RailsTips.org

So each time I go to code in a rails app I open up three tabs: one for script/server, one for autotest and one for general commands like script/generate and such. Let’s say I want to open up tinye, a project I’m working on at work. I have to do the following:

cd sites/nd/tinye.git
script/server
# new tab
cd sites/nd/tinye.git
a #that is my shortcut for autotest -rails
# new tab
cd sites/nd/tinye.git

I got a bit tired of this, so based on some scripts I saw around the interwebs, I put together the one below:

#!/bin/sh

if [[ $# == 0 ]]; then
  PROJECT_DIR=$PWD
elif [[ $# == 1 && -d "$1" ]]; then
  PROJECT_DIR="$@" 
else
  print "usage: iterm.sh [rails project directory]" 
  return 1
fi

# how to make new terminal (make new terminal)

osascript <<-eof
  tell application "iTerm" 

    tell the last terminal

      activate current session
      tell the last session
          set name to "server" 
          write text "cd \"$PROJECT_DIR\"" 
          write text "ss" 
      end tell

      launch session "Default Session" 
      tell the last session
          set name to "autotest" 
          write text "cd \"$PROJECT_DIR\"" 
          write text "a" 
      end tell

      launch session "Default Session" 
      tell the last session
          set name to "app" 
          write text "cd \"$PROJECT_DIR\"" 
                    write text "open http://localhost:3000/" 
      end tell

    end tell
  end tell
eof

I put this in _{/bin, named iterm.sh, and made sure it was executable (chmod u+x ~/bin/iterm.sh). Then I threw the following in as aliases (}/.bash_profile for me):

alias r='iterm.sh $1'
alias ss='script/server'
alias sc='script/console'
alias a='autotest -rails'

This allows me to open the same project I talked about earlier by simply typing:

r sites/nd/tinye.git

Instantly, I get three tabs in iTerm (server, autotest and blank) and an open browser window on localhost:3000. Thought I would share it here to spark other ideas like this. Also, I’m curious if others have similar things (or cooler things). Below is quick and dirty screencast that shows it in action.