Managers

For a fully automated, keyboard-driven tiling experience, consider using a tiling window manager like i3 or Sway. These replace Cinnamon and offer advanced tiling and automation but require configuration and are a bigger change from the default Mint experience.

Summary Table: Tiling Options in Linux Mint

Recommendation:
For most Linux Mint users, combining a script to launch your terminal tools with the gTile extension provides a powerful, flexible, and user-friendly solution for tiling terminal windows.

Example: Start nvtop, htop and ollama -ps

gnome-terminal -t "htop" -- bash -c "htop; exec bash"
gnome-terminal -t "nvtop" -- bash -c "nvtop; exec bash"
gnome-terminal -t "ollamaps" -- bash -c "watch ollama ps; exec bash"

sleep 1
xdotool search --name htop windowmove 0 0 windowsize 960 500
xdotool search --name nvtop windowmove 961 0 windowsize 960 770
xdotool search --name ollamaps windowmove 961 800 windowsize 960 210

Useful links

• Reinstall linux
• Bash Cheat Sheet
• Docker Cheatsheet
• Ollama cheatsheet
• Resize images with Imagemagik
• Install portainer on linux