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iOS Dev Setup: Customize your terminal
iTerm + zsh + Prezto + Powerlevel9k
This post is part of an ongoing series on setting up an iOS development environment.
Over time, I’ve tweaked my terminal to provide a good deal of relevant information that’s easy to parse, right when and where I need it. At the end of the day, I have a system where I can easily tell which version control system I’m using, which branch I’m in, and my status (files unstaged, files staged but not commited, etc). I can quickly navigate to to other branches or files using auto-completion and suggestion that’s built into zsh/Prezto. iTerm allows me to open multiple tabs, switch profiles on the fly, and easily update and tweak the look of my terminal. iTerm, zsh, and Prezto do much, much more. Also — it just looks good.
- Why
zshis your friend: http://www.slideshare.net/jaguardesignstudio/why-zsh-is-cooler-than-your-shell-16194692 - A bit on why Prezto is a great alternative to Oh-My-Zsh: http://joshsymonds.com/blog/2014/06/12/shell-awesomeness-with-prezto/
- What iTerm can do for you: http://lifehacker.com/5857046/the-best-terminal-emulator-for-mac-os-x
This post will cover how I’ve customized the look and functionality of my terminal. There are infinite combinations, the following is simply the way I’ve currently configured my terminal for iOS development. iTerm2 is my preferred terminal alternative to MacOS’s default Terminal app, which I’ve customized with a color scheme and font that plays well with the zsh theme Powerlevel9k. There are links to my custom zsh dotfiles at the end.
iTerm
Install iTerm and set it as your default terminal application. I strongly encourage you to read over the documentation to get an idea of all that is available.
iTerm theme:
iTerm comes with several built in themes, and a simple Import/Export feature that provides many more. Additional themes can be found with a little Google-fu.
To import a theme new theme:
- Preview, select and download a new…
